Macon Personal Injury Lawyer
Key Takeaways About Personal Injury Litigation in Macon
- Impact of Injury: Accidents and preventable incidents often result in catastrophic injuries, leading to disabilities, financial burdens, and sometimes the loss of a loved one, profoundly impacting the lives of those affected.
- Legal Services and Mission: Personal injury lawyers focus on holding responsible parties accountable, adopting a client-centered approach to address diverse personal injury cases, each with unique challenges and needs.
- Case Types and Damages: Personal injury cases cover a wide range, including motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, and workplace incidents. Victims may seek compensation for both tangible losses and intangible damages like pain and suffering.
- Law Firm Representation: Hasner Law, specializing in personal injury and workers’ compensation, offers compassionate and skilled legal representation, with over 100 years of combined experience in effectively handling complex cases.
Have you or a family member sustained a serious injury or lost a loved one in a Macon, Georgia-area accident or incident that was someone else’s fault? If so, you know just how much a personal injury changes your life. No one expects to suffer a catastrophic injury. Instead, accidents and preventable incidents take people by surprise, leaving them with disabilities, financial losses, and, at times, the pain of losing a loved one. In the blink of an eye, the future becomes less certain and more difficult than you’d ever imagined.
At this difficult moment in your life, you need compassionate, intelligent guidance to make sure you protect your rights and recover the compensation you deserve. Contact the experienced lawyers at Hasner Law to schedule a free consultation with a member of our team.
What Sets Our Personal Injury Lawyers Apart
At Hasner Law, our attorneys are committed to providing our clients with best-in-class legal services. Our commitment to you includes the following:
Our Mission to Hold Wrongdoers Accountable
At Hasner Law, we believe that people or companies should pay for the damages they cause others. When an accident leaves a Macon-area resident or visitor vulnerable and struggling to recover, we’re there to lend a hand to make sure the wheels of justice turn in the correct direction. As a group of talented, caring professionals, we know that money can’t solve all of our clients’ problems. But it can help them get back on their feet and begin to adjust to life after a debilitating injury or loss.
We Take a Client-Centered Approach
Hasner Law Macon personal injury attorneys have a 100-year combined history of representing personal injury victims in the most complex of cases. Our principal focus is on making sure our efforts serve our client’s interests by working to achieve a result that meets their needs and hopes for the future. Every case we handle is different, and we can never guarantee that a client will recover money, no matter how hard we work. However, we promise our clients that we will bring the full measure of our skill and experience to bear in service of their interests.
Cases Our Macon Personal Injury Attorneys Handle
Personal injuries occur in every imaginable setting and because of a range of factors as diverse as life itself. Still, as Macon, GA personal injury lawyers, we have found some situations result in injuries more than others. At Hasner, we have repeat experience working with victims and families across Georgia handling, among other matters:
- Motor vehicle accidents (including cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and ATVs)
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Construction accidents
- Amusement park accidents
- Dog bites
- Fires, chemical exposures, and electrocutions
- Injuries caused by defective products
- Swimming pool injuries
- Slips, trips, and falls on someone else’s property
- Nursing home abuse
Just as accidents result from diverse circumstances, the injuries our clients have suffered vary widely. However, there are some settings and factors which result in an accident more than others, and we have significant experience representing Georgia clients struggling to recover from the following types of injury and tragedy:
- Wrongful death
- Spinal cord trauma and paralysis
- Traumatic brain injury
- Severe fire, chemical, and electrical burns
- Serious lacerations and bite injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Brain damage from oxygen deprivation
- Broken bones, crushed limbs, and traumatic amputations
- Internal organ injuries
- Severe sprains and strains
The statute of limitations, or how soon you must file to recover compensation for injuries, is generally two years from the date of the incident. It’s important to note that there may be exceptions to this rule, depending on the unique circumstances of your case. Consult the highly skilled Macon personal injury lawyers at Hasner Law to understand the statute of limitations which applies to your particular situation and ensure you take timely legal action.
Questions to Ask When Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney
When choosing a personal injury attorney, it is essential to find the right lawyer for your unique case and needs. A few questions you should ask when hiring an attorney include the following:
What Areas of Law Do You Specialize In?
An attorney specializing in personal injury law will have the knowledge and skills necessary to handle your case. While a jack-of-all-trades lawyer may sound impressive, an attorney more focused on personal injury will have the resources and expertise to handle your case smoothly. At Hasner Law, our attorneys are laser-focused on personal injury and workers’ compensation law and are ready to help you pursue the benefits you deserve.
How Long Have You Practiced Personal Injury Law?
When it comes to legal matters, experience is king. An experienced attorney will understand the nuances of the laws surrounding your case and know how to best fight for your rights and interests. The talented attorneys at Hasner Law have over 100 years of combined experience helping clients just like you achieve favorable outcomes for their cases.
How Do You Communicate With Clients?
A personal injury claim can have a significant impact on your life and it is important to choose an attorney who values easy and consistent communication. We believe keeping you up to date on the status of your case can help you make informed decisions about your future. Hasner Law’s attorneys are always here to help address your questions and concerns.
How Does Your Fee Work?
Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning that we do not get paid unless we recover benefits on your behalf. Typically, personal injury attorneys are paid a percentage of your total damages. Finding out this number can help you decide the best arrangement for you.
What Level of Participation Will I Have?
Some personal injury victims prefer to be heavily involved in their cases, while others prefer it when a seasoned professional takes the reins. In general, your attorney should be committed to handling your case as you focus on your healing and recovery. However, you will likely need to provide your attorney with essential evidence, such as your medical bills and other accident-related expenses. At Hasner Law, our attorneys are committed to guiding you through every step of Georgia’s complex legal process.
What to Do After a Personal Injury Accident in Macon, GA
In the aftermath of a personal injury accident, it’s imperative to take immediate steps to protect your well-being, preserve evidence, and understand your legal rights. The following can help you navigate the incident effectively and increase your chances of obtaining a favorable outcome in a personal injury claim:
Seek Medical Attention
The first and most important step after a personal injury accident is prioritizing your health and well-being. Seek medical attention promptly, even if your injuries appear minor. Some injuries may have delayed symptoms, and a medical professional can properly assess your condition, document injuries, and provide necessary treatment. Additionally, obtaining medical records will serve as valuable evidence for your claim.
Preserve Evidence
Preserving evidence is essential for building a strong personal injury case. As soon as possible after the accident, if you are physically able, take pictures or videos of the accident scene, injuries, property damage, and any other relevant details. Collect contact information from witnesses who can provide statements supporting your claim. Additionally, preserve any physical evidence, such as defective products or damaged equipment, which may have contributed to the accident.
Report the Accident
Notify emergency services, such as law enforcement and other relevant parties, about the accident, such as property owners, if it occurred on someone else’s premises. Reporting the accident creates an official record of the incident, which can be valuable when pursuing a premises liability claim.
Document the Incident
To strengthen your case, document important details related to the accident, such as the date, time, and location of the incident, as well as a detailed account of what happened. Keep a record of your injuries, symptoms, and medical treatments received. Maintaining a detailed journal will help provide a comprehensive overview of the incident and its impact on your life.
Consult a Personal Injury Lawyer
It’s highly beneficial to consult with knowledgeable personal injury attorneys in Macon after a personal injury accident. At Hasner Law, we can assess the merits of your case, protect your rights, and guide you through the legal process. With our 100 years of combined experience, we will help you understand your legal options, negotiate with insurance companies, gather evidence, and represent your interests to seek compensation.
Notify Your Insurance Company
If applicable, notify your insurance company promptly after the incident. Provide them with accurate and factual information regarding the accident. However, be cautious about providing statements, as anything you say can be used against you to diminish or deny your claim. Consider consulting a Macon personal injury lawyer before engaging in detailed discussions with adjusters.
Common At-Fault Parties We Pursue
Each injury-causing event produces a list of people and/or companies who may have a legal liability to the victim. At Hasner Law, our personal injury attorneys work from day one to investigate liability issues and pinpoint the parties we might pursue on our clients’ behalf. Here are some of the parties our investigations frequently suggest we should hold to account for harming our clients:
- Car accidents: The other driver(s), the government agency responsible for maintaining safe roads, and/or manufacturers of the cars/car parts may have liability. The Macon area has more than its share, ranking eighth in Georgia for fatalities with 28.
- Tractor-trailer truck accidents: The truck driver, the driver’s employer, the parties who loaded the trailer, as well as the other parties above may have liability.
- Construction accidents: The general contractor, subcontractors, developer, architects, engineers, construction equipment suppliers, and individuals on the job site may all have liability. More than 3,500 unique individual workers collected $304,778,290 in compensation and medical bills through most of 2018.
- Premises Accidents: Property owners, tenants, maintenance/management companies, and individual employees may have liability.
These are, of course, just a sampling of the types of cases we handle and the range of parties potentially responsible for a victim’s injuries. Every matter is different, and because of that, we never rest on our laurels and assume we know the answers to questions of liability. Instead, we dive in and investigate.
What Damages Can an Injured Person Recover?
Victims of personal injury may have the right to recover two categories of damages: economic damages and general (or “non-economic”) damages.
Economic damages reimburse out-of-pocket expenses a victim incurs as a result of an accident. These may include:
- Current and future wage losses
- Lost earning capacity
- Current and future medical expenses
- Prosthetics and assistive devices
- Physical and emotional therapy
- Rehabilitation services
- Transportation costs
- Household services
- Funeral expenses
General damages assign dollar values to subjective harm an accident caused. They can include the following:
- Pain and suffering
- Anxiety and distress
- Diminished spousal and family relationships
- Inability to perform traditional tasks
- Loss of reproductive capacity and bodily functions
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Permanent disabilities
- Reduced life expectancy
Georgia civil courts sometimes award punitive damages when a plaintiff produces clear and convincing evidence of a defendant’s willful misconduct, malice, fraud, wantonness, or oppression. Courts reserve this category of damages to the most severe and outrageous cases of wrongdoing.
How a Lawyer Protects a Personal Injury Victim’s Rights
It is an unfortunate reality of the world we live in that the parties responsible for causing harm to others often resist taking responsibility and paying their fair share of damages. Instead, they may shirk their obligations by claiming a victim should bear the blame for an accident or by calling the victim’s injuries into question. Because these tactics can slow a case down and cause uncertainty, defendants, their insurance companies, and their attorneys use them in hopes of limiting their financial exposure.
An experienced personal injury attorney can help protect a client from these tactics by collecting, presenting, and, if necessary, going to court to argue the evidence showing why a jury should hold the responsible parties to account. At Hasner Law, we give our clients intelligent, compassionate advice about the best course of action to increase the chances of achieving the maximum recovery available under the law.
Our Personal Injury Lawyers in Macon, GA, Are Here to Help
When you sustain a personal injury or suffer a tragic loss in the Macon, Georgia, area because of someone else’s wrongful conduct, you deserve justice and compensation. To accomplish these important ends, call on an experienced, compassionate Macon personal injury attorney at Hasner Law.
Reach us by filling out a contact form today or by calling (678) 888-4878 to schedule a free consultation with a member of our team.
