Thomaston Personal Injury Attorneys

A serious injury or death of a loved one caused by a lack of care or intentional criminal misconduct of a third party can impose extreme hardships on you and your family. Because families cannot “plan” for the financial difficulties that come with a debilitating accident, they may struggle to pay their mortgage, household expenses, medical bills, and funeral/burial expenses. Because injuries that take time to heal or that leave you permanently disabled interrupt the flow of household income, families can be left in financial ruin by the careless or criminal acts of others. These financial hardships are compounded by the emotional challenges of coping with disability and physical pain. At Montlick and Associates, our experienced Thomaston personal injury attorneys are committed to the principle that victims and their families should be compensated for hardships caused by the irresponsible actions of third parties. We have been zealously pursuing financial recovery for personal injury victims since our Thomaston personal injury law firm was founded in 1984.

If you are hit by a car while walking across the street or injured in a collision with a big-rig, the challenges of healing and overcoming your injuries are enormous. The medical treatment, pain, and physical therapy may leave little time or energy to worry about the legal requirements and insurance issues necessary to obtain fair compensation for your injuries. Our dedicated Thomaston personal injury lawyers deal with the insurance companies and handle our clients’ legal issues so that our clients can devote their efforts to recovering. Because we have been handling Thomaston personal injury cases for nearly three decades, we have the experience and expertise to handle most personal injury matters, including the following:

Thomaston Auto Accident Legal Claims (Motor Vehicle Collisions): There are many forms of negligent and reckless driving that may cause a serious Thomaston auto accident or other form of motor vehicle collision. Common examples include driving drunk, texting or talking on a cell phone, driving aggressively, speeding, tailgating, ignoring right of way rules and more. Car accidents and other motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of accidental injury. When drivers fail to conform their driving behavior to safe driving practices, the result can be serious injury and wrongful death. At Montlick and Associates, we represent those who suffer severe injuries or lose a family member to wrongful death in all types of motor vehicle accidents in Thomaston. We represent injury victims in all types of motor vehicle accidents, including but not limited to the following:

• Trucking accidents (tractor-trailer crashes, semi-truck accidents)
• Rollovers & road departure collisions
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bus accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Car-bicycle collisions

Montlick and Associates offers an initial free consultation with one of our knowledgeable and experienced Thomaston auto accident attorneys so that we can evaluate your case and advise you regarding your legal rights and remedies.

Thomaston Dog Bite Legal Claims: While many people dismiss the threat of a dog bite as a minor incident that usually does not require medical treatment, approximately a thousand people per day visit emergency rooms in the U.S. for dog bites, attacks and mauling. Almost eighty percent of all dog attacks result in some form of physical injury. Sadly, the most common victims of vicious dog attacks and dog mauling are young children. When homeowners elect to own dogs that they have reason to know may be vicious, a claim against their homeowner’s insurance may be available to dog bite victims. Liability may also be imposed on a dog owner based on negligence or violation of local law. Our experienced Thomaston dog bite lawyers diligently pursue the compensation that dog bite victims deserve.

Thomaston Wrongful Death Legal Claims: When a family loses a loved one because of a medical error, negligent driving, defective machinery, or any other cause, the emotional toll on family members can be devastating. The pain you experience may be even more intense if the loss of your loved one is the result of a third party’s refusal to exercise reasonable care for the safety of others. Our Thomaston wrongful death attorneys are committed to easing the financial burden imposed by the death of a loved one by seeking compensation for the loss of household income, financial support and other losses. We know that one way to discourage future unsafe or criminal conduct that results in wrongful death is to use civil liability for monetary damages to hold wrongdoers accountable for their actions.

Thomaston Workers' Compensation Legal Claims: There are many occupations with inherent hazards that may result in an employee suffering an injury or occupational illness, including construction accidents, farming accidents, industrial accidents and even repetitive motion injuries in an office setting. Although employers in many industries are required to comply with regulations that mandate they provide a safe work environment, sometimes these rules are ignored while other times accidents happen despite reasonable precautions. The Georgia workers' compensation system is designed to provide an exclusive remedy for work-related injuries. Workers' compensation benefits cover virtually all injuries that occur while performing services by an employer even if you are partially at-fault for causing your own injury. At Montlick and Associates, our experienced Thomaston workers' compensation attorneys pursue workers' compensation benefits, including medical care, partial wage replacement, and lump sum payments for disability. We routinely explore the possibility of seeking personal injury compensation against a third party in addition to workers' compensation benefits to obtain the fullest recovery for our clients.

Thomaston Premises Liability Legal Claims: Many homeowners fail to keep their property in safe condition and free of hazards for visitors that come on their property. The duty of a property owner to investigate his or her property and take remedial measures to alleviate potential dangers depends on a number of diverse factors, including the relationship of the parties, purpose of the visit, nature of the hazard or property, and many other factors. Our experienced Thomaston premises liability attorneys represent clients injured by many kinds of hazards on the property of others, such as animal attacks, slip and fall accidents, spa drain entrapment accidents, injuries resulting from negligent security, swimming pool accidents and many more. Our Thomaston premises liability lawyers offer a free initial consultation so that we can review the facts and investigate potential claims to determine if a prospective client has a viable legal claim for financial compensation.

Thomaston Product Defects Legal Claims: When consumers are injured by products that are poorly made or lack adequate warnings regarding potential hazards, they may suffer severe debilitating injuries or wrongful death. Consumers do not buy products expecting that the product will injure them because it has not been adequately tested for safety. While appropriate quality control procedures and product testing should eliminate most product defects and hazards, sometimes the cost of implementing appropriate measures to ensure the safety of consumers motivates businesses to take their chances. If a defective product injures you, our experienced Thomaston product defect attorneys may be able to pursue a claim for damages against anyone in the manufacturing or distribution chain.

If you or someone you love has suffered a severe personal injury or a loved one has died, our experienced Thomaston personal injury lawyers are committed to representing personal injury and wrongful death victims in obtaining compensation to rebuild their lives and support their families. Call now for your FREE CONSULTATION with Montlick and Associates' experienced Thomaston personal injury attorneys. Our attorneys are available to help you and may even visit you if needed. You can call us anytime 24/7 at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) for your FREE CONSULTATION. Alternatively, you can visit our website at www.montlick.com to make use of our FREE CASE EVALUATION FORM or 24-hour live online chat service.

Many dogs in Thomaston are part of the family and provide companionship to both adults and children, but they are also animals that may be prone to unpredictable behavior. Our committed and experienced Thomaston dog bite attorneys understand that dog attacks and dog maulings are often terrifying, stressful, painful and disabling. Most people in Thomaston or throughout Georgia do not worry about being bitten by a dog or attacked by an animal until it happens. However, dog attacks are much more common than many people realize, ranging in severity from minor bites that do not break the skin to potentially fatal maulings.

You Think Dog Bites Are Rare? Think Again!

Approximately five million people suffer dog bites annually in the United States, and almost 100,000 people suffer injuries that are serious enough to require emergency room treatment. Children are particularly vulnerable to dog attacks and often suffer serious or even fatal injuries. At our Thomaston dog bite law firm of Montlick and Associates, we have been representing Thomaston dog bite victims since 1984. We effectively navigate legal and homeowner’s insurance issues so that our clients can seek full financial compensation, including those who suffer significant injuries or require extensive reconstructive surgery to repair disfiguring facial injuries following a vicious Thomaston dog attack.

Georgia law provides multiple theories of liability in dog bite and dog mauling cases. If you are attacked, bitten, mauled, or injured in any fashion by the failure of a dog owner to control his or her dog, there are a number of legal theories that may provide a basis for seeking compensation for your injuries. Many people presume that a dog owner is not responsible for injuries caused in a dog bite incident unless the dog has previously bitten someone. However, this is a fundamental misunderstanding of Georgia law. The law in Georgia has been carefully constructed to protect dog bite victims and to shift financial responsibility for dog attack injuries to those who choose to own a dog.

Theories of Liability in Thomaston Dog Bite Cases

One Bite Rule: The common-law rule was referred to as the “One Bite Rule” and remains the law in Georgia. This legal principle is a bit of a misnomer because it suggests that in order to find a dog owner liable in a dog bite case, one must show that the dog bit someone before. While the name of this legal theory suggests that this is required, all that is really required is that it be shown the dog had vicious tendencies and that the owner knew or should have known of the dog’s propensity to be vicious. This knowledge requirement is called “scienter” and provides the foundation of the One Bite Rule. Although knowledge of a dog’s vicious tendency may be established based on a prior dog bite, other evidence may also be sufficient, including lunging at people, keeping the dog chained, training the dog to be aggressive, posting “Dog Bites” signs, muzzling the dog, or other similar acts that tend to show that the owner was aware or should have been aware that the dog might act viciously toward a third-party.

Violation of Leash Laws: When a dog owner violates ordinances that require dogs be confined or kept on a leash (i.e. leash laws), the owner may be strictly liable based on the doctrine of negligence per se. This theory of liability imposes legal responsibility for injuries caused by the violation of a safety law under certain conditions. Because negligence per se provides a basis for liability without fault and imposes no requirement that the owner have knowledge of the dog’s violent tendencies, it shifts responsibility back to the dog owner for the decision to own an animal that might injure a third-party.

Negligence: There is yet a third basis for imposing liability for a Thomaston dog bite or canine attack, which our knowledgeable team of Thomaston dog bite attorneys may utilize. Liability for a dog attack or mauling also may be based on negligence. If it is shown that a dog is not properly controlled or handled, liability may be based on negligence in controlling the dog. Negligence also is a theory that can be used when there are others besides the dog owner who contributes to the dog attack. Liability of third parties may be important when the dog owner lacks adequate insurance to cover the damages suffered by a dog bite victim.

Proven & Experienced Thomaston Dog Bite Lawyers

Although Georgia law provides extensive protection for those who suffer injuries caused by dogs, our dedicated Thomaston dog bite lawyers must carefully analyze the underlying facts surrounding our clients’ encounters with a dog to determine the legal theories likely to provide the best possible outcome. Typically, when negligence or the scienter requirement is relevant, careful investigation is necessary to establish that a dog owner knew or should have known that the dog had dangerous tendencies or to establish that the owner or handler did not take sufficient care to protect others from being injured. Our experienced Thomaston dog bite attorneys handle many cases involving attacks by dogs, ranging from simple bites to fatal dog maulings.

If you suffer injuries caused by a dog bite, dog mauling, or dog attack anywhere in Thomaston or the surrounding area, our experienced team of Thomaston dog bite lawyers may be able to help you recover a broad range of damages to compensate you for your injuries. Serious Thomaston dog mauling incidents can result in disfigurement, severe internal injuries, broken bones, or even fatalities. If you suffer any of these types of injuries in a Thomaston dog attack, our Thomaston dog attack law firm may be able to represent you in seeking necessary compensation, including lost wages, compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, damages for disability and disfigurement, and other damages depending on the specific circumstances of your case.

If you or someone you love has suffered a serious personal injury or a loved one has died, our experienced Thomaston dog bite lawyers are committed to representing victims that suffer personal injury and wrongful death in obtaining the compensation they deserve. Call now for your FREE CONSULTATION with Montlick and Associates' experienced Thomaston dog attack attorneys. Our attorneys are available to help you and may even visit you if needed. You can call us anytime 24/7 at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) for your FREE CONSULTATION. Alternatively, you can visit our website, www.montlick.com, to make use of our FREE CASE EVALUATION FORM or 24-hour live online chat service.