Woodstock Personal Injury Lawyer
Being hurt in an accident can be a major disruption to your life and have numerous unpleasant consequences. Not only must you endure the physical pain of your injuries, but you might be unable to return to work or enjoy your hobbies. A personal injury lawsuit can help you get justice and fair compensation.
If you were hurt in an accident, the first thing you should do is call for help. While waiting for an ambulance and the police to arrive, try to document the scene as best as you can. Important evidence might be lost when the scene is cleaned up, and it is important to preserve what you can. When you are ready, contact an attorney about starting a claim. The field of personal injury law is vast, and your claim might involve any number of accidents. Defective products, work accidents, and medical negligence are a few examples of cases our team handles. To prove the defendant is responsible, we need as much evidence as we can get.
Call our Marietta, GA personal injury attorneys in Woodstock at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (470) 287-3070 for a free, private case evaluation.
What to Do After Experiencing a Personal Injury in Woodstock
Being injured is never a fun experience. In some cases, you might be able to get yourself to a hospital. In others, the situation might be more urgent. Your first step should be to call for emergency help if you need it. Call 911 and have them send medical personnel and the police to your location. Even if the accident does not involve a criminal offense, the police may help investigate and render emergency assistance.
Document the scene if you can. Accident scenes are often full of evidence that is lost after law enforcement clears it away. For example, car accident scenes are often quickly cleaned up by the authorities, and evidence at these scenes might be gone forever. If you can, take pictures and record videos of the scene. These records can help you in an insurance claim and be used as evidence in court if necessary.
Next, you should get evaluated by a doctor. Even if you do not believe your injuries are that bad or warrant emergency medical care, you should get to a hospital to be checked out. First, you might have unseen or internal injuries that need immediate care. Second, the doctor treating you should thoroughly document everything. Our personal injury lawyers in Woodstock can use these records to prove the severity of your injuries when it comes time to claim damages.
Finally, call an attorney and ask them about a potential personal injury case. Even if you are unsure what you want to do about legal action, talk to a lawyer. They can review all your legal options so you can make a more informed decision about what you want to do.
Personal Injury Cases Our Woodstock Attorneys Can Help You With
Personal injury cases are known for covering a broad spectrum of injuries and accidents. As such, it is crucial that you work with a lawyer who has experience with cases like yours. Fortunately, our team has experience with a variety of personal injury claims, including, but not limited to, the following.
Faulty Products
Many people are injured by damaged or defective goods and products every year. Maybe you bought a new kitchen appliance that caught fire and burned you because of faulty wiring. Perhaps you bought a new set of kitchen knives, but the handle of one of the knives broke off while you were chopping, and the blade flew off and cut you. Consumers should not have to suffer because manufacturers put out defective goods. You may be able to file a product liability claim and sue negligent manufacturers or others in the chain of sale, including retailers that sold the faulty good.
Accidents at Work
Maybe you were hurt while you were at work. These kinds of cases are a bit more common among workers in more dangerous fields. For example, construction workers or factory employees might be badly hurt by machinery or power tools. However, even office workers can be injured on the job. Maybe you fell down a flight of stairs in your office because there was no banister to hold onto. Maybe you were on an elevator that fell. Whatever the case might be, speak to an attorney about it.
Medical Malpractice
Maybe you went to a doctor for treatment but came out with new or worse injuries. While doctors are not perfect and sometimes make mistakes, they may be held civilly liable if their mistakes amount to medical negligence. In short, a doctor may be liable for medical negligence if their treatment of a patient falls below standards of care. Surgical errors, misdiagnoses, mismanagement of medication, and other mistakes might constitute medical malpractice.
Proving Fault in a Woodstock Personal Injury Case
Proving fault in a personal injury case is likely going to be challenging. We must have enough evidence to meet our burden of proof. In a civil claim, we must prove your claims by a preponderance of evidence, meaning we must establish that it is more likely than not that the defendant is liable. The more evidence we have, the easier it will be for us to meet our burden. Remember, every case is different. Even if we have only a few pieces of evidence, we might still meet our burden.
It is possible that the defendant will try to evade liability by claiming that you somehow caused or contributed to the accident. In such cases, the court may need to apply laws of comparative negligence. According to O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33(a), damages are reduced in proportion to the plaintiff’s percentage of blame as determined by the trier of fact (i.e., the judge or jury). Under subsection (g), if the plaintiff is determined to be at least 50% responsible, they may be barred from recovering damages.
Speak to Our Personal Injury Lawyers in Woodstock for Legal Help Now
Call our personal injury attorneys in Woodstock at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (470) 287-3070 for a free, private case evaluation.