If you suffered a personal injury, you could find yourself saddled with steep costs, including hospital bills, medication, and weeks or even months of lost wages. In some cases, you may not be able to return to work at all. But you may have a legal right to recover some or all of that money with the help of a personal injury lawyer in Gainesville.
At John Foy & Associates, our mission is to help injury victims like you. We have worked for 20 years representing the interest of individuals and families shaken by accidents, earning the nickname “the Strong Arm law firm” because we won’t let up until the insurance companies give our clients the money they deserve.
Two Things You Need to Do After Suffering a Personal Injury in Gainesville
It’s not easy to take action after a serious injury. Many accident victims we speak to are dealing with intense pain, the frustration of missing work, expensive medical bills, and an uncertain future. You may not even know how fully you will recover from your injury or if you will ever have your full health again.
If this is you, remember: you are not alone. We have helped hundreds of accident victims through this difficult time. Your future doesn’t have to be a question mark, and you don’t have to let the bills overwhelm you.
But you do have to know the right steps to take to get the recovery you’re owed. After your accident, there are just two important things you must do:
- Speak to an experienced Gainesville personal injury attorney. The only way to know for sure whether you have a case is to get the advice of a professional. Insurance companies have an army of lawyers to use against you. Don’t try to deal with them alone. You need an experienced attorney of your own.
- Don’t sign anything the insurance company sends you. Insurance companies want to make you believe you’re getting their last and best offer. They will often send you a quick check right after your injury – money that seems too good to be true at first.
Signing that check means signing away your right to any future payment, and the medical bills may keep coming. Remember, the insurance company’s only goal is to save money. Don’t sign anything they give you until you’ve spoken to a lawyer.
How do You Know If You Have a Personal Injury Case?
The most important rule is not to talk yourself out of thinking you have a case. We see far too many accident victims who blame themselves, even though their injury is not their fault. Others simply chalk it up as something that happened by pure chance, and couldn’t have been prevented.
From a legal perspective, neither of these views is right. The reality is: if you were injured through no fault of your own, you likely have a case.
Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Case
Typically, a personal injury case centers on the idea of “negligence.” Negligence means that your injury may have been an accident, but it could have been avoided if someone else had been more careful. Examples of negligence include:
- A store owner who mops the floor but doesn’t put up a “wet floor” sign
- A landowner who leaves a hazard uncovered, like an old well, and doesn’t fence it off
- Someone who backs their car out of their driveway without looking
This doesn’t mean the person responsible is a bad person. In most personal injury cases, no one had any malicious intent. But someone did something foolish or reckless that they knew could end up causing an accident. That negligence ended up getting you hurt. That means you have a case.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
It’s important to choose a personal injury lawyer in Gainesville with experience in your kind of case. Specific types of personal injury claims we handle include but are not limited to:
- Car accidents and truck, motorcycle, or bike accidents
- A vehicle striking a pedestrian or cyclist
- Slipping, tripping, or falling
- Being injured by a mugger or other criminal
- Abuse or neglect in a nursing home
- Injuries caused by a defective product
- Injuries or medical conditions caused by a prescription drug
- Being given the wrong medication at a hospital
- Injuries caused by medical malpractice
The best way to know if you have a case is to speak to a personal injury lawyer. Almost any kind of injury can qualify for a personal injury claim, but some kinds of claims are harder or more specialized than others.
Four Things to Prove in a Personal Injury Case
Any personal injury case requires us to prove four things to win. The first is identifying the proper responsible party. The second thing is negligence. Linking their negligence to your injury is the third. Finally, we have to prove the damages that need compensation.
A skilled personal injury lawyer will explain during the consultation how they will work to prove these four things to an insurer or the courts. After hire, they will give legal advice on what to do or say to avoid jeopardizing your case.
How Much does It Cost to Hire a Gainesville Personal Injury Lawyer?
At John Foy & Associates we believe that finances shouldn’t hold anyone back from getting proper legal representation. That’s why we charge you nothing to speak to a personal injury lawyer in Gainesville, nothing out of pocket, and nothing unless we get you money.
Instead, we only take our fee out of the money we win for you. If we don’t get you a financial recovery, we don’t get paid at all. That makes sure we are truly working for our client’s best interests, and it means you can hire a lawyer risk-free.
Is There a Deadline to File a Personal Injury Case in Gainesville?
Yes. Personal injury cases carry complex deadlines depending on the type of case and who is involved. In Gainesville, the courts follow statutes of limitations set by both Georgia law and federal law.
In some cases, you may have a year or more to file your claim, per Ga. Code § 9-3-33. However, in other cases, you may have only weeks. The best thing you can do is speak to a lawyer immediately to stop the clock to preserve your chances for a claim.
It’s tempting to wait until you have a full diagnosis and clearer picture of your injuries, but your personal injury lawyer, if experienced, knows how to estimate future costs and losses for your injury case.
What Could Reduce My Compensation?
Assuming you do have a case that the insurance company can’t refute, one thing that could reduce your compensation is Georgia’s comparative fault laws. Insurers can reduce their payouts if they can prove you did something to contribute to your accident.
So long as you are less than 50% responsible for your injuries, you can still get paid. However, the amount will be reduced by the percentage of fault you carry. Thus, besides finding you an equitable compensation amount, your lawyer will also work to reduce claims of partial fault against you.
Speak to a Gainesville Personal Injury Lawyer Today for Free
John Foy & Associates is one of the most respected personal injury firms in the country. Let us help you. When you call us, we’ll sit down for a FREE consultation and give you a professional legal opinion with no obligation. Call our Gainesville personal injury lawyers or fill out our online contact form and get your free consultation today.
