Category: Personal Injury

Personal injury claims are typically associated with physical injuries sustained in car crashes or slip-and-fall incidents. However, emotional trauma can be just as damaging as physical injuries and is also compensable damage in personal injury claims. Emotional trauma can occur in various situations, and it is important to understand how it can impact a personal injury claim.

Difference Between Emotional Trauma and Personal Injury Claims

Emotional trauma can be caused by any traumatic, frightening, or distressing event. Some common causes of emotional trauma include car accidents, medical malpractice, sexual assault, and workplace accidents. Emotional trauma can lead to various symptoms, including anxiety, depression, nightmares, flashbacks, and difficulty sleeping.

In a personal injury claim, emotional trauma is considered non-economic damage, which means it does not have a tangible value like medical bills or lost wages. Instead, emotional trauma’s value is determined by its impact on the injured person’s life. For example, if the injured person is unable to work due to emotional trauma, the value of their claim may be higher.

To successfully claim emotional trauma in a personal injury case, the injured person must prove that the trauma was caused by the accident or incident that led to their physical injuries. This can be challenging, as emotional trauma is often not immediately apparent and may take time to develop.

In addition to proving causation, the injured person must also provide evidence of the severity of their emotional trauma. This can be done through medical records, witness statements, and testimony from mental health professionals. Working with a professional personal injury lawyer can help ensure the injured person’s rights are protected, and their emotional trauma is adequately compensated.

It is also essential to note that emotional trauma can impact the injured person’s ability to pursue their case. For example, if the injured person is too anxious or depressed to attend court hearings, it may be challenging to prove their case. In these situations, working with an experienced personal injury attorney who can help the injured person navigate the legal process and advocate on their behalf is important.

Please call us toll free at 866-214-7036 or fill out the contact form on our website. Serving Brunswick, GA and Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Wayne, Ware and McIntosh Counties.

Product liability is an area of law that holds manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and retailers responsible for any personal injury or property damage caused by their products. A defective product can cause serious injury, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, burns, and broken bones.

How Can a Defective Product Cause Personal Injury?

A product can be defective in design, manufacturing, or marketing. A manufacturing defect is a defect that occurs while the product is being manufactured, making it different from other products of the same type. A design defect is a defect in the product’s design that can make it unreasonably dangerous. A marketing defect is a failure to warn consumers of a product’s potential dangers or an inadequate warning.

Defective products can cause personal injury in several ways. One of the most common ways is through the product’s physical design. For example, a ladder may have rungs too far apart, making it easy for a person’s foot to slip through and cause them to fall. Similarly, a bicycle may have brakes that fail, causing the rider to lose control and crash.

Another way a defective product can cause personal injury is through the manufacturing process. If a manufacturer fails to test and inspect a product properly, it may have a defect that makes it dangerous. For example, a toy may have small parts that can quickly come loose and pose a choking hazard to young children.

In addition to physical defects, defective products can cause personal injury through inadequate warnings or instructions. For example, a medication may fail to warn users of potential side effects, leading to serious health complications. Similarly, a power tool may not include proper safety instructions, leading to accidental injury.

When a defective product causes personal injury, the injured person may be able to file a product liability lawsuit. To win a product liability lawsuit, the injured person must have adequate evidence to prove that their injury was caused by the defective product. They must also show that they were using the product in a reasonably foreseeable way during the time of the damage.

Please call us toll free at 866-214-7036 or fill out the contact form on our website. Serving Brunswick, GA and Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Wayne, Ware and McIntosh Counties.

In many countries, domestic violence is a very common practice among various households. Domestic violence can happen to anyone, but most victims are females who are abused physically, verbally, sexually or financially. Abusive relationships usually have a massive imbalance of power where one person controls or hurts the other.

Taking Safety Steps

Escaping domestic abuse or leaving an abuser can be very hard, but following precautions can be taken if it has escalated to a point where you can’t stand it anymore. This is also applicable to cases where you feel like your spouse can cause harm to your children and yourself.

1. You should preplan where you will go and how you will get there.
2. You can always call a domestic violence hotline or a specific women’s shelter near you, but you have to be careful to make the call privately.
3. You should always stay prepared for such circumstances. Have emergency backpacks ready with essential things such as clothes, jewellery etc. But make sure the bag is in a safe location which no one can access. Important papers, medicine, and money should also be in your emergency bag.

Where To Get Assistance

In a severe emergency, you can call the local emergency hotline. Other resources can also provide assistance, such as asking for help from a relative, a loved one or a close friend. You can also call a national domestic violence hotline to state your problems. The best option is to take the situation to court, where they can implement a restraining order on the abuser.

Necessary Precautions

It is important to stay vigilant because the abuser can use technology to track your calls, messages, and location. Your partner can check your caller history and other messages, so it is best to clear your caller history and delete your messages after texting. Frequently keep clearing your browser history and changing your email passwords. Clear any tracking apps installed on your phone. Make sure that the abuser is not able to reach you until the restraining order is implemented.

Please call us toll free at 866-214-7036 or fill out the contact form on our website. Serving Brunswick, GA and Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Wayne, Ware and McIntosh Counties.

Insurance companies provide you with safety in the case of accidents or medical emergencies. They cover your costs to reduce the damage of the incident. However, in some cases, insurance companies try to give you less coverage for the incident or manipulate you into settling for the repair of selective damage. It can also be in the form of delaying your investigation into your claim or denying your coverage. Such issues need to be dealt with carefully in order to receive full coverage for your loss.

How to Deal with Insurance Companies

Some of the tips that are useful when dealing with insurance companies are listed below.

Gather as Much Evidence as you can

The more evidence you have on your case, the easier it is for you to state your claim. Make notes, take pictures, talk to witnesses and obtain statements, and document every piece of evidence you find. In this way, the insurance company will not be able to deny your right to your claim.

Keep Strict Records of Everything

Record every interaction between you and your insurance company after the incident. Apart from keeping the accident-related record with the insurance company, state the estimated damage, the medical reports, diagnosis, treatment charges, and all the essential information needed to make a claim.

Be Alert When Signing Documents

After an incident, it is a common procedure in insurance companies that require you to sign a document pertaining to the accident. Be careful before signing such documents because they may contain clauses that might restrict your right to obtain the full value of your claim. Always read the document and make amendments where necessary.

Communicate Clearly

Whatever you say to the insurance company can be held against you to deny the coverage. Practice before meetings and write down the important points that you need to communicate with the insurance company. Do not say anything that can reduce the value of your claim and prove negligence from your side. If you do not have information regarding anything, leave that to your attorney. Only provide fact-based data and do not make any accusations.

Getting a car accident report is an essential process after the incident. Even if it was a minor accident, you still need to get your car accident report from the police. The car accident report helps protect your legal rights in case of a lawsuit.

What is a Car Accident Report?

A car accident report is recorded at the time of a car accident by a police officer who witnessed it. It includes the details of the crash, the statements from the drivers and other witnesses, timing, location, etc. the report helps determine the fault and damages after the incident.

A car accident report can contain facts and opinions depending on the law enforcement officials. The information primarily includes the model of the vehicles, weather conditions at the time of the accident, a diagram or drawing of the car accident, traffic violations, reasons for the accident, and information about the parties involved, e.g., phone number, address, etc.

How to Get a Car Accident Report?

If a police officer is not already present at the scene, call 911 to bring a law enforcement officer to the incident. It is always best to tell your side of the story first. Take all the passengers to a safe location and give your statement to the police officer.

Regardless of the fact that the accident was intentional or coincidental, do not admit fault. While giving your statement, point out the general facts of the incident.

After your statement has been recorded, ask for the police officer’s name, badge number, and the report number of the current incident.

You can later request a copy of the car accident report from the local law enforcement officials. A copy of the accident report usually has a fee and can be given by providing the report number given to you by the police officer.

If there was no report number, you could also get the report by providing your vehicle number, time, date, and location. Your insurance company also receives the car accident report, and you can get a copy from them if you do not want to pay the fee.

Older adult abuse is common in the United States and can be of many types. That includes physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, neglect, and financial abuse.

Older people facing abuse are anxious and scared to tell anyone because of the people who are inflicting that abuse. Sometimes it is also because they do not want their loved ones to get in trouble even if they are abusing them.

Abuse can cause homicides, deaths, adverse health conditions, and mental illnesses among adults. Hence it is essential to seek professional help in case you see anyone around you who is unable to help themselves.

How to Report Older Adult Abuse

The first step is to identify and observe the elderly people in your community and see if there is something unusual. Unnecessary shouting, rude behavior from family members, behavior, or weaknesses other than their age should be identified. Try and talk to the older people to see if they are willing to talk about it or not.

If you know about their relatives or family members or are in contact with them, call them and inform them about the current situation. Whether they are living in nursing homes or with family members, make sure to keep checking in on them.

In the case of life-threatening danger, call 911 immediately. In the case of bruises or cuts, inform the local elderly support authorities and give them all the information you have about the people.

If you suspect elderly abuse but are unsure of it, make sure to call the proper authorities in your area so they can confirm it.

The adults who are facing abuse can also report it when given the motivation. So, make sure that you keep checking in on them as a responsible community member.

Inform the community support services if you are not sure if you want to get any legal authority involved. The community support services consist of care providers who check up on older people to make sure their health needs are being met. They are better able to help older people speak up and seek help.

Please call us toll free at 866-214-7036 or fill out the contact form on our website. Serving Brunswick, GA and Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Wayne, Ware and McIntosh Counties.

An insurance company may offer you a settlement after a serious injury. They might even discourage you from consulting with a lawyer. While in most cases the deal may seem attractive and you might want to immediately take it, it is important to do some research before accepting the deal.

If you are not careful, hastily accepting the settlement offer could even create more financial problems for you instead of solving them. It is important to note that the value of your claim is not only based on numbers, you must weigh other factors such as your chances of winning in case of a trial, if your injuries will worsen over time or will there be any future care expense? Once you sign a release of liability, the insurance company is taken off the hook for any further injuries that may occur. Thus, rushing into a settlement can be a bad idea.

How Do Insurance Company’s Value Claims

Before coming to you with the settlement offer, the insurance company investigates and considers several things. These include; the value of the damages that occurred, the chances of winning the claim if it goes to court, the costs of defending the claim and if there is any weakness in your claim. Therefore, you should also take time to consider if the settlement is right for you.

Thus, finding out what your claim is worth is a crucial step. To figure out the worth of your claim you must consider your economic damages that include; medical care, income lost during the time that the injured person was in the hospital, permanent physical disability, the cost of repairing or replacing damaged property, funeral, and burial expenses. It is also vital to consider that sometimes your economic losses may extend to the future. You also must consider the non-economic losses these include; pain and suffering, your inability to participate in your hobbies, and emotional distress.

It is also important to consider the strengths and the weaknesses of your claim. When coming up with the settlement amount companies do not only consider the damages, they also must consider if they can win the case should it go to trial. This means that you will also have to consider if there are any problems with your claim for example perhaps if your actions contributed to the injury.

The process of trying to assess the value of an insurance claim can be strenuous and without legal advice, you might end up rushing into a decision. Hiring a lawyer or seeking legal advice from a lawyer can go a long way in helping you to decide if the settlement offer is right for you.

Please call us toll free at 866-214-7036 or fill out the contact form on our website. Serving Brunswick, GA and Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Wayne, Ware and McIntosh Counties.

Accidents involving trucks can be traumatic. They catch you off guard, and the first shock might distort your perception to the point where you freeze.

Any physical injuries you may have sustained—and in a collision with a massive industrial vehicle, these injuries might be severe—only serve to exacerbate the confusion. Knowing what to do in the moments, days, and weeks following a trucking accident is crucial for defending your rights and maintaining your health.

Please use these recommendations as a starting point and exercise your best judgment to decide what is best in your specific scenario.

Stay at the scene: Unless you are seriously hurt and need to be transported to the hospital by emergency personnel immediately, you should stay at the scene of a trucking accident. You are required by law to give the other party or parties your insurance information, driver’s license, and contact details.

Don’t admit fault: You will begin to get inquiries from a variety of parties, including your insurance company, the trucking company and its representatives, law enforcement, and many more. Even if you weren’t at fault, you could be tempted to apologize if you’re a friendly and sympathetic person. Be truthful and helpful to police enforcement and give them the freedom to investigate the accident’s cause as they see fit — but don’t admit to any fault in the accident!

See your doctor: Whether or not you think you’re gravely hurt, it is still necessary to go to the doctor. While it’s true that some injuries don’t immediately manifest physical or visible symptoms, you can actually be dealing with serious internal harm. Also, your attorney will be better able to determine the amount of compensation to demand for your injuries, if any, by having a medical expert evaluate your health.

Remember! You need to speak with an expert before taking any action, but not just any legal expert. Your lawyer should be aware of the distinctions between car accidents involving only passenger vehicles and trucking accidents involving large commercial trucks. Additionally, he or she should have a proven track record of success representing victims of significant trucking accidents.

When your loved one suffers a fatal injury due to a gun-related accident, you may pursue financial compensation from all of the parties whose negligence led to the violent occurrence. This could include the shooter, the firearm owner, the seller, the property owner, and any other persons who may have played a part in the demise of your loved one.

What is Considered Gun Negligence?

Gun owners or law enforcement personnel who carry firearms should be held to a greater standard of care and accountability because of the risks these weapons pose to others. Threatening someone with a gun is considered criminal activity, but careless gun use can also result in personal injury and wrongful death claims.

Gun negligence examples include:

• leaving loaded weapons in storage, residences, or vehicles.
• failing to secure firearms and keeping kids or illegal users from accessing them.
• storing weapons without trigger locks installed.
• not making sure a firearm is empty before handling or cleaning it.
• not ensuring the gun’s safety is activated at all times until you’re ready to shoot at a legal target.

Compensation in a Wrongful Death Case

The amount of compensation that might be given in a wrongful death case relies on the underlying circumstances of an unintentional gunshot. In addition, the kind of compensation that can be offered depends on the relationship between the deceased person and a living family member. In the wake of an unintentional shooting, for instance, a spouse would be eligible for some sort of financial recovery while a parent might be eligible for other amounts.

In a wrongful death lawsuit, you may be eligible for financial compensation to cover medical bills, funeral costs, and burial expenses. You may also be due compensation for mental agony, emotional suffering, lost companionship, and lost income.

In some situations, wrongful death lawsuits involving unintentional shootings may result in awarding punitive or exemplary damages. Punitive damages are additional compensation in shooting-related wrongful death cases when the shooter’s actions were highly careless or severe.

Get Someone On Your Side

Our attorneys are ready to ensure that our clients receive their just compensation. We are only a phone call away.

Please call us toll free at 866-214-7036 or fill out the contact form on our website. Serving Brunswick, GA and Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Wayne, Ware and McIntosh Counties.

A collection of nerves that spans from the brain to the waist is called the spinal cord. It is shielded by a column of ring-shaped bones called vertebrae. This bundle along with the brain comprises the central nervous system.

Car accidents, especially major ones, can result in a wide range of physical injuries and damage to the back, neck, and spine.

Vehicle Impact and Back Injuries

Different accident types can lead to various back injuries.

For instance, a side-swipe or lane change accident increases the risk of neck disc damage, but a head-on collision increases the risk of specific lower back disc injuries.

Although rollover collisions are uncommon, they are the most likely to harm the spinal cord. Rear-end and side-impact collisions are frequent collision types leading to intervertebral disc injury or pinched nerves.

Loss of function, inability to move, and loss of feeling are all effects of spinal cord injury. Spinal cord damage can occur without the spinal cord being cut. Other less severe back ailments, such as pinched nerves, ruptured disks, or spinal stenosis, still cause pain, paralysis, and numbness.

Value of a Back Injury

During settlement discussions, lawyers for both accident parties will make an effort to come to an agreement on a monetary amount. From the victim’s lawyer’s standpoint, a settlement must cover the victim’s present and future costs. If these talks succeed, the parties usually come to an agreement before the court date. However, a trial might be required to settle the dispute if it becomes impossible to come to an agreement.

A back injury accident settlement often equals between $10,000 and $100,000. Settlement amounts can also differ from these averages, with some reaching settlement sums of millions. Since back injuries are so complex, there is a wide severity and value range associated with them.

A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

You can get help with all the legal facets of your neck and back injury claim from a car accident with a qualified attorney. A lawyer can first look at the circumstances surrounding your accident to see if you have a case to pursue.

Please call us toll free at 866-214-7036 or fill out the contact form on our website. Serving Brunswick, GA and Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Wayne, Ware and McIntosh Counties.