Macon GA Injury Lawyer | Georgia Auto Accident and Wrongful Death Lawyer

When a lawsuit is filed, the defendant can force the plaintiff to go see the doctor of his or her choosing for an examination. The truth is that an independent medical examination is not independent. I’ve seen so many of these reports that are all the same. Often these doctors make all of their money by performing these examinations for insurance companies and are chosen because they help to undermine your case. They do this by saying the person wasn’t injured in the accident, that the injury was pre-existing, that the injury was cause by something else, or that the treatment wasn’t necessary. At trial, the doctor will testify about his or her findings to try to discredit the plaintiff’s treating doctor’s opinions, even though the examiner only saw the plaintiff for a short time.

These doctors are nothing more than “hired guns” for the insurance company.

Frivolous cases do not survive litigation. The legal process was created to weed out cases that are without merit. At times, you might have read about a case that appears to stretch reason, but keep in mind that if the story you heard about was actually true, then the case was examined by a judge and jury and made it through the scrutiny. Keep in mind that only the members of the jury know what evidence they thought was important, and how they reached the verdict that they awarded.

Contact us if you have been injured in Macon GA (Georgia), or in Roberta, Warner Robins, Forsyth, Byron-Centerville, Culloden, Fort Valley, Haddock, Jeffersonville, Lizella, Perry, Gray, Irwinton, Milledgeville and Vienna including Bibb County, Monroe County, Jones County, Crawford County, Peach County, Twiggs County, Baldwin County, Dooly County Houston County, Wesleyan College, Macon State College and Mercer University. Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys are based in Macon GA (Georgia) and can get you the compensation you deserve.

—————————-
We are Macon GA personal injury lawyers – Georgia car accident attorneys – wrongful death law firm. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective injury clients.

Macon Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Macon

People may tell you that the insurance company will make a reasonable offer to settle your claim to avoid having to hire an attorney to defend the case. This is simply not true. The insurance companies see this as nothing more than a cost of doing business. Also, there is an increasing trend towards insurance companies using in-house counsel, meaning that they don’t have to pay attorneys by the hour to represent them. Therefore, these companies are not saving money by avoiding a lawsuit.

There is a NO set equation to estimate the value of a claim. You might have heard that a claim should be worth three times the amount of medical bills that you incurred from the accident. However, the reality is that every case is different. For instance, if you were to break your ribs, there would be little a doctor could do to treat your injuries and your appointments would be sporadic over a number of months. However, your pain and suffering would be great. Every move you made would be agonizing and even breathing would be painful. That case would have relatively low medical bills. On the other hand, if your injury is to your muscles and soft tissue in your neck or back, you would need regular treatment, sometimes on a daily basis, while the injuries healed. Your pain and suffering would probably be considerably less than the case of a broken rib, but the bills for treatment would probably be higher. In comparing those two injuries, the bills for treating a broken rib would probably be much less than the bills for a soft tissue neck and back injury. However, the general damages for the rib injury would probably be much higher than those for the soft tissue injury. As you can see, valuing these two claims cannot be reduced to a formula. Don’t listen to people tell you how much they think your case is worth or how much they or someone they know received for an accident. Every case is unique and only an experienced personal injury attorney can offer sound advice about the value of your case.

Contact us if you have been injured in Macon GA (Georgia), or in Roberta, Warner Robins, Forsyth, Byron-Centerville, Culloden, Fort Valley, Haddock, Jeffersonville, Lizella, Perry, Gray, Irwinton, Milledgeville and Vienna including Bibb County, Monroe County, Jones County, Crawford County, Peach County, Twiggs County, Baldwin County, Dooly County Houston County, Wesleyan College, Macon State College and Mercer University. Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys are based in Macon GA (Georgia) and can get you the compensation you deserve.

—————————-
We are Macon GA personal injury lawyers – Georgia car accident attorneys – wrongful death law firm. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective injury clients.

Macon Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Macon

Do not miss doctor appointments or have “gaps” in your treatment. If you are hurt, you need to keep your appointments. No exceptions. Any time you miss an appointment and it is noted in your records, or you have a period of time where you don’t get any treatment (a gap), it suggests that you weren’t injured or hurt, and that is why you didn’t go. Once missed appointments or gaps are in your records, it is difficult to explain to a jury.

Follow your doctor’s advice. You are not a doctor, and you can’t treat your own injuries. You need to find a doctor you like and trust, and do what he or she says so that you can get better as quickly as possible. Doing what the doctor says shows that you have a desire to get better.

Do not try to hide prior or subsequent injuries. It is critical that you are honest and up front with your attorney about any injuries that occurred before or after your accident. If the case is filed, you have an obligation to disclose this. Essentially, your life becomes an open book when you open an insurance claim. An experienced personal injury attorney will investigate details about your other injuries and make a determination on how best to present your case.

Keep accurate tax returns. If you have lost income as a result of your accident, the simplest way to prove the loss is through tax records. However, if your tax returns are inaccurate, or non-existent, then your wage loss claim is in jeopardy. If this is the case, you need to have an honest discussion about it with your attorney.

You are not required to sign a release of information for the other person’s insurance company. While adjusters may want to look at your medical and employment records to assess your injuries, they do not have a right to the documents unless a lawsuit has been filed.

If a lawsuit hasn’t been filed, you do not have any obligation to give a statement to the other guy’s insurance company, recorded or otherwise. In fact, these often work against you because the adjuster can ask virtually any question without objection and the claimant locks him or herself into answers early in the claim. It is important to speak to an attorney before agreeing to a recorded statement. Often an attorney will sit in on a recorded statement to protect your case.

In the days after a claim is opened, the adjuster’s goal is to find out as much as possible about a claim to find any weaknesses to exploit. Adjusters can sometimes say something just to see if the claimant will give them what they want or to see how the individual reacts.

Contact us if you have been injured in Macon GA (Georgia), or in Roberta, Warner Robins, Forsyth, Byron-Centerville, Culloden, Fort Valley, Haddock, Jeffersonville, Lizella, Perry, Gray, Irwinton, Milledgeville and Vienna including Bibb County, Monroe County, Jones County, Crawford County, Peach County, Twiggs County, Baldwin County, Dooly County Houston County, Wesleyan College, Macon State College and Mercer University. Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys are based in Macon GA (Georgia) and can get you the compensation you deserve.

—————————-
We are Macon GA personal injury lawyers – Georgia car accident attorneys – wrongful death law firm. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective injury clients.

Macon Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Macon

Do not exaggerate your symptoms. One of the most important factors in your case is how you present as a witness. Will the jury or the judge believe you and what you say? Your story has to be supported by the evidence in your case. Usually that means that your complaints are in line with the opinions of your treatment providers. Otherwise, the jury may decide that you are faking or exaggerating. A jury will be particularly harsh to a plaintiff whom they perceive to be a “whiner” or who is playing them for money.

Be totally honest with your attorney. Nearly every aspect of your life will be examined once you make a claim for bodily injury. This includes your work history, your medical history, your lifestyle, your background, and family life. Your attorney needs to know everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly. He can’t protect you from something unless he knows about it. The time to find out about a blemish in your work history or a criminal conviction you had is not when you’re being deposed or at examined at trial. It is vitally important that you are up front and honest with your attorney. A defense attorney will mine for details during discovery and the information will likely come out at some point. The insurance companies have endless resources to find out everything about you. Your attorney will be able to deal with that past firing or other challenge as long as he or she knows about it.

Do not try to hide past accidents. Once you begin a case, the other side will want to know how many accidents you have been in and, if the case is filed, you have an obligation to disclose this information. In most cases, they already know. The insurance industry keeps track of claims in a large database that all companies subscribe to. Giving less than truthful answers or trying to hide your previous accidents only make you appear to be less than credible.

Do not under report your injuries. As stated earlier, you must prove every injury that resulted from the accident. This means they must be documented in your medical records by your treating medical providers. Sometimes a patient will be a tough-guy and downplay his or her pain, saying things like “it’s not that bad” or the injury is “minor.” Other times patients will not report all injuries. Either approach undermines his or her case. In injury cases, you do not get extra points for being brave! Your medical records will be scrutinized by the claims adjuster and defense attorney. Every pain and every complaint, even if it’s small, needs to be in your medial records to be part of your claim. If it is not in the records, it is difficult to convince a jury that it actually happened.

Contact us if you have been injured in Macon GA (Georgia), or in Roberta, Warner Robins, Forsyth, Byron-Centerville, Culloden, Fort Valley, Haddock, Jeffersonville, Lizella, Perry, Gray, Irwinton, Milledgeville and Vienna including Bibb County, Monroe County, Jones County, Crawford County, Peach County, Twiggs County, Baldwin County, Dooly County Houston County, Wesleyan College, Macon State College and Mercer University. Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys are based in Macon GA (Georgia) and can get you the compensation you deserve.

—————————-
We are Macon GA personal injury lawyers – Georgia car accident attorneys – wrongful death law firm. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective injury clients.

Macon Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Macon

Hospital malpractice includes any type of medical negligence that occurs in a hospital setting, including errors by doctors, nurses, technicians and other hospital staff. The victim of a hospital malpractice can claim damages and compensation for the resultant injuries, harm and pain.

When the hospital staff engages improper or negligent medical care or treatment of a patient resulting in harm or injury to the patient, it is a case of hospital negligence. When a patient gets admitted in a hospital, the hospital staff owes certain duties to the patient. Hospital staff owes a primary duty of reasonable care. Hospital staff despite their good intentions, skill and training, may commit mistakes. They are humans after all. But the hospital staff is expected to be attentive, competent, and careful in administering their services. The lives of people are at stake. Failure to exercise the necessary care can result in hospital negligence. This means that the care does not meet the standards that reasonable professionals in the same field and community would provide. Hospital staff includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technicians and other staff as well.

Our wrongful death and personal attorneys are based in Augusta, GA (Georgia). If someone you know has suffered a wrongful death, contact us. You may be eligible for compensation from different sources. We help injury victims in Augusta, GA (Georgia) and throughout the CSRA, including Columbia County, Richmond County, Lincoln County, McDuffie, Jefferson and Burke Counties, Evans, Appling, Waynesboro, Louisville, Thomson, Lincolnton, Girard Georgia & Aiken, South Carolina & North Augusta SC get the compensation they deserve.

———————————
We are personal injury lawyers Augusta GA and car accident attorneys. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective clients.

Augusta Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Augusta

The overarching tactic the insurance companies use is called “The Three Ds”: deny, delay, defend. They will deny that the accident is their insured’s fault, or that you were injured. They will delay giving you any money for as long as possible (assuming you don’t take the “quickie settlement”). Lastly, they will defend any claim you make aggressively, even forcing you to go to trial. If a personal injury case cannot be settled through negotiations, generally a lawsuit needs to be started. The first step in starting the lawsuit is to file a summons and complaint with the court and then to have the defendant(s) served with the documents. The insurance company will then assign a defense attorney to represent the person whom it insures. Once this is accomplished, the case enters the “discovery” phase where the parties send written questions to each other. Also in discovery, witnesses can be compelled to testify in a deposition. That is where the witness is sworn in and gives testimony under oath. It is very similar to testifying in court. In some cases an independent medical examination may be requested. Discovery is the time when both parties have a chance to get an idea of what the other person’s case looks like—the strengths, weaknesses, and legal strategies. This phase can take months to years to complete.

Get enough information at the accident scene. Failing to get all important information at the accident scene can virtually ruin your case. If you don’t get names and addresses of the people involved, it puts you at a significant disadvantage in trying to determine fault and figure out what insurance might be available. If you fail to get the correct information about one of the cars involved while you are standing at the scene of the accident, you may never be able to get it again! Also, sometimes a surveillance camera will record the incident, or a 911 tape will be made. These tapes are often recorded over and the evidence forever lost within days. Therefore, the sooner someone investigates the accident, the better. The more time that goes by, the more evidence disappears, never to be found.

Do not wait to see a doctor. If you are hurt, you need to see a doctor. No exceptions. As discussed earlier, all injuries caused by the accident must be proved with evidence. This requires a medical provider documenting your symptoms and recommended treatment. If you delay seeking treatment or help from a medical professional, it suggests that you weren’t hurt and raises a question to the insurance company of whether you were injured at all.

Contact us if you have been injured in Macon GA (Georgia), or in Roberta, Warner Robins, Forsyth, Byron-Centerville, Culloden, Fort Valley, Haddock, Jeffersonville, Lizella, Perry, Gray, Irwinton, Milledgeville and Vienna including Bibb County, Monroe County, Jones County, Crawford County, Peach County, Twiggs County, Baldwin County, Dooly County Houston County, Wesleyan College, Macon State College and Mercer University. Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys are based in Macon GA (Georgia) and can get you the compensation you deserve.

—————————-
We are Macon GA personal injury lawyers – Georgia car accident attorneys – wrongful death law firm. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective injury clients.

Macon Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Macon

One of the most important aspects of the medical profession is the degree of excellence that a doctor can display in the results. However not every doctor is expected to deliver same results. But there is a basic minimum standard of service which every doctor must provide. It is important is that the doctor acts and discharges the duties in such a manner as would be expected from a prudent doctor in a similar situation having access to similar facilities and having the same medical knowledge.

Doctors owe certain duties to their patients. The doctor owes a primary duty of reasonable care. Doctors despite their good intentions, skill and training, may commit mistakes. They are humans after all. Medical profession demands doctors to be attentive, competent, and careful in administering their services. The lives of people are at stake. Failure to exercise the necessary care can prove dangerous. Medical malpractice is professional negligence or omission to act by a medical practitioner when treating a medical condition. Medical malpractice can result from an action taken by the medical practitioner or by failure to take the right action. It includes failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis of a medical condition, failure to provide correct treatment for a medical condition or not providing the treatment in reasonable time. Such negligence or omissions on the part of the medical practitioner can prove cause injuries to the patients. Victims of medical negligence can seek compensation for their injuries.

Our wrongful death and personal attorneys are based in Augusta, GA (Georgia). If someone you know has suffered a wrongful death, contact us. You may be eligible for compensation from different sources. We help injury victims in Augusta, GA (Georgia) and throughout the CSRA, including Columbia County, Richmond County, Lincoln County, McDuffie, Jefferson and Burke Counties, Evans, Appling, Waynesboro, Louisville, Thomson, Lincolnton, Girard Georgia & Aiken, South Carolina & North Augusta SC get the compensation they deserve.

———————————
We are personal injury lawyers Augusta GA and car accident attorneys. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective clients.

Augusta Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Augusta

An adjuster will request a recorded statement shortly after an accident to get you to commit to a version of the story and document your injuries. This is dangerous for two reasons. First, they will try to manipulate you into describing the accident in a way that puts liability in question, or diminishes the damages. This will be used against you if facts change after the statement was taken, even if it is years afterwards. Second, at the time when you give the statement, it is possible that all of your injuries haven’t shown up yet. For example, in most cases where surgery is required, it usually isn’t performed until months after the accident. If you settle right away, then you’ve given up the right to have the surgery included in the settlement. The Quickie Low Ball Settlement is the oldest trick in the book. The insurance adjuster will be very friendly and offer you an amount to just wrap this whole thing up right away. The quickie offer can vary from a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand. The bottom line is that the insurance companies know that if they get you quickly before you speak to an attorney, they can get away with paying a whole lot less.

An adjuster will request you to allow the company access to your medical and/or employment records before and after the accident, and then send the records to a specialist (who makes a lot of money working for that insurance company) to review and give an opinion whether you were injured and whether the treatment was reasonable. As can be expected, the specialist will often find there were no injuries or limit the injuries caused by the accident.

If your case goes on long enough, the insurance company may ask you to go see a doctor of their choosing. They tell you that it is so that they can make sure all of the care you’re getting is what you actually need. In reality, it is a hatchet job from the beginning. Remember the doctor who makes a lot of money doing records reviews for the insurance company? This guy makes even more money doing exams, then writing reports saying that you aren’t hurt.

The overarching tactic the insurance companies use is called “The Three Ds”: deny, delay, defend. They will deny that the accident is their insured’s fault, or that you were injured. They will delay giving you any money for as long as possible (assuming you don’t take the “quickie settlement”). Lastly, they will defend any claim you make aggressively, even forcing you to go to trial.

Contact us if you have been injured in Macon GA (Georgia), or in Roberta, Warner Robins, Forsyth, Byron-Centerville, Culloden, Fort Valley, Haddock, Jeffersonville, Lizella, Perry, Gray, Irwinton, Milledgeville and Vienna including Bibb County, Monroe County, Jones County, Crawford County, Peach County, Twiggs County, Baldwin County, Dooly County Houston County, Wesleyan College, Macon State College and Mercer University. Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys are based in Macon GA (Georgia) and can get you the compensation you deserve.

—————————-
We are Macon GA personal injury lawyers – Georgia car accident attorneys – wrongful death law firm. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective injury clients.

Macon Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Macon

Medical products, especially those sold by prescription have to pass a rigorous pre-market approval process by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Medical products can suffer from a number of defects, including design defects, manufacturing defects, problems with the testing of the product, inadequate warnings or instructions for use, problems with the doctor’s prescription or incorrect distribution by the pharmacist. Any of one of these defects can prove dangerous. Medical products can also prove dangerous if the manufacturer failed to disclose adverse testing results or adverse reactions to the product or if contaminates entered the product during manufacturing. If the medical product has defects or is contaminated or does not contain warnings about possible adverse effect, it amounts to negligence on the part of the manufacturer. The manufacturer of the medical product can therefore be liable for any injuries caused to the user. You must also prove that you were injured. You will not have a personal injury claim based on the fact that you could have been injured by the other person’s actions. “Could have been” does not count. For you to have a personal injury claim case, you must be injured.

Our wrongful death and personal attorneys are based in Augusta, GA (Georgia). If someone you know has suffered a wrongful death, contact us. You may be eligible for compensation from different sources. We help injury victims in Augusta, GA (Georgia) and throughout the CSRA, including Columbia County, Richmond County, Lincoln County, McDuffie, Jefferson and Burke Counties, Evans, Appling, Waynesboro, Louisville, Thomson, Lincolnton, Girard Georgia & Aiken, South Carolina & North Augusta SC get the compensation they deserve.

———————————
We are personal injury lawyers Augusta GA and car accident attorneys. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective clients.

Augusta Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Augusta

Most of the time, personal injury claims will be covered by auto insurance. However, just because you were injured and deserve to be made whole does not mean the insurance company is gladly going to give you any money. Insurance is a multi-billion dollar industry. Insurance companies are in the business of making money (by taking in premiums) and holding on to it as long as possible (so that they can invest it and earn even more money). Insurance companies do not like to pay claims, because that takes cash out of their pockets. Therefore, in the interest of corporate profits, insurance companies carefully scrutinize each and every claim and try to pay as little as possible. The overarching tactic the insurance companies use is called “The Three Ds”: deny, delay, defend. They will deny that the accident is their insured’s fault, or that you were injured. They will delay giving you any money for as long as possible (assuming you don’t take the “quickie settlement”). Lastly, they will defend any claim you make aggressively, even forcing you to go to trial.

The claims adjuster’s overall job is to get you to sign a full release of all your claims for as little money as they can get you to accept. The adjusters have many strategies for accomplishing that. The best way they can get you to accept less money is to search out and find as many weaknesses in your case as they can. However, the best way the insurance company knows to get you to accept as little as possible is to offer it to you quickly. The insurance company knows that most claimants will not be represented by an attorney right after an accident and it is a prime opportunity to convince the victim to sign a release, or at least to sign forms turning over medical records and give statements about the facts of the accident and their injuries. The insurance company’s object once you open a claim is to underpay it as much as it can get away with. The Quickie Low Ball Settlement is the oldest trick in the book. The insurance adjuster will be very friendly and offer you an amount to just wrap this whole thing up right away. The quickie offer can vary from a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand. The bottom line is that the insurance companies know that if they get you quickly before you speak to an attorney, they can get away with paying a whole lot less.

Contact us if you have been injured in Macon GA (Georgia), or in Roberta, Warner Robins, Forsyth, Byron-Centerville, Culloden, Fort Valley, Haddock, Jeffersonville, Lizella, Perry, Gray, Irwinton, Milledgeville and Vienna including Bibb County, Monroe County, Jones County, Crawford County, Peach County, Twiggs County, Baldwin County, Dooly County Houston County, Wesleyan College, Macon State College and Mercer University. Our wrongful death and personal injury attorneys are based in Macon GA (Georgia) and can get you the compensation you deserve.

—————————-
We are Macon GA personal injury lawyers – Georgia car accident attorneys – wrongful death law firm. We represent injury victims in dog bite, car and truck wreck cases, medical malpractice, scarring injury, and spinal cord injury cases.

We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective injury clients.

Macon Car Wreck Lawyer, Truck Accident Attorney, Personal Injury Lawyer Macon