Injuries can ruin a life. No matter how it happens, an injury can mean months of missed work time, months or years of recovery time, and in many cases, medical bills that can follow you for years.
But just because you or your loved one were injured does not mean you have to face the aftermath alone. In Kennesaw, you could have a right to financial settlement to cover the costs of your injuries—and their impact on your life. You need to talk to a Kennesaw personal injury lawyer.
Let John Foy & Associated help you. We take a different approach to our clients than most personal injury law firms. We start by listening. We want to hear your story, know what happened, and understand everything you’re going through.
Then we put one of the most respected legal teams in Georgia on the case—with a history of more than 20 years of winning cases. And finally, we never charge you anything unless we win you money. Let us give you a free consultation.
Call us at 404-341-6447 and get your free consultation today.
What Types of Injuries Qualify for Personal Injury Claims?
Any type of injury can qualify. It all depends on what happened.
Under the law, if your injury was not your fault—and if it was potentially caused by someone else’s carelessness—then you may have a right to recover money. This money is designed to pay for all of your medical bills, any long term treatment or care you need, missed work time, and any other losses associated with the injury.
Some types of injuries are most common in personal injury claims. These include:
- Injuries sustained in car accidents
- Tripping and falling
- Injuries from an assault or any kind of attack
- Workplace injuries
- Dog bites
- Being harmed by a defective medical device or medical malpractice
- Mistreatment of elders in nursing homes
- Injuries caused by a dangerous or defective product
This is far from an exhaustive list. If you were hurt and it wasn’t your fault, you may have a claim.
How do I Know If I Have a Right to Recover Money?
The rule is simple:
If someone was careless, and their carelessness caused your injury, you have a right to recover money.
This is called “negligence.” Negligence is the foundation of almost all personal injury cases. Here are two examples to show why:
- Injured with no negligence: Imagine you’re walking down the street and you fall. The reason you fell was because you hadn’t tied your own shoelaces. In that example, the injury is probably no one else’s fault—negligence is not an issue.
- Injured by someone’s negligence: You’re walking down the street and you fall. But this time, you fell because city workers left the grate off a utility hatch in the sidewalk. They didn’t mark the hatch in any way and didn’t put any cones or warning signs around it. That’s simply careless on their part—and since that carelessness caused an injury, the city was negligent.
And in the City of Kennesaw, just like statewide, the negligent party is considered legally liable for all the costs of the injury, because they caused it.
What If the Injury is My Own Fault?
Be careful. If the injury is truly your fault—and only your fault, meaning no one else contributed to it—then you probably have no claim. But many injury victims wrongly blame themselves. Even well-meaning friends and family may suggest you should have done something different, as if that makes you responsible. But the local courts don’t always agree.
For example:
- Would the injury still have happened if someone else was more careful?
- Were there any unsafe conditions involved in the accident?
- Did any equipment or product involved in the accident fail to work the way it should?
- Are there any insurance policies that might cover the injury?
- Is it possible that someone else shares fault for the injury?
This is why negligence isn’t always obvious. It’s rare for any injury to happen purely “by accident.” Most have a cause, and identifying that cause is the only way to know if you have a valid claim. That’s why a good lawyer sends out an investigator of their own to find out exactly what happened and why.
Who Is Liable for My Injury? Who Pays for My Claim?
The short answer is, no matter who is liable, it will almost always be their insurance that actually pays the claim. It’s rare that anyone has to pay out of pocket.
In terms of finding out who’s liable, sometimes it’s easy and other times it’s not so clear. For example, if you were hit by a drunk driver, they’re obviously the one liable for your injuries. On the other hand, what if a child is hurt playing in an abandoned building? What if an injury happens at work?
Here is who is most often liable in the most common injuries:
- In a car accident, the at-fault driver is liable
- If you are injured because of something unsafe in a person’s home, the homeowner is liable
- Injuries on private premises usually involve liability from the person (or business) who owns or runs the place
- The government is liable for injuries due to unsafe conditions in a government building or many public spaces
- Dog bites and other animal attacks involve liability from the animal’s owner
- If you are injured at work, or while doing something work-related, you are very likely covered by worker’s compensation insurance, no matter who caused the injury or what happened
- Companies that make defective products are liable for those products
- A business is almost always liable for the actions of its employees
How do I File a Personal Injury Claim?
It can be confusing or even overwhelming. This is why it’s so important to have a lawyer representing you. Your lawyer can investigate what happened, find out who’s responsible, and handle the insurance claim for you—including putting together all the evidence to prove your case.
A successful claim can result in a settlement of tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, and multi-million dollar claims are not uncommon. But if you don’t understand the complicated legal system, you can end up harming your own case—and being denied the money that is your legal right. You need to talk to a lawyer.
Talk to a Kennesaw Personal Injury Lawyer for Free
At John Foy & Associates, our mission is to help people who were injured. We believe in making our legal services accessible to everyone. That’s why we offer a FREE consultation and we never charge you unless we win you money.
Let us help you. Call us at 404-341-6447 or fill out the form to your right and get your FREE consultation today.
