Georgia Personal Injury Law Blog

If you are injured on someone else’s property in Georgia, you may have a premises liability case. This area of the law concerns whether a property owner is liable for injuries caused to another person by known conditions on their property. Here’s more about what premises liability lawsuits entail and what you could do if you or a loved one sustained an injury. Why Were You There? First, you need to understand the different levels of liability depending on why you were on the property. If you were there because of an express or implied invitation from the person who owns or occupies the property, then that person owes you a duty of ordinary care. That means that they must be as careful as a reasonable person to maintain the property, address dangerous conditions, and warn people about dangers. While the law used to distinguish between someone invited onto the…

If a loved one has died due to the sort of incident that could lead to a personal injury case, you or another family member can file a wrongful death action. Georgia’s laws governing wrongful death cases cover who can bring a case, what kind of damages can be recovered, and who gets any awarded money. Notably, you can bring a wrongful death claim when the death was caused by someone’s negligence, by a defective product, or if someone deliberately caused it. Let’s take a look at wrongful death claims in Georgia, including how a wrongful death lawyer can help you and your family recover compensation. Who Can Sue for Wrongful Death? The order for who can serve as a representative to start a wrongful death action is spouse, child, parent, then estate representative. In other words, if your spouse dies, then you can sue on their behalf. If your…

A product liability case is generally based on an injury you sustain from using a bad commercial product. Many types of incidents involving such products can result in products liability lawsuits. For example, you may have a case if a product breaks or catches fire, thereby injuring you. Product liability cases can arise if a chemical or drug hurts you or makes you sick. Finally, if a manufacturer knows of a product's risk and that it is not obvious to a user, you can hold the manufacturer liable if they did not warn of the risk. Here’s more on how product liability works in Georgia, including what you could do if you or your loved one were injured. Strict Liability In a garden-variety personal injury case, you must prove that the defendant acted negligently. That means a person did not take the precautions that a reasonable person would. Products liability…

If you are injured on the job, you may be worried about how you will pay your medical bills and how you can afford to take the time off of work that you will require to heal. Thankfully, Georgia’s workers’ compensation program was designed to address these concerns and offset the financial burden on you and your family. What Is Workers’ Compensation? Workers’ compensation is a state program that financially assists workers who become injured on the job. The program provides benefits for medical and rehabilitative expenses and lost income caused by on-the-job injuries. Am I Eligible For Workers’ Compensation? The first thing you have to do to determine eligibility is to find out whether your employer is covered by Georgia’s workers’ compensation law. If your employer has three or more employees, they likely are required to hold workers’ compensation insurance. However, federal agencies, railroad carriers, farmworkers, and domestic servants…

Transitioning a loved one to a nursing home can be an extremely difficult decision. When we must take this step, we try to select a facility that will keep our loved ones healthy, happy, and safe. Unfortunately, though, sometimes the care and attention fall short in many nursing homes, and that can have drastic consequences. As we all can imagine, working at a nursing home is a physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding job. The stress that the staff is under can pave the way for abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of the residents. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated this stress and further isolated many nursing home residents. According to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization, approximately two-thirds of long-term care facility staff members admit that they have personally committed abuse within the past year. If you think your loved one may have been abused or neglected in a Georgia…

  When we experience health issues, most of us trust that our medical providers will help us to recover, or at least that they will treat us competently and not make the situation worse. Unfortunately, sometimes medical providers make really bad mistakes or overlook certain factors that they should consider. Studies estimate that approximately 22,000 people die in the U.S. each year because of such errors, while countless more suffer livable but life-altering consequences. If you or a loved one have been harmed by inadequate medical care, you may wonder what remedies could be available to you. Here is some information on Georgia medical malpractice lawsuits for you to consider. Causes Of Malpractice Medical mismanagement is one common cause of medical malpractice. For example, perhaps your cardiologist did not adequately monitor your symptoms to realize that your heart condition had significantly worsened, so you ended up needing a risky surgery…

If you are anywhere on Georgia’s roads, chances are that you see trucks all around you. The last thing you want is for one of these massive vehicles to plow into your vehicle and leave you with life-altering and possibly deadly injuries. As a safe driver, you can only do so much to prevent this from happening. If you happen to fall victim to a truck driver’s carelessness, then you may have the right in Georgia to sue them and their employer for compensation. The skilled truck accident lawyers at Dozier Law provide you with some important information about how truck accidents occur, and what you should do to protect your legal rights if tragedy strikes. Common Causes Of Truck Accidents Several factors often contribute to the occurrence of trucking accidents. First, the size and weight of trucks make sudden, emergency stops very difficult. As you can imagine, it takes…

Over the past decade, car manufacturers have added to their vehicles an increasing number of features designed to keep you safe. Backup cameras, emergency braking, and lane-keep assist are just some of the features commonly included these days to prevent collisions. Airbag systems and vehicle structure have also improved to provide greater protection in case of an accident. Despite all of these advances, car accident fatalities and severe injuries still happen more than you might think. Notably, Georgia’s roadways saw a surge in car accident fatalities in 2020 even though fewer vehicles were on the roads due to the pandemic. This suggests that there was a spike in dangerous driving behaviors. But other reasons such as driver negligence could have led to these incidents. For those who are injured from a car accident, there is a good chance that someone’s negligence is involved – and that matters for purposes of…

In August, a fatal three-car wreck occurred at Madison Street and Gaines Avenue in Albany, Georgia, leaving two people dead and five others injured. The accident occurred when one of the deceased attempted to pass another vehicle and side-swiped it before crashing head-on with a different driver. According to WALB News Albany, every person involved was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. When you are involved in a motor vehicle accident — especially one that is not your fault — you are almost always entitled to some form of compensation. How much you receive, however, depends on several factors. One of these factors pertains to how effective your treatment is, which means it is important for you to finish any treatment before seeking compensation. Dozier Law firm, a team of experts in helping clients affected by motor vehicle accidents obtain compensation, explains. “It is important to get a complete…

On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, a motorcycle accident resulted in the death of a Richmond Hill Middle School teacher. The victim was driving along Belfast River Road near Savannah, Georgia when he collided with a vehicle operated by a motorist attempting to make a left turn. The man was later pronounced dead at St. Joseph's Hospital in Savannah. Because the driver who caused the accident failed to yield, serious consequences are involved — especially since the person struck was later pronounced dead. It seems likely the police will quickly assign fault to the surviving driver. The police are not the only group of people who will be interested in wrapping up the case quickly and efficiently. Receiving an Offer From an Insurance Company In situations like this, insurance companies will often reach out to the family of the deceased and offer to negotiate with the goal of paying out as…