People are hurt in accidents all the time, but some accidents result from someone else’s negligent behavior. If you were harmed by another’s careless actions, talk to an attorney about a personal injury lawsuit.
A person might file a personal injury lawsuit because they cannot afford the medical bills, they are unable to work while recovering, and they endured significant pain and trauma. The harm you suffered does not have to be intentional for the defendant to be held accountable. If you want to take legal action, talk to a lawyer soon. The deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit in Georgia is only 2 years from the day the injuries occurred. To support your case, we need evidence. Photos, videos, witnesses, and your medical record should be reviewed and obtained for the case. We can use this evidence to help you recover damages to cover the many expenses you incurred because of the accident.
Get a confidential, free review of your case by calling (844) 876-4357 and talking to our personal injury attorneys at Howe Law.
Why Someone Might File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Suwanee, GA
Many plaintiffs need to file a lawsuit because they cannot begin to afford the medical expenses of their injuries. Health care is notoriously expensive as it is. Treating serious injuries might require more extensive and long-term treatment. The hospital bills may quickly stack up. Many plaintiffs report thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. This number might be even higher if your treatment is expected to last indefinitely, such as with permanent injuries or disabilities.
Some plaintiffs are so badly hurt that they can no longer work for a long time or possibly forever. This inability to work leads to a loss of income. As if paying for medical care was not hard enough, now the plaintiff has no income. Our personal injury attorney can help you assess how much income you have lost so far and how much you might continue to lose and add it to your claim for damages.
Physical pain and psychological trauma might not be tied to specific costs or amounts of money, but they should be fairly compensated. Plaintiffs often report excruciating pain and intense mental distress that negatively impacts various other facets of their lives. These painful experiences might make it hard to go to work, maintain relationships, or even get out of bed. Our team will help you fight for the fair compensation you rightfully deserve.
Your Deadline to File a Personal Injury Case in Suwanee, GA
While you should not make the decision to take legal action lightly, you should avoid taking too much time to make up your mind. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, the statute of limitation for personal injury claims requires plaintiffs to file their claims with the courts no later than 2 years after the injuries occur. At first, this might sound like there is more than enough time to get your case ready. In reality, plaintiffs and their attorneys often spend many months preparing their cases. The longer you wait, the more of a time crunch you might be in.
Under very specific circumstances, your lawyer can help you have the statute of limitations tolled, buying you more time to file your case. For example, under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-90(a), plaintiffs who are deemed “mentally incompetent” because of an intellectual disability or mental impairment may have the statute tolled until their disability is removed or ceases. Similarly, if you were under 18 when you were injured, the statute of limitations may be tolled until you turn 18.
If you waited to file a lawsuit because of fraudulent or misleading information provided to you by the defendant, and now it is too late, we can help you have the statute of limitations tolled. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-96, if the defendant defrauds you into not filing on time, the time limit begins to run when you discover the fraud.
Recoverable Damages in a Suwanee, GA Personal Injury Case
Damages in personal injury cases may be numerous and quite substantial. People often focus on big losses, like hospital bills or totaled vehicles. Meanwhile, smaller damages for things like travel expenses or the cost to replace personal belongings are overlooked. These damages might add up to a very significant sum, and your attorney should assist you in accurately calculating everything so you get the most compensation possible.
Compensatory Damages
Compensatory damages account for injuries and losses that cost you actual money and other, more subjective injuries that are unrelated to money. Both forms of damages may be financially compensated.
Economic losses may include medical bills from when you were treated at the hospital after the accident and any follow-up treatments. Serious injuries usually lead to big hospital bills, and these damages might be substantial. Economic losses also include property damage and the value of income you lose from being unable to work after the accident.
Non-economic injuries are often summed up as pain and suffering. While physical pain and psychological distress or suffering may be compensated, they are not the only non-economic damages to consider. We should also consider humiliation, damage to one’s personal or professional reputation, and disfigurement.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are rarely awarded. According to O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1(b), they may only be awarded when a plaintiff can prove by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with malice, willful misconduct, fraud, oppression, wantonness, or such a serious lack of concern as to raise the presumption that the defendant was indifferent to the consequences of their actions. This is a very high bar to meet, and these damages are not typical.
If you are awarded punitive damages, the court may limit them according to O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1(g). Under this law, many cases have limitations on punitive damages of up to $250,000. However, certain injury cases are not restricted by statutory limits. For example, if your personal injury case is a product liability claim related to a dangerous and defective product, there is no limit on punitive damages.
Speak to Our Suwanee, GA Personal Injury Attorneys Today
Get a confidential, free review of your case by calling (844) 876-4357 and talking to our personal injury attorneys at Howe Law.
