Personal Injury Lawyers in Atlanta Tag Archives

Waiting to Call a Lawyer Can Hurt Your Case

December 20, 2020 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

A stopwatch In your personal injury case, a lawyer is not a luxury – an experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney is essential to getting the compensation you deserve. Not only that, but you need to retain an attorney at the first possible moment. Otherwise, your ability to recover financial compensation for your injuries may suffer. Here are three reasons why you should hire a personal injury lawyer immediately.

Statute of Limitations

You have a limited amount of time to file a personal injury lawsuit. Under Georgia law, your time limit for filing a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the time that you were injured. Once that deadline passes, you lose the right to file a lawsuit, and this is a hard limit. It takes time to file your lawsuit in court since you need to draft a strong legal complaint that would survive an initial motion to dismiss the case. The sooner you hire an attorney, the quicker they can get to work in beginning your case, so you are in no danger of missing any legal deadlines.

Like a Good Neighbor: Are You Prepared to Deal With Your Insurance Company?

October 20, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

You are required by law to have insurance if you want to register a vehicle in the state of Georgia. You choose a policy and then pay your premiums, believing that coverage will be there when you need it. Unfortunately, many people file a claim and then are shocked to receive a lowball settlement offer or an outright denial of coverage.

Founded in 1992, the Georgia car accident attorneys at Slappey & Sadd know the games that insurance companies play. More importantly, we know how to navigate the claim process to get you the compensation you deserve. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, don’t let the insurance company deny you the coverage you paid for – call us at 404-255-6677 or send us an email to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

The Insurance Company Will Investigate Your Claim

The Fork in the Road: Should You Settle or Go to Court?

September 26, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

A fork in the road While some personal injury cases are quickly and fairly settled, many are not. In those cases there comes a time when you have to decide whether to accept what the insurance company is offering or decide to pursue the matter in court. This is an important decision – if you accept the settlement, you can’t change your mind. If you decide to go to court, your case could drag on for several more months or even years before you receive any compensation.

An experienced personal injury attorney can help you weigh your options. The personal injury attorneys at Slappey & Sadd have been helping accident victims make the right decision since 1992. If you’ve been injured and don’t know what to do, contact the Georgia personal injury attorneys at Slappey & Sadd to schedule a free consultation – call us at 404-255-6677 today.

How Long Will it Take for Your Case to Get to Trial?

Who Can Be Held Responsible for Foodborne Illness?

August 31, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

An image of bacteria Approximately a dozen students fell ill at a Georgia middle school when they ate candy that turned out to be contaminated. Authorities were initially concerned that the candy had been infused with THC or some other drug, after an incident in Fulton County earlier this year. However, testing determined that the candy was simply contaminated. While only one child was hospitalized, no one else suffered any serious harm as a result of the illness. Investigators believe that the candy may have been contaminated at the Hampton food bank where it came from.

While most foodborne illnesses result in some temporary illnesses, some cases can cause serious health issues and even death. If you’ve suffered serious harm as a result of foodborne illness, the personal injury attorneys at Slappey & Sadd can help. Call us at 404-255-6677 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation and case evaluation. We’ll discuss whether you may be entitled to compensation and how we can help.

Common Foodborne Germs

Settling Your Car Accident Case versus Taking it to Trial

April 18, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

lawyer standing next to a gavel with the scale of justice behind him If you suffer injuries in a car accident case that is not your fault, you could bring a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company. As part of the claim, your lawyer will likely submit a settlement demand package. This package includes copies of all of your medical treatment records, bills, and lost wage documentation. A copy of the police report is also typically included.

Once the insurance company reviews the demand package, the adjuster may make an initial settlement offer on your case. These initial offers are usually very low and are not meant to adequately compensate you for your injuries, suffering, pain, and inconvenience. If the car accident case does not settle, your lawyer will likely file a lawsuit on your behalf in the court system, and the case will be litigated. Upon completion of discovery, the insurance company may make additional offers to settle your case.

If the at-fault driver’s insurance company still refuses to compensate you adequately for your injuries, you and your lawyer might decide to take the case to trial. The knowledgeable Georgia car accident lawyers at Slappey & Sadd, LLC have been taking car accident cases to trial throughout Georgia, including in Fulton County, DeKalb County, Gwinnett County, Muscogee County, Newton County, Richmond County, Troup County, Walton County, and Whitfield County. Call us today for assistance with your case.

I Was Injured on the Job. What Are My Options? (Part 1 of 2)

March 26, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

A booted foot about to step onto a banana peel Any injury can be a lot to deal with, but injuries sustained at work can be particularly complicated. Legal issues aside, perhaps the biggest challenge is what to do about your lost income. Thankfully, workers’ compensation is available to most employees, but it’s important to understand how workers’ compensation relates to other options you may have. In this post and the next, we’ll cover the options available to you in order to get the compensation you need.

Understand your options

If you’ve been injured on the job, the first thing to do is to make sure you understand all of your options. In some cases, you may be able to pursue more than one claim. In other instances, you choose one option to the exclusion of all others. As a result, you need to know at the outset which options are available to you and the advantages and disadvantages related to each.

Am I Going to Need an Expert Witness? (Part 2 of 2)

March 15, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

An empty courtroom. n our prior post, we went over some of the basics regarding why and when you might need an expert witness. In this post, we’ll address some of the specifics concerning expert witnesses, including the important role attorneys play in making sure your expert witness is allowed to testify in court.

Georgia Law on Expert Witnesses

Generally speaking, an expert witness is someone who has a certain level of expertise in the subject matter at issue a case before the court. Georgia law, however, has specific requirements for someone to be considered an expert witness and allowed to testify as to their opinion in your case. In the event that specialized knowledge is required to prove your case, your witness will need to meet the following requirements to qualify as an expert witness:

Emotional Support Animals – Are They Safe?

March 13, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

A pit bull service dog A woman has sued Alaska Airlines for $1.1 million following an incident in December 2017, when her 5-year-old daughter was mauled by a pit bull while in the Portland airport. The dog was in the gate area and uncrated, as its owner, Michelle Brannan, claimed that the dog was an emotional support animal. The lawsuit is seeking to recover over $100,000 in medical bills incurred to treat the girl’s facial lacerations and other injuries, in addition to damages for other losses and pain and suffering. Brannan and the Port of Portland are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.

A Changing Legal Landscape

Following the incident, Alaska Airlines changed its policy concerning emotional support animals, stating that the change was “based on a number of recent incidents where the inappropriate behavior of emotional support animals has impacted and even injured our employees, other guests and service animals.” Shortly before Alaska Airlines made the change, Delta Airlines announced that it was banning all emotional support animals on long-haul flights.

Common Head, Neck, and Back Injuries Caused by Car Accidents

February 27, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

The aftermath of a 3-car accident Modern safety features do a tremendous job of keeping us safe, but car accidents can still result in serious injuries. Some of the most serious injuries you can suffer are to your head, neck, or back. The most important thing you can do is get a thorough medical examination, even if you declined treatment at the scene. Nevertheless, you may want to consider contacting a personal injury attorney if you’re injured and in pain to at least understand your options.

Head Injuries

We’ve come to understand that even minor head injuries can be much more serious than we previously thought with the potential for long-term and even permanent damage. Here are some common head injuries that can result from a car accident:

What is Your Claim Worth? Pain and Suffering Calculations in Georgia (Part 3 of 3)

February 25, 2019 | by Slappey & Sadd, LLC

A doctor holding a chart When someone is injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, they deserve to be made whole. In many accidents, covering the medical bills and lost wages may not be enough – the victim has had their whole life turned upside-down. The victim is entitled to be compensated for their non-economic losses. Damages awarded for pain and suffering are how the law attempts to make victims truly whole.

What are Pain and Suffering?

Damages for pain and suffering fall under the category of general damages since you can’t easily assign a specific value to it. It is an attempt to compensate victims for the physical, emotional, and psychological injuries sustained in an accident.