Dressie Law Firm Practice Areas
If you live in or around the Atlanta, GA area and have been injured by an individual or entity, either intentionally or negligently, you are entitled to bring a claim against the at-fault party for financial compensation. The injury you have suffered can be physical, mental or emotional. The Dressie Law Firm has years of experience with various personal injury claims and will work with tenacity and speed to help you get compensated for your injuries.
Car Accidents
Truck Accidents
Wrongful Death
Medical Malpractice
Motorcycle Accidents
Bicycle Accidents
Pedestrian Accidents
Bus Accidents
Dog Bites
Premises Liability
Workers' Compensation
Our Legal Experience Allows for Reliable Personal Injury Representation
There are plenty of personal injury law firms in Atlanta, but they aren’t all equal in their skill, experience and commitment to their clients. Not every attorney has the drive and compassion to go the extra mile for every client. It’s not uncommon for lawyers to focus on the quantity of cases and not the quality of outcomes, resulting in cut corners and mediocre results. That’s not us. At the Dressie Law firm, we give each client the dedication and personal attention they deserve.
If you’ve suffered a personal injury due to someone else’s negligence, recklessness, carelessness or intentional actions, you can rest assured our passionate and experienced personal injury attorneys will give their all to obtain the best possible outcome.
What Is a Personal Injury?
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body and/or mind, as opposed to damage to property. Personal injuries are usually physical and psychological in nature and can be caused by another person’s negligence or intentional act.
Personal injury cases are frequently handled by personal injury attorneys. The attorneys review the details of the case and then help to file a lawsuit or negotiate claim payments with the negligent party or parties, their insurance companies and their legal teams.
What Kind of Personal Injury Cases Does the Dressie Law Firm Handle?
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bus accidents
- Wrongful death
- Medical malpractice
- Dog bites
- Premises liability
- Worker’s compensation
What Is Meant by Negligence?
In civil law, negligence is a concept upon which many personal injury cases are built. Negligence occurs when one party has failed to act with reasonable care, resulting in harm or damage to another party. Negligence is separate from an intentional tort (such as an assault) or strict liability claims (most product liability and many dog bite cases).
Examples of negligence include a driver failing to stop at a red light because they were distracted by their phone or a business owner or worker leaving obstructions in a walkway where a visitor to the property could trip over it.
For a plaintiff to prove negligence in a personal injury case, they must demonstrate that the defendant had a duty of care toward them, they breached this duty of care and that breach caused their injuries.
For example, negligence in a premises liability case may look like:
- A business owner knows there are hazardous conditions on their property (or should have known), like faulty wires or broken steps
- They don’t discover and/or fix the hazard out of laziness or carelessness
- A customer is injured by the hazard
The victim will likely have a solid premises liability case due to the property owner’s negligence.
- How Do I Know if I Have a Personal Injury Claim?
- The Person Who Caused My Injury Is Claiming That It Was My Fault, What Do I Do?
- What Is Comparative Fault in a Personal Injury Case?
- What Are Damages in a Personal Injury Case and What Types of Damages Can I Seek?
- How Much Time Will It Take to Resolve My Personal Injury Claim?
- What Is the Statue of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims in Georgia?
How Do I Know if I Have a Personal Injury Claim?
To prove a personal injury case, you must show the following:
- The defendant had a duty to act with reasonable care toward you
- The defendant breached that duty
- The breach of duty resulted in your injuries
You will need to provide evidence such as medical records, witness testimony and photographs or video footage showing how the incident occurred. This evidence will need to establish that the defendant was at fault, not you. Additionally, you may need expert witnesses to testify on your behalf regarding any specialized knowledge related to the case.
Having experienced legal representation throughout the process can help ensure all necessary documents are filed correctly and deadlines are met.
The Person Who Caused My Injury Is Claiming That It Was My Fault, What Do I Do?
Fault in personal injury cases isn’t always clear or straightforward. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the at-fault party to contradict your version of events in an attempt to avoid any responsibility as well as the legal and financial repercussions.
If the person who caused your injury is claiming it was your fault, you should seek legal advice. A personal injury lawyer can help assess the situation and provide guidance on how to proceed. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to pursue a personal injury claim against them for damages incurred from the accident.
What Is Comparative Fault in a Personal Injury Case?
Comparative fault is a legal doctrine that assigns relative responsibility for an injury to each of the parties involved in an accident. Under this doctrine, the amount of damages awarded to a plaintiff may be reduced based on their own degree of culpability. For example, if two people are in a car crash and one person was speeding but the other ran a red light, a court may find both drivers partially at fault and award damages accordingly.
The comparative fault doctrine makes it possible for victims of accidents to receive compensation for their injuries even if they were partially to blame for the accident. It also ensures defendants aren’t forced to pay for all of the plaintiff’s expenses in scenarios where they weren’t the sole cause of the injuries.
What Are Damages in a Personal Injury Case and What Types of Damages Can I Seek?
Damages in a personal injury case are monetary awards that you can seek for losses and harm suffered as the result of another person’s negligence or intentional act.
Types of damages you may be able to recover include:
Medical expenses:
This includes doctor’s visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, medical equipment and any other costs associated with your medical treatment.
Lost wages:
If you had to take time off work due to your injuries or because of doctor appointments related to them, you may be entitled to compensation for lost income.
Pain and suffering:
This covers both physical pain caused by the injury as well as emotional distress such as depression or anxiety.
Loss of consortium:
If the injured party is married, their spouse may be eligible for compensation for loss of affection and/or disruption in marital relations due to their injuries (this typically applies only in cases involving serious injuries).
Punitive damages:
These are awarded when someone has acted recklessly or intentionally wronged another person. Punitive damages serve as punishment and a deterrent rather than compensation.
How Much Time Will It Take to Resolve My Personal Injury Claim?
Some may be settled in as little as a few weeks or even days while others may take years to settle.
The amount of time it takes to resolve a personal injury claim depends on the specifics of the case. Factors such as the severity of your injuries, whether you have a lawyer representing you and how quickly insurance companies are willing to negotiate can all impact the timeline of your case. In general, most personal injury claims take anywhere from six to twelve months to be resolved.
At the Dressie Law Firm, we understand most clients seek a quick resolution, but we’ll never encourage you to trade speed for the best possible outcome. We’ll work diligently to win your case and help secure the maximum amount of compensation you may be entitled to even if it means putting in extra time, resources and effort.
What Is the Statue of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims in Georgia?
In Georgia, the statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is two years. This means that a claim must be filed within two years of an incident occurring.
Some exceptions to this rule include:
- The discovery rule: In some cases, the clock on the statute of limitations may not start ticking until a plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered that they suffered an injury due to another party’s negligence. The discovery rule frequently applies to medical malpractice cases where an injury or illness isn’t discovered until months or years after a medical procedure.
- Minority status: Minors have extra time to file personal injury lawsuits in Georgia as their statute of limitations doesn’t begin until their 18th birthday (or if still enrolled in high school, within two years after graduation).
- Fraudulent concealment: If a defendant has actively concealed evidence related to an incident from a potential plaintiff, then this can extend the amount of time available for filing a lawsuit beyond what is typically allowed by the state’s statute of limitations period.
Even though there are exceptions to Georgia’s statute of limitations, they’re not always granted. To avoid running out of time, it’s wise to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Our attorneys can inform you about your legal options, help you file a claim and offer legal counsel throughout the entire process.