Rome, GA Personal Injury Lawyers

Unfortunately, injuries due to negligence happen often, and our attorneys can help victims recovering from serious injuries file claims for compensation.

At the latest, you must file your personal injury lawsuit within two years of an accident unless a rare exception applies to your case, extending the statute of limitations. Bringing claims too soon after accidents could lead to issues with evidence, as could filing too late, and we can help victims strategically plan when to file so that they have the best chances of recovery. To do that, we must start investigating accidents right away. We can do this by reviewing incident reports from law enforcement or other sources. We can prioritize interviewing witnesses to preserve their statements and obtaining video and photographic evidence to support your recovery of economic and non-economic damages.

To get a confidential and free case assessment from our Atlanta personal injury lawyers, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.

When to File Personal Injury Lawsuits in Rome, GA

While staying aware of the statute of limitations is important, so is strategically bringing your claim only after fully appreciating your damages and having enough evidence to prove liability.

Compensation in personal injury claims is based on victims’ incurred damages. This means you must show proof of your losses to get compensation for them. If you file too soon after sustaining injuries, you might not know the full scope of your injuries or their effect on your life.

With that in mind, we can carefully monitor your economic damages, including your lost wages, and determine the appropriate time to file your claim. Not only do we need proof of damages to date, but we may also need evidence supporting requests for future damages. Medical experts can review victims’ records from immediately after an accident and the following weeks and months to assess whether they will need future care. For example, you might have several scheduled surgeries or need to go to physical therapy sessions for the next several months or years. Experts can confirm this with our personal injury lawyers, and this will inform us of the compensation we request in your case.

While not filing too soon after an accident is important, as doing so could lead to issues proving damages, so is not filing too late. As mentioned, there is a filing deadline for personal injury cases, typically two years from the accident’s date, according to O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. Despite there being a few exceptions to this, not filing within this two-year window could block you from getting any damages for a personal injury.

Investigating Personal Injuries and Accidents in Rome, GA

Investigating personal injuries and the accidents that cause them is important, and our lawyers can begin by analyzing incident reports from police or other sources. We can proceed with interviewing eyewitnesses and preserving their statements, followed by obtaining video footage from surveillance systems and other photographic evidence that could prove negligence.

Reviewing Incident Reports

At the start of our investigation, we may review incident reports for the accident. If victims called 911 to report their injuries, police officers may have written incident reports that our lawyers can obtain and analyze for new or important information. This is common for car accidents, though victims can call the police for help after any accident due to negligence. Suppose you reported the accident directly to the liable party, such as after a slip and fall on their property. In that case, our lawyers can get a copy of that report or any subsequent communications and see how they might factor into your claim.

Interviewing Witnesses

We may also interview eyewitnesses during our investigation, most likely in the beginning stages. Witnesses might see the accident from a different vantage point, offering new details previously unknown to victims. Witnesses can confirm how a defendant was negligent or why a victim was injured, strengthening compensation claims. You can request their contact details if you notice witnesses at the site. Otherwise, our attorneys may learn information by reading incident reports or using other investigation tactics. Quickly scheduling interviews with eyewitnesses is important, as there is a risk of their memories fading with time. We can ultimately use eyewitness statements as leverage over defendants during settlement negotiations or have eyewitnesses testify during trials to prove liability to juries.

Locating Photographic Evidence

Photographic evidence can indicate liability for personal injuries, and our lawyers can pool images from victims, police officers, and eyewitnesses. We can also visit the accident’s location and determine if surveillance cameras are nearby or at the site. This is sometimes the case in premises liability claims, like slips and falls in restaurants or other establishments. Quickly subpoenaing footage from liable parties is important, as they might be incentivized to delete footage that could prove their negligence. When camera owners are unrelated to an accident but happen to own cameras nearby, they might delete footage, not knowing its relevance to your case or recovery.

Recoverable Damages for Personal Injuries in Rome, GA

Victims can seek recovery for various damages from negligent parties in injury lawsuits, including compensation for tangible and intangible losses.

Tangible losses concern victims’ economic damages, like medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, rehabilitation costs, and other out-of-pocket expenses. Then, there are intangible losses, which concern non-economic harms to victims, like pain and suffering or emotional distress. Neither economic nor non-economic damages are capped for most personal injury claims in Georgia, letting victims get sufficient compensation, whether from settlements or jury awards. Negotiating fair settlements might take time, especially if defendants are reluctant to compensate victims fairly, and our attorneys can help victims take claims to court if doing so is necessary to get damages sooner.

Call Our Rome, GA Lawyers About Your Accident Today

Call the personal injury lawyers of Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 for a free case analysis.