Whether driving on a state route, boating on the Flint River, or enjoying a walk through your neighborhood, a personal injury can happen anywhere and turn your life upside down.
Sometimes, you may recognize that another party is at fault right away. But in other situations, the fault may not be readily apparent, or the at-fault party could blame you.
The insurance company could further complicate matters, rejecting your claim out of hand or offering you less than you deserve. How can you ensure you receive the compensation you need to move on with your life?
A Fayette County Personal Injury Attorney Can Assist You Today
After experiencing a significant injury, it’s normal to feel a sense of unease and concern. Questions may arise regarding the potential for a personal injury lawsuit or the complicated process of filing an insurance claim.
You might find yourself considering whether your injuries resulted from your own actions, someone else’s negligence, or simply an unfortunate accident. Meanwhile, you may be apprehensive about the insurance company’s response, worrying about receiving a claim denial or a settlement that undervalues your damages.
To handle these uncertainties, we recommend you seek the guidance of an experienced personal injury lawyer. Here at CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, we offer free consultations to address your specific worries and outline the legal options available to you.
With our “No win, no fee” policy, we only require payment if we succeed in securing a favorable outcome for your case. Don’t hesitate to reach out today and take the first step toward obtaining the compensation you deserve.
How Long Does a Personal Injury Case Take?
The time frame for a personal injury case can vary from a few months to a few years. On average, many cases take around a year, but there are a number of factors that can cause your case to take longer.
Your attorney will give you an approximate timeline based on the specifics of your claim, but even so, there may be delays for reasons beyond our control.
Here are some of the issues that affect how long your claim will take:
The Amount of Damages
With every case, we review the potential damages with the client—medical bills, potential for future medical costs, lost income, reduced earning potential, permanent disability or disfigurement, pain and suffering, and property damage. Not everyone will have damages in all these categories, but we want to account for all your losses.
Once we’ve done so, we can properly value your claim so you’ll know if an insurance company’s offer is fair. If not, we’ll negotiate with the insurer for a more reasonable settlement.
The total value of a claim is also highly variable. A person who suffered minor injuries and has fully recovered may have several thousand dollars in damages.
Someone who had a longer recovery, with prolonged medical care and more pain and suffering, might have damages in the tens of thousands. A client who sustained severe injuries, possibly including a permanent disability, might have damages of six figures or more.
In a wrongful death case, in which the victim died of their injuries, the claim could even be worth seven figures.
While insurance adjusters always look for ways to control costs, they generally look much harder at higher-value cases. They may also be less inclined to agree on a fair settlement when we negotiate, and the negotiation process usually takes more time for higher-value cases.
This is one reason why a claim of, say, $10,000 will likely take less time to settle than one for $100,000 or more.
How Long It Takes You to Recover
We will usually wait to settle your claim until your medical treatment is complete because we don’t want you to have additional medical bills later that aren’t included in your settlement. Again, a more serious injury will usually take longer to heal and result in an extended settlement process.
The exception would be if your injury is so severe that you’re expected to need continued medical care or assistance for the rest of your life. When this happens, we will estimate your future costs and work to settle the case right away.
However, due to the severity of the injuries in these situations, it may still take extra time to complete negotiations with the insurance carrier.
The Evidence in the Case and the Difficulty of Proving Fault
Proving fault is a key component of any personal injury case, and the difficulty of doing so also varies depending on circumstances. In some cases, proving fault is relatively straightforward: There is robust evidence that the other party was at fault and the client did nothing wrong.
Sometimes, the insurance adjuster will try to argue that the client was partially at fault because Georgia law allows for shared fault. If the injured party is less than 50 percent responsible, they can still collect damages—but the insurance company can deduct their portion from the final settlement.
However, when the evidence is strongly in our favor, the insurance company often doesn’t put up as much of a fight, and we can often convince them to pay the client’s total damages. The insurance adjuster may try other tactics to reduce the claim, such as undervaluing the injured person’s damages, but overall, these cases are generally easier and faster to resolve.
But not every case is this simple. Sometimes, there is limited evidence and two parties with wildly conflicting stories. It’s also possible the injured person was partly at fault, and the insurance company might have overestimated their share of responsibility.
When the evidence is sparse, the insurance adjuster may be more confident in their case and less agreeable in negotiations. We might spend more time searching for additional evidence, and if we can’t find any, more time negotiating for a favorable deal.
One thing you can do to help the process go more smoothly is to contact a lawyer as soon as possible after your accident or injury. Sometimes, evidence is lost or damaged over time, and it’s often easier to build a strong case shortly after the event.
For instance, we may canvas the neighborhood looking for witnesses or video evidence. Due to the prevalence of doorbell cameras, we can sometimes obtain a video of a nearby car accident or other incident.
However, these videos are erased frequently due to storage limits, so our odds of finding one are much better early on. Additionally, witnesses may leave town, or their memories could simply fade with time.
This means the sooner you contact us, the better position we’ll be in to build a strong case.
The Insurance Company’s Cooperation
We want to get your case settled as soon as possible, and we’ll work to file the appropriate paperwork right away. But sometimes, we have to wait for a response from the insurance company if there is a disagreement about fault or a negotiation over your settlement.
In some cases, the insurance company takes their time getting back to us. For example, if they question some of your damages, we might send them additional documentation, and then we will wait to hear back from them.
If the insurance adjuster responds promptly, we can move on to the next steps. If not…we wait.
We follow up when appropriate, but the insurance company could keep us waiting. They promise to let us know soon and then take their time.
Unfortunately, this is one of those situations that we really can’t control, and the insurance adjuster’s lack of urgency can prolong the process.
Most of the time, we eventually arrive at a fair settlement for the client. However, in rare situations, the insurance company stubbornly refuses to agree on a reasonable deal.
When this happens, we’re ready to fight for our clients’ rights in court, but a trial will cause your case to take longer.
How Do You Know if Your Attorney Is Really Working on Your Case or Just Wasting Time?
Personal injury attorneys are usually motivated to do their jobs because most of us work on a contingency basis—we don’t get paid unless and until you do. Frequently, when people think their attorney isn’t working on their case, one of the issues listed in the previous section is actually slowing things down, and the attorney is working diligently to move the case forward.
However, there are some situations where your attorney might not be giving your case the attention it deserves. If you ask for an update, your lawyer should be able to tell you where they’re at, if they’re waiting on another party to respond, and approximately when you might hear back from them.
But if your attorney ignores your calls and emails or can’t give you even a general explanation of their progress, it may be time to find a new lawyer.
How Much Time Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Georgia?
In most situations, you should file a personal injury lawsuit within two years of the injury or accident. The case does not have to be settled or completed by then, but you must file your lawsuit in that time frame.
If you have a repetitive motion injury or another situation where you can’t easily pinpoint an exact date for your injury, you should speak with an attorney as soon as you become aware of the injury. In these cases, the court will sometimes allow a claim within two years of when the injured person knew of the problem.
There are a few exceptions where you might be able to file a claim past the two-year mark. If the defendant (the person you’re suing) has left the state of Georgia and can’t be served within two years, you might be able to file your claim after they return.
In some cases, the two-year “clock” doesn’t start until the injured person’s 18th birthday if they were a minor at the time of the injury.
However, these exceptions are rare, and you shouldn’t assume they will be available to you. If you believe another party caused your injury, please contact a lawyer as soon as possible.
It’s also helpful to remember that even if it’s been less than two years, your attorney will need time to research your injury and build a strong case.
What Should You Do Before Your Consultation With an Attorney?
It’s helpful to gather any documents related to your accident or injury—medical bills, pictures from the accident scene, a police report if you had a car or boating accident, etc. We can track these down later, but things will move more quickly if you have them handy.
You should also avoid discussing your accident or injury with others, and in particular, never admit fault. As discussed earlier, partial fault will not always disqualify you from collecting damages, but some people are incorrect when they believe they’re at fault.
When speaking to the police, you should explain what happened honestly, but you don’t need to comment on who you think was responsible. Also, don’t post about your accident on social media—you don’t want an insurance adjuster reading your friends’ comments or misinterpreting an offhand remark you made about the incident.
Instead, save the discussion for a confidential consultation with your attorney.
How Can You Get Help From a Fayette County Personal Injury Law Firm?
Please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm to learn more about your options. Our team will review your case and explain the possibility of compensation being recovered.
If we take your case, you won’t pay us anything until we win or settle it, so please reach out today.
The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm was founded by attorney Ali Awad, who has since expanded it into one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. With the help of his team, he has recovered millions of dollars for injured people and their families.
Additionally, he posts entertaining but educational videos about legal topics for over a million followers on social media. If you would like to work with him, call (470) 323-8779.
