Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer

Atlanta Personal Injury Attorney

If you or someone you love has been injured due to another’s negligence, contact an Atlanta personal injury lawyer. We can help you heal quickly and rebuild your life after the misfortune. The Merritt & Merritt Law Firm specializes in car accidents, slip and fall, wrongful death, and personal injury cases and has successfully represented thousands of injured clients throughout Georgia and Florida for over 40 years.

The firm stands up for everyday working people who often don’t have other options. Our experienced attorneys have been regionally recognized and have recovered Millions for our clients. We are ready to leverage this experience for you after another party has injured you. We will do everything we can to maximize your recovery as much as Georgia law allows.

For an Immediate Consultation call us at 404-975-1775.

Why Choose Our Atlanta Personal Injury Law Firm?

The Merritt & Merritt Law Firm is an Atlanta injury law firm that is well known and respected through a long track record of success, fighting big insurance companies, huge corporations and individual defendants. Contact us for a free case evaluation. During your consultation, you can ask any questions you feel necessary to judge our suitability to represent you in your personal injury case.

It is technically possible to try to handle a personal injury claim without hiring an attorney, but this is very risky and unlikely to yield the results you hope to see. Even if you manage to prove fault, you could unintentionally accept a much smaller settlement than you legally deserve. An attorney can not only increase your chance of success with your case but also significantly increase the total compensation you obtain.

When you hire an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer to represent your case, you can recover and focus on your personal obligations with peace of mind, knowing your case is in capable hands. Your attorney can handle all of the procedural aspects of your case so you can focus on your recovery. They can keep you updated on your case’s progress, and you will be more likely to maximize your total compensation with their assistance.

Finding the Right Attorney for Your Personal Injury Case

Our Atlanta office is located at 1 West Court, Suite 750, Decatur, Georgia 30030.
Accidents affect our lives each and every day. Some have tragic consequences that can impact our lives in the long run. When you are involved in an accident, like a car crash or slip and fall, you can find yourself facing physical and emotional scars and financial costs. Many people who suffer personal injuries are initially unaware of the full scope of the damages they have suffered.

An Atlanta personal injury lawyer is the ideal asset to have on your side for any type of personal injury claim. They can quickly assess whether you have grounds for legal recourse, help you identify the party or parties responsible for causing your injury, and assist you in determining the full scope of the damages you could potentially recover if you succeed with your claim.

Impact of Personal Injuries Include:

• Temporary or permanent bodily injury
• High cost medical treatments
• Inability to work
• Feelings of stress and depression
• Property damage (vehicle, home, cell phone, etc.)

Why Hire Merritt & Merritt as Personal Injury Attorneys?

Insurance companies will always attempt to deny responsibility in caring for someone who was injured. For example: an adjuster for the insurance company calls and offers to settle a case for much less than what the injured person is owed. Our qualified personal injury lawyers will make sure you get the compensation you deserve and we can assist you through the process of filing the claim to the conclusion of the case. If you have been hurt in an accident, don’t handle discussions with your insurance company on your own. Call us at 404-975-1775.

Insurance may only form the first step of your recovery efforts after a serious accident. A personal injury suit is a civil claim that seeks compensation for the damages the defendant inflicted with their negligence or illegal misconduct. After you recover as much as you can through an insurance claim, if possible, our team will help you file a personal injury claim that aims for maximum recovery of your damages.

Ultimately, your case could be far more complex than you initially realize. While it is technically possible for you to pursue recovery on your own, this is inadvisable for several reasons. You could encounter unexpected obstacles that you will not know how to resolve without an attorney’s help, or you could make procedural errors that jeopardize your case. It’s also possible to mistakenly accept a much lower settlement offer than you deserve.

Handling your case on your own while managing your injury and its effects on your life would be incredibly difficult. Hiring an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer allows you to focus on recovery while your attorney handles the complex legal affairs necessary for you to recover your losses.

Are You Looking for a Personal Injury Attorney in Atlanta?

When an accident strikes, you may be hurt and confused about what steps need to be taken going forward. One of the best decisions you can make is to speak with a lawyer who specializes in Georgia personal injury law. A great personal injury lawyer has experience, resources, and a desire to help.

• When you have been hurt by someone’s careless actions, a lawyer can help you win compensation from the “at fault” party. However, not all lawyers are equally qualified to take on your case. It is important to choose an experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney who has years of experience handling personal injury cases.
• Your personal injury attorney should also specialize in your type of case. If you have been in a car wreck, you should retain an attorney who handles car wreck cases. The Merritt & Merritt Law Firm has successfully resolved many types of personal injury claims for clients in the Atlanta area, and we are confident we can provide the legal representation you need for your impending case.
• It is critical that your personal injury attorney has a long standing record of winning. If an attorney has a long history of recovering compensation for clients, that indicates the attorney will know the steps to take to make sure your case is handled appropriately. An experienced attorney works with other experts to build the most convincing case for compensation.

The right attorney can help you approach your case with confidence, and they provide peace of mind by handling your legal affairs while you focus on your medical recovery and personal obligations. It is always worth having trusted legal counsel on your side for any type of personal injury case. The attorneys at Merritt & Merritt have successfully resolved many types of personal injury claims, and we are ready to put this experience to work for you.

When you meet with our team during your initial consultation, we can field any questions you have about your case and provide our initial impression of your situation. If we believe you have grounds for legal recourse, we can help you understand how the process is likely to unfold, what challenges you could face as the case progresses, and what type of compensation you could secure if we win. We can also explain our billing policy in detail so there are no surprises.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Represent in Atlanta

When you are looking for an Atlanta personal injury lawyer to represent you, it is vital that you connect with an attorney who has solid experience handling cases like yours. At Merritt & Merritt, our team has more than 40 years of professional experience representing Atlanta clients in a wide range of personal injury cases, including:

• Car accident claims. Car accidents are one of the most common causes of personal injuries in Atlanta and throughout the United States. These accidents happen in various ways, often with devastating effects. Recovery is likely to require an auto insurance claim as well as a personal injury suit, depending on the extent and severity of the victim’s damages.
• Motorcycle crash claims. Though less common than car accidents, motorcycle accidents tend to result in far worse injuries because motorcycles provide virtually no physical protection from crash impact forces. We can help an injured rider prove fault for their recent accident and recover maximum compensation for their damages.
• Truck accident claims. Truck accidents can be difficult to resolve due to the fact that liability could fall to a truck driver, their employer, or both. When multiple parties bear fault for your damages, you need an attorney capable of addressing these complex issues in your case so you can recover fully.
• Work injury claims. Workers’ compensation benefits may be a valuable lifeline after an injury in your workplace, but these benefits may not cover the full extent of your damages. Our firm can assist you with the workers’ compensation claim filing process and guide you through any additional legal recourse you choose to pursue.
• Product liability claims. If you were hurt by a defective or unreasonably dangerous consumer product, it could form the basis of a product liability claim against the manufacturer. This type of claim is complex and requires close attention to detail. Our firm can help you approach the case with confidence and hold the appropriate party accountable for your damages.
• Premises liability claims. If you suffered a slip and fall or other injury on someone else’s property, they are liable for your damages under certain conditions. As long as you had the property owner’s permission to enter the property and you were not harmed by an open and obvious hazard, you likely have grounds to file a premises liability suit.
• Wrongful death claims. This type of personal injury claim applies to fatal injuries. If you lost a loved one because of another party’s negligence or illegal misconduct, you likely have grounds to file a wrongful death suit against them. This claim can help your family recover compensation that makes adjusting to your new circumstances a bit easier and holds the at-fault party accountable for their actions.

These are only a few examples of the types of personal injury cases our firm represents in Atlanta. We know that every injured plaintiff has unique needs and concerns that demand the attention of experienced legal counsel, and we are ready to leverage the full extent of our professional resources and experience to handle your case.

Understanding Negligence in a Personal Injury Case

The core of most personal injury claims filed in Atlanta is negligence, or failure to use reasonable care in a certain situation. Negligence can also refer to a failure to uphold a specific duty of care. For example, distracted driving would be a breach of a driver’s duty of care to operate their vehicle attentively. If your personal injury was caused by any type of negligence, there are four elements of negligence you must establish to win your case.

First, you must prove the defendant owed a duty of care. This means proving they had a responsibility to act with reasonable care in the situation. Second, you must prove how they breached this duty of care, which could be through a specific action or inaction in some cases. Third, you must prove that their negligence caused actual harm. You only have grounds to file a personal injury suit if you suffered actual losses because of the defendant’s negligence.

Finally, you will need to establish causation between the defendant’s actions and your claimed damages. This means you need to prove your losses only occurred because of the defendant’s actions and not from any other cause. It’s common for defendants to claim that a plaintiff’s losses were the result of other factors, but a good attorney can make sure their client can defeat any such assertions and hold a defendant appropriately accountable.

Some personal injuries result from intentional and illegal misconduct, and these cases are inherently complex. The state may file criminal charges against the defendant, and this could influence your recovery efforts in many ways. It may also be easier for you to prove a defendant is liable for your damages due to the police report and criminal case filed against them. Your attorney can explain any such issues as they pertain to your case.

Gathering Evidence to Build Your Claim

Your first priority in any personal injury claim is identifying the party responsible for causing your damages and proving how they caused those damages. Depending on the type of injury you experienced, you may require multiple types of evidence to help you prove fault. It is also possible that you will need testimony from witnesses who saw your personal injury happen; your attorney may also consult expert witnesses on your behalf.

Expert witnesses are professionals with solid credentials who can explain the most technical and complex details of a case. You may need expert witness testimony to help you prove exactly how your injury occurred, how the defendant is responsible for causing it, or how the incident caused your claimed damages. Our team can help you gather the crucial evidence you will need to build your case.

While most personal injuries happen because of negligence, it is also possible for intentional and illegal misconduct to cause serious personal injuries. In these cases, defendants not only face civil claims for compensation from those they have injured but also criminal charges from the state. If this applies to your case, your Atlanta personal injury lawyer can explain the potential implications the criminal nature of the defendant’s actions may have on your recovery.

It is also important to remember that in some personal injury cases, multiple parties bear fault for the plaintiff’s damages. It is also possible for the plaintiff to bear partial liability, which may negatively impact their case award or even negate their ability to claim compensation from anyone else based on their level of shared fault. Your attorney can help you address any such variables in your case as you attempt to prove liability for your damages.

Claiming Compensation for Your Personal Injury

The goal of your personal injury claim is to ensure accountability for the party that caused your injury and for you to recover compensation for the damages they caused. This aims to make you as whole as possible again after sustaining your injury, but you will likely need an experienced attorney’s help to ensure you receive appropriate compensation.

In almost every personal injury case, a plaintiff will have grounds to seek compensation for economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include the direct financial losses caused by a defendant’s actions, while non-economic damages include the intangible losses the victim suffered from the incident.

The attorneys at Merritt & Merritt aim to help every client recover fully from their personal injury. The damages you may be able to recover from the defendant in your case could include:

• Medical expenses. If you suffered physical harm from a defendant’s negligence or illegal misconduct, they are liable for the full extent of the medical treatment you need to recover fully. This includes immediate medical expenses like hospital bills and ambulance fees, as well as anticipated future medical treatment costs for any ongoing rehabilitative care you require.
• Lost wages. Your personal injury may have left you unable to work while you recover, and if so, the defendant is liable for the wages you cannot earn during this period. Your attorney can help prove the full amount of income you were unable to earn because of your personal injury and add this amount as economic damages in your claim.
• Property damage. If the defendant’s actions resulted in damage to your personal property, they are liable for all associated repair and replacement costs. For example, if you were injured in a car accident, the other driver is liable for the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle if they caused the accident.
• Pain and suffering compensation. You have the right to claim financial compensation for the physical pain, emotional distress, and trauma you experienced because of the defendant’s negligence or misconduct. Georgia law does not limit pain and suffering compensation in most personal injury cases, so the plaintiff may seek whatever amount they believe reasonably reflects the severity of the harm they experienced.

Beyond the economic and non-economic damages you seek with your claim, it is also possible to recover punitive damages if the defendant acted outside the extent of typical negligence and/or broke the law in causing your injury. Your attorney can explain the potential implications of the defendant’s illegal behavior on your recovery if this applies to your case.

The average personal injury plaintiff in Atlanta, Georgia is likely to undervalue their claim, not realizing the full extent of the damages they can seek from the defendant who injured them. When you choose Merritt & Merritt to represent your case, you can expect close attention to detail as we look for every available avenue of recovery that could enhance your total case award.

Ultimately, the goal of a personal injury claim is for the plaintiff to prove fault for their damages and recover the compensation they need to be as whole as possible again after being harmed by a defendant. The team at Merritt & Merritt is ready to provide the compassionate and responsive legal counsel you need in the aftermath of a personal injury, so it is important that you reach out to our firm right away so we can begin working on your case.

What to Expect From Your Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer

When you choose the Merritt & Merritt Law Firm to represent you in your personal injury case, you will have a responsive legal advocate who is ready to answer any questions you may have or address any concerns as they arise as your case unfolds. As soon as you secure our firm’s representation, we can immediately get to work gathering the evidence and witness testimony that will form the foundation of your claim.

Our goal is to help you recover as quickly as possible, and this generally requires arranging a settlement negotiation with the defendant. We construct our clients’ initial complaints as strongly as possible to encourage defendants to seek swift resolutions to these cases. As long as the defendant accepts liability for your personal injury and they are willing to negotiate, it is possible to resolve your case through settlement much faster than you could expect in litigation.

However, settlement is not always a viable option, and it is possible for settlement negotiations to fail if either party is unwilling to accept the other’s terms. If you cannot settle your claim, you can rely on our firm to represent you in litigation. We have successfully represented many past clients in difficult court cases and will prepare you for each new stage of your proceedings.

FAQs

Q: How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Case in Georgia?

A: You have two years to file a personal injury claim in Georgia. If you do not file your claim within this two-year statute of limitations period, you lose your chance to recover compensation from the defendant. If the exact cause of your personal injury can’t be immediately determined, the statute of limitations can begin on the date you discover the cause of your injury.

Q: How Do I Prove Fault for a Personal Injury?

A: You prove fault for a personal injury by leveraging evidence. To succeed with your case, you must identify the defendant who caused the injury and prove how they caused it. This typically means proving they were negligent or broke the law in a manner that directly caused your claimed damages. Additionally, you must be prepared to prove the full extent of your damages and that they directly resulted from the defendant’s actions and not from any other cause.

Q: What Happens if I’m Partially at Fault for My Personal Injury?

A: If you are found partially at fault for your personal injury, Georgia’s modified comparative fault rule comes into play, and you lose a percentage of your case award to reflect your shared liability. As long as you are less than 50% at fault, your fault percentage is taken from the case award as a penalty, and you keep the remainder. If you are 50% or more at fault, you cannot seek compensation from any other liable party and will be personally responsible for your damages.

Q: How Long Does It Take to Resolve a Personal Injury Claim in Georgia?

A: The time a personal injury claim takes to resolve depends on several factors. Most personal injury cases are resolved through settlement negotiation, and this process may only take a few weeks if the defendant in your claim accepts liability. If they do not, or if they dispute the damages you are seeking, it could take much longer to resolve your case. Your attorney can provide an estimate of how long it may take to settle or litigate your personal injury claim.

Q: What Does It Cost to Hire an Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer?

A: The cost of hiring a personal injury attorney depends on their billing policy. The attorneys at Merritt & Merritt accept personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis. This means that you only pay a percentage of your final award as a penalty and only if your attorney wins your case. If your attorney cannot obtain compensation for you, you pay nothing in legal fees, so there is no financial risk in choosing our firm to represent you. We only get paid if you get paid.

Call Now!

Time is a crucial consideration for any personal injury case in Atlanta. You may have two years in which to file your complaint with the court, but you need to begin gathering evidence as quickly as possible after a personal injury occurs. Don’t wait! Call our experienced, qualified Atlanta personal injury attorneys today at 404-975-1775 or fill out the free case review form.