Personal Injury Lawyers Serving Augusta, Georgia

Accident & Injury Lawyers for Augusta, Georgia

Types of Personal Injury Cases

Personal injury claims can arise from any sort of accident involving negligence. At Montlick, we handle ALL types of negligence cases. In these cases, a person or entity had a duty of care, and their breach of that duty resulted in someone’s injury. If you were injured in an accident, you should contact us for help. We have over 40 years of experience in personal injury law, so our clients can rest assured their case is in skilled hands. Some of the most common cases we handle are:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Auto accidents frequently result in injuries both visible, and invisible. According to recent statistics, there were over 8,000 crashes in Augusta with almost 2,000 leading to serious injuries. That means costly care, time away from work, and likely the loss of transportation. Juggling claims with multiple insurance companies while balancing recovery can frustrate even the most calm among us. Let a trusted ally, a veteran car accident attorney, shoulder the legal burden for you.

Truck Accidents

The results can be catastrophic when a truck collides with a passenger motor vehicle. Our commercial truck crash lawyers understand complex federal and state trucking laws and regulatory systems and use that knowledge to maximize the value of our client’s cases. An experienced trucking accident attorney can handle the complexities for you so you can focus on healing.

Catastrophic Injuries

Some accidents produce severe or catastrophic injuries. These may take the form of spinal cord injuries, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, disfigurement, or amputation. Our attorneys understand the severity of these injuries and their impact on an entire household and family. There are likely staggering medical expenses, lost income, drastic reduction in quality of life and lifelong disability. Our dedication to our clients pushes us to fight hard for each and every catastrophic injury victim.

Slip and Falls

If you have been injured on the property of another person or company due to a dangerous condition, you might be able to pursue compensation from the negligent property owner. Common sites of slip and falls include retail stores, apartment complexes, sidewalks, private residences, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, and more.

Medical Malpractice

We rely on medical professionals to help us in our time of need, but not all doctors and staff meet the expectations of their trade. Across the globe, as many as 16% of all hospitalized patients are injured from a medical intervention. If a medical professional causes you injury due to reckless or negligent care, you could have a medical malpractice claim. Contact our attorneys to review the situation and determine your legal rights. We can also outline what steps are necessary to protect those rights.

Workplace Injuries

Hundreds of thousands of workers are injured on the job each year, including Over 80,000 in Georgia alone. Injured employees may be able to seek coverage through the workers’ compensation system. Our dedicated workers’ comp attorneys will take charge of your claim to ensure that you are getting all the benefits you’re entitled to. Sometimes, injured workers can pursue a personal injury action against a negligent third party responsible for their injury while also receiving workers’ compensation benefits, greatly increasing the amount of money in their pocket.

Managing Personal Injury Aftermath

Stress, anxiety, and uncertainty are all normal responses to a personal injury. Desperately needed medical care can feel overwhelming when you’re worried about how you’ll afford it. That stress only pushes recovery further out of reach. A just and fair compensation can help balance the scales and ease the burden. However, achieving justice through the legal process can feel as impossible as healing. Like any journey, it has several steps, some of which might not be doable depending on your injuries. But justice is within reach when you bring in persistent personal injury lawyers.

Focus on Health

As an injured victim, the foremost priority is healing. Even if you feel fine after an accident, go see a doctor. Some injuries may take time to become noticeable. Follow-up with doctors and heeding their instructions must be done to make recovery possible. You may be tempted to cut a corner to save a dollar or head back to work early because you feel out of options. But the treatment and care is necessary. Pursuing justice alongside a personal injury attorney can make it easier to focus on healing.

Document the Accident

Substantiating a personal injury claim, like any legal matter, relies on evidence. Gathering this evidence can feel impossible when lying in a hospital bed. But taking the time to send a loved one, or better yet, your trusted attorney, to the scene can make all the difference. After a free consultation, an experienced Montlick personal injury attorney will begin documenting that accident for their client. They may gather eyewitness statements, take pictures of the scene, obtain video camera footage, and begin recreating the accident.

Don’t Take or Accept Blame

Sometimes, people or insurers hide their liability behind the term, ‘accident.’ Or worse, they try to push the blame for your injuries onto you. An insurance adjuster may attempt to do so during a deposition without you realizing it. The insurance company’s shady tactics are why you want to speak with an accident attorney first.

Beware of Runners

Being contacted by case runners is a common experience for many injured accident victims. Some law firms illegally pay paramedics, tow truck drivers, or hospital staff to promote their firm. While you may be trying to come to terms with what’s just happened, a paramedic is taking their attention away from stabilizing you to sell you on to an attorney. As if their illegal “advertising” tactics weren’t bad enough, they’re likely hoping to settle your case as quickly as possible, without doing a proper investigation and that could get you significantly more money. False promises and filled voicemails are their calling card. Beware of these unsolicited recommendations. Instead, rely on your own instincts and a proven track record of winning to recommend a personal injury attorney for you.

Filing a Claim

After contacting a vetted, reliable Augusta accident lawyer, you should have a game plan for filing a claim. Contacting insurance companies before retaining representation is not recommended. Remember, the insurance company is not interested in ensuring you’re well cared for. Their goal is to profit, and your compensation directly threatens their bottom line. That’s why it’s best to consult with a seasoned personal injury lawyer in Augusta before filing the claim.

What to Look For in an Augusta Accident Attorney

A personal injury can dramatically impact a person’s ability to trust. A little hesitancy is more than understandable. It’s good to know what not to look for in a law firm and what to steer clear of. But how do you know when you’ve found a firm that cares to represent you?

What To Look For An Attorney

• A Plan: A claim is rarely resolved after the initial consultation with an attorney. Rather, the consultation marks the start of an important journey to justice. If you walk out of that consultation knowing the path ahead—that’s the hallmark of an experienced personal injury attorney.
• Experience: Experience takes two equally important forms. On the one hand, you want a firm that’s been established over the years. Firms with longevity have built a record insurers fear. You also want a firm with specialized knowledge. A firm that does a little bit of everything is unlikely to do many things well. Look for firms and lawyers with deep experience in the specificlegal field you need.
• Resources: The finer details of building a case are often overlooked, sometimes by firms themselves. However, building the case, like any other building project, takes time, people, and resources. If the firm behind the attorney lacks these resources, it doesn’t bode well for your case.
• Fee Structure: This entire process is likely new for you. It’s perfectly normal to wonder how you can afford to hire an attorney. Luckily, personal injury law generally works on a contingent fee basis, meaning you don’t have to pay any money upfront. Reputable firms should provide a clear, written fee structure that fully answers your question.
• Easy & Direct Communication: While you may walk out of the initial consultation having asked all your most pressing questions, something else will likely come up. A complicated form may show up in the mail or an adjuster may attempt to contact you. Getting straight through to your lawyer should be simple in those moments.

With Montlick, you find a firm with more than 40 years of personal injury experience. Personal injury is all we do, so we have a team of attorneys with decades of experience in one area. We have the resources to build successful claims. Our clients can reach their attorneys at a moment’s notice for updates on their case plan. After a free consultation, our clients know upfront the fee structure, and know that if we don’t win their case, they’re not on the hook. That’s why we’re The Powerhouse Firm that Puts You First^®.

Damages in a Personal Injury Case

When a person brings a claim against the party that caused their injury, the remedy awarded to make the injured party “whole” (usually in the form of financial compensation or a lump sum of money) is referred to as “damages.” Injured accident victims can generally seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

In certain limited circumstances, a plaintiff will be awarded punitive damages to punish the person or entity that caused his or her injuries. Punitive damages usually involve considerably more money and are used to deter future misconduct. They are usually awarded in situations involving gross negligence or other egregious conduct. Understanding what compensation may be available in your situation may be the first step in recovering it.

Medical Expenses

The costs of seeking medical treatment can sink a family. In Georgia, the average hospital stay costs almost $4,000. You shouldn’t shoulder the costs someone else caused. An important part of a personal injury claim is the recovery of these medical expenses. These may include hospital visits, doctor’s appointments, tests, exams, and physical therapy associated with your recovery. They can also include forms of long-term care and rehabilitation.

Lost Wages

Spending time in the hospital likely means time away from work. For some injured victims, this might come from paid sick days or paid time off. Others don’t have those benefits and still more may run out of those paid days before fully recovering. A lack of income causes serious disruptions to you and an entire household. Fierce personal injury attorneys are all about documenting the extent of the lost wages and fighting to recover it.

Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering fall under a particular type of non-economic damages. These damages don’t come with price tags to show a judge or jury. Instead, skilled personal injury attorneys fight to make their clients fully whole as GA Code § 9-10-184 (2023) allows. Pain is generally understood as the physical discomfort the injury caused, while suffering is the emotional distress that results.

Disability

Injuries may prevent a person from returning to work depending on the severity of the accident. If an injured person cannot work, permanently or temporarily, disability benefits may be recoverable in a claim. The gap between wages before and after the injury is used to determine the value of disability benefits.

Funeral Expenses

Loved one’s may pursue compensation to cover the funeral expenses of a victim that passes in an accident. In these incredibly sensitive cases, experience especially matters. A trusted personal injury lawyer will push not just for these damages but for as much compensation as can help the family heal.

Punitive Damages

As mentioned, courts sometimes assess punitive damages to dissuade specific behavior. Georgia law does not limit these damages, but they cannot be excessive. When applicable, a skilled attorney should push for punitive damages to deliver true justice for their clients.