If you suffered a whiplash injury in a car accident, you might be entitled to compensation from the at-fault driver.
These damages could cover various things, including your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. A Dunwoody whiplash lawyer from Bader Scott Injury Lawyers can advise you of your legal rights and help you recover the compensation you deserve.
How an Attorney From Bader Scott Injury Lawyers Could Help You
Our attorneys could take multiple approaches to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
A lawyer from our team can:
- Talk to the other party’s legal team and insurance company
- Negotiate a settlement on your behalf
- Review and value your damages (e.g., pain and suffering, lost income, medical bills, property damage, etc.)
- Meet court deadlines
- Represent you in a trial, if need be
In addition, we could use witness testimony to show how you are no longer able to do the things you love or establish that you cannot maintain your level of employment you had prior to your injury.
We Can Utilize Medical Documents to Support Your Claim
Medical tests could establish the existence of whiplash injuries. While an X-ray test is unlikely to register soft tissue damage, other tests might be able to pick up injuries to the soft tissue in the neck.
Specifically, an MRI could provide the visual evidence of your injury that a jury could understand. This evidence helps us paint a picture for the jury of how severely your whiplash injuries have impacted your life.
Count on Your Lawyer Throughout the Case
It is the job of a Dunwoody whiplash lawyer from our firm to build a winning case. From proving liability to establishing the amount of compensation you are entitled to recover, the Bader Scott Injury Lawyers team is ready to assist with your case.
Filing Your Case
After your whiplash injury, you have the option to file a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company. At first, they may deny your claim or offer you a low settlement. You and a lawyer from our firm can negotiate with them or take the case to court if you cannot agree on a settlement amount.
You only have a certain amount of time to file your lawsuit in Georgia. OCGA §9-3-33 allows two years to do so. Make sure you abide by this time frame. Otherwise, the court may deny your case altogether.
Types of Damages Available in a Whiplash Case
Although multiple types of compensation could be available following a whiplash injury, these damages primarily fall into one of two categories. The two types of compensation are known as economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are tangible, measurable losses that have a discernible monetary value. Typically, these losses could be established using business records like receipts, paid invoices, or canceled checks. This type of compensation is often used to help a plaintiff recoup their out-of-pocket expenses.
Some common examples of economic damages include:
- Medical expenses. Medical expenses are often the most prominent form of economic damages involved in a whiplash case. These damages could cover the expense of an ambulance ride, emergency medical treatment, or physical therapy, among other things.
- Lost wages. Lost wages are also considered economic damages. It could be possible to identify the exact amount of wages you missed while you were injured by using your employment records as proof.
Non-economic damages are also available in a whiplash injury claim, but establishing the amount of compensation you are entitled to recover might not be so straightforward. These non-measurable losses are subjective, requiring witness testimony to help a jury understand what value to assign in a verdict.
Forms of non-economic losses we see in our practice include:
- Pain and suffering. There is no way to quantify pain, as each person experiences it differently. For that reason, a jury must determine the effect of severe physical pain on the plaintiff.
- Mental anguish. Mental anguish is the emotional stress and strain that can follow a serious injury. Those suffering from whiplash could continue reliving the difficulty of their accident well after their condition heals.
Understanding Whiplash
According to the Mayo Clinic, whiplash is a neck injury that occurs as the result of an impact that slings the head in one direction and back again. These injuries are common in motor vehicle accidents, particularly rear-end collisions. In a crash, the impact from another vehicle will cause the head to whip in one direction. When the car decelerates, the head whips back in the original direction.
While this injury is typically associated with the soft tissue in the neck and shoulders, severe cases can damage bones or nerves as well.
Get Started on Your Case Today
If your injuries occurred as the result of someone else’s negligence, you could hold them accountable by pursuing legal action.
The team at Bader Scott Injury Lawyers has handled many injury cases involving whiplash from a car accident. Over the years, we have recovered substantial compensation for our clients in these cases.
To learn how we can help with your case, hire a Dunwoody whiplash lawyer from our law firm today. Call us at (404) 888-8888.
Call or text (404) 888-8888 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form