If you decide to hire my firm, I will take your case on a contingency fee basis. That means that the attorney’s fee is contingent on a recovery in your case. In other words, if there is no recovery, there is no fee owed. If there is a recovery, then the fee will be a percentage of the gross amount recovered. 

Every case is different. Most injury claims are settled without having to file a lawsuit. However, some cannot be settled, and we have to file suit. Filing suit means the process will take longer. Just to give you an idea (and this is only an estimated range), cases that don’t require suit to be filed and and can be resolved quickly usually take 3-6 months. Cases that require a lawsuit and have to be litigated to a jury trial can take 1-2 years. 

Most likely, yes. Both Georgia and federal law give both healthcare providers (like hospitals and doctors) and health insurance companies (including Medicaid and Medicare) a lien against personal injury settlements. This is not a lien against you or any other property you own, but it is a lien against the settlement. This means that by law reimbursement to the provider or health insurer may be required. Of course, I will negotiate with both the providers and the health insurers on your behalf in order to keep your reimbursement as low as possible.

In general, Georgia law allows you to claim your medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering, if it can be proven that your injury was caused by another’s negligence.

No, before you sign anything, you should talk to a lawyer who specializes in serious personal injury cases. Most likely, the insurance company wants you to sign a release. Once that is signed, your claim is released for good. Even if you found out tomorrow that you needed surgery due to injuries received in a wreck, it would not matter if you signed the release. Please tell the insurer that you’d like to talk to an attorney and give me a call!

If you have already hired a lawyer, let your lawyer know that the insurer wants a statement. The lawyer should address this directly with the insurer. If you have not hired a lawyer, this may be a good time to hire one! Just know that any statement you give will likely be recorded and can be used against you later.