Smyrna, GA Personal Injury Lawyer

People get injured for all sorts of reasons every day. Unfortunately, many of these injuries are caused by negligence and leave victims seriously injured. You could be facing gigantic medical bills and dramatic life changes, all because someone else did not do their job properly or was not careful enough.

If you were injured because someone else did something wrong, our lawyers can help you. We have dealt with countless personal injury claims and have the experience, professionalism, and determination to see your case through to the end.

For a free analysis of your case from our team of personal injury lawyers, call Rice, Murtha & Psroas at (470) 287-3070.

What Injuries Can We Help You with in Smyrna, GA

Personal injury cases can take many different forms because there are many different ways that people get hurt. While the unifying factor is that the defendant’s negligent conduct got you hurt, the way that a car accident case goes is going to be very different from how a workplace accident case will proceed. Some of the circumstances that have led plaintiffs to file personal injury laws include:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Car, bus, and truck crashes, as well as collisions involving other motorized vehicles, often lead to personal injury cases. People are often badly injured in crass, even with the extensive suites of safety features present in modern vehicles.

Pedestrian Accidents

Unfortunately, pedestrians do not have built-in safety features as cars do. So, when they get hit by a car, there is a very high chance of serious injury, even if the vehicle is not moving at speed.

Premises Liability

Not all personal injury cases have to do with getting hit by cars. People can be negligent in many other ways. For example, property owners are required to keep their property safe for people who may enter it. In some cases, this even applies if the person was not supposed to be on the property in the first place.

Medical Malpractice

When doctors and other medical professionals hurt someone through their negligence, you can sue them in a medical malpractice lawsuit. These lawsuits arise out of professional medical negligence, like failing to diagnose an illness, performing surgery incorrectly, or prescribing the wrong medication.

Wrongful Death

Tragically, many things that lead to people getting badly hurt may also lead to untimely death. When that happens, loved ones can file wrongful death lawsuits to try and get some compensation and solace for the loss of a loved one. Note, however, that under O.G.C.A. § 51-4-2, only surviving spouses, children, and guardians of minor children of the deceased can seek damages in wrongful death lawsuits, so you should talk to our lawyers to determine the best course of action for your claim.

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Smyrna, GA?

You should file your personal injury case as soon as you can. This is because there are laws called statutes of limitations that put a time limit on how long you have to sue after you get hurt. Under O.G.C.A. § 9-3-33, you have two years from when you get hurt in most cases to file your lawsuit. Once those two years go by, you will not be able to file a claim or collect damages.

Laws like this ensure that cases are brought in a timely manner and that facts are less distorted in people’s memories by the passage of time. So, while it may seem unfair to put injured plaintiffs on the clock, statutes of limitations help make sure people are treated fairly in civil claims. To ensure that your claim gets in on time, the best course of action is to speak with an attorney as soon as possible.

Financial Compensation from Personal Injury Lawsuits in Smyrna, GA

Plaintiffs who prove that the defendant was liable for their injuries get awarded damages by the court. Damages are the way that courts try to return the plaintiff’s condition to how it was before they were injured. Of course, the seriousness and nature of a plaintiff’s injuries often make that literally impossible, so financial compensation is used as a proxy.

Plaintiffs can base their damages on many different factors, including medical expenses, property damage, and lost opportunity to earn income. Additionally, less concrete experiences like mental anguish, emotional distress, and physical pain and discomfort can factor into what a plaintiff requires in damages. The exact compensation you ask for depends on your unique situation, so the only way to know the value of your claim for sure is to speak with our lawyers.

Calculating the Compensation You Request in Your Smyrna, GA Personal Injury Claim

When you request financial compensation in your initial filings, you have to specify the amount you are asking for. There is no prescribed way to calculate damages after an accident, but the two main methods used are the multiplier method and the “per diem” method.

Multiplier Method

The multiplier method takes concrete things like medical expenses and multiples them by a given factor. For example, if you have $200,000 in economic damages from hospital bills and property damage and our lawyers determine that multiplying by 4 makes sense for your claim, you would request $800,000 in non-economic damages for a total of $1,000,000 in damages.

Per Diem Method

On the other hand, the per diem method takes into account the effects of the accident that you experience each day. You then add up that amount for all the days you are expected to be dealing with those effects and combine that value with the value of more concrete damages.

Speak to Our Personal Injury Lawyers in Smyrna, GA Today

Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s personal injury lawyers are ready to help you with your claim and can be reached by calling (470) 287-3070.