Should a personal injury lawyer be hired after an accident? That’s a question that many people wonder about. After all, if a car gets dented in a parking lot and no one is injured, it’s not hard to get an estimate and receive a check from the insurance company.
People aren’t cars. After an accident, injuries can be slow to heal or become chronic. No one knows how much the medical bills will be. A personal injury case needs to be treated differently than a fender-bender because the insurance company is definitely handling it differently.
Georgia law recognizes that there are different types of damages that someone can suffer after an injury.
Special Damages
Special damages simply means damages that have an exact dollar value attached to them. This would include lost wages, the past and future medical expenses, lost profits from a business, etc. An estimate of future damages must be reasonable to a jury.
General Damages
General damages include losses that are hard to put an exact dollar value to. Pain and suffering or permanent scarring would be considered general damages. If someone is unable to return to work at their former profession that would also be considered a loss. Juries are asked to put a dollar value to general damages.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are not included in every personal injury case. The intent of punitive damage is to punish the defendant and to discourage anyone else from doing so. The defendant must have intended to cause harm or was behaving recklessly without caring that someone was likely to be hurt.
Most personal injury cases are settled before trial, but those settlements happen because the insurance company believes that there is an excellent chance that they would lose at trial. This is why it matters so much which personal injury lawyer in Carrollton, GA prepares the case.
Anyone who has suffered an injury because of another’s negligence should talk to an experienced West GA Attorney before accepting any settlement. Daniel M. Barnes is a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer in Carrollton, GA who would like to help you receive the compensation that you are due. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.
