Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Personal injury claims can be settled in Georgia by signing a General Release:
Personal injury claims are not hard to settle in Georgia. In fact insurance adjusters will often attempt to get personal injury claims from auto accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents settled very quickly after the accident by offering small settlement offers of $500 or so. If the injured victim accepts their offer and signs a General Release of all claims, then the personal injury claim is normally settled. Attorney Richard Griffin of The Griffin Law Firm, P.C. has received many calls every year from injured victims that accepted very small offers and signed General Releases only to realize later that their injuries were more serious than they had originally thought. If the General Release is signed, then this usually bars the personal injury claimant from any additional recovery.

Why is it risky to accept a quick personal injury settlement?
The severity of the injury is sometimes hard to determine at the beginning of the personal injury case. Attorney Richard Griffin often sees personal injury clients that appear to have soft tissue injuries, but later after conservative treatment fails and after additional diagnostic testing such as a MRI or CT scan are done, the injuries are diagnosed as disc herniations or traumatic closed head injuries. Attorney Richard Griffin explains that the value of a personal injury claim involving a herniated disc, spinal injury, traumatic head injury, or other permanent and debilitating injury often be $25,000 to $1,000,000 based on the facts surrounding the case. This is, of course, a great deal more than the settlements for most soft tissue (neck and back) sprains or strains. Therefore, if you accept a quick settlement before your injuries have been fully diagnosed and treated, then you may be very, very disappointed that you have settled your case for pennies on the dollar of what it is actually worth. Anyone who has a personal injury claim from an auto accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident, pedestrian accident, or slip and fall should always contact an experienced personal injury lawyer for a free consultation and free settlement evaluation.

How do I get a fair personal injury settlement?
Fair personal injury settlements do not usually happen by accident. Usually a fair personal injury settlement occurs when the personal injury victim is represented by an experienced and successful personal injury lawyer. One recent study found that personal injury claimants who were represented by an attorney recovered three times more than those who represented themselves.

An experienced and good personal injury attorney will do the following:
(1) Accident investigation.
(2) Witness recorded statements.
(3) Photograph property damage.
(4) Photograph injuries.
(5) Identify and notify all insurance carriers who cover the claim.
(6) Obtain the policy limits information and stack the insurance policies when possible.
(7) Assist the client in getting all of the medical treatment the client needs.
(8) Prepare a settlement demand package that fully documents all of the medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and punitive damages if applicable.
(9) Negotiate a fair settlement that fully compensates the personal injury client.
(10) Litigate the claim whenever the adjuster is not negotiating in good faith by making unreasonable offers.

Why is it important to hire a personal injury attorney?
It is important for every personal injury victim to be represented by a personal injury lawyer because:
(1) The personal injury victim does not know the value of his or her case.
(2) The personal injury claimant does not know how to properly document the damages in a personal injury claim.
(3) The personal injury claimant does not know how to get the treatment they require even if they do not have health insurance. In this tough economy many people simply do not have health insurance.
(4) The personal injury victim does not know how to litigate so the adjuster will often convey low ball offers knowing there is not much the claimant can do on their own.

How can an experienced personal injury attorney help their client get the needed medical treatment?
A good personal injury lawyer is able to make sure their client gets the medical treatment that they need to recovery from their injuries and to document the injuries even if they do not have health insurance. This can be done in the following ways:
(1) Med Pay: Assist the personal injury client is using his or her Medical Pay Coverage (med pay).
(2) Doctor Lien: Assist the personal injury client in finding a doctor that will treat on a lien. The client can get the treatment needed without paying for the treatment has he or she is receiving it. These doctors agree to wait for payment until a personal injury recovery is reached. Doctors will only do this if they know and trust your personal injury attorney.
(3) Medical Funding Company: Assist the personal injury client in the use of a medical funding company that will pay for specialists such as pain management doctors, neurologists, orthopaedic surgeons, neuro-surgeons, etc. The doctor is paid by the medical funding company and then they are paid from the future personal injury settlement. Medical funding companies will only do this if they know and trust your personal injury attorney and if there is sufficient insurance coverage to insure they will be repaid.

How can I get a free consultation for an experienced personal injury lawyer?
You can call the experienced personal injury lawyers at The Griffin Law Firm, P.C. at 866-847-6545 or submit your personal case for a free evaluation to the following link:
FREE SETTLEMENT EVALUATION: