Alabama Personal Injury Lawyer

What Does a Personal Injury Attorney Do?

You might already know that an Alabama personal injury lawyer may be able to help you recover compensation if you suffer an injury due to another person’s negligence. However, personal injury law is much more complex than many people realize.

If you work with a personal injury lawyer, you can’t simply file a claim and quickly receive compensation. The process typically goes like this:

• You attend a free consultation with an attorney
• The attorney takes your case if they think you have a good chance of winning
• Your lawyer investigates your case and gathers evidence
• They use the evidence to put together an insurance claim
• They file the claim and attempt to negotiate a settlement
• If the other party won’t settle, your lawyer files a lawsuit
• Settlement negotiations continue
• If necessary, your lawyer represents you in court

Very few personal injury cases go to court. If yours does, both sides will argue their cases before a judge and jury. The court will then decide whether the other party is liable or not, and if they are, how much compensation they owe you.

What to Look for When Choosing Alabama Personal Injury Attorneys

If your goal is to recover compensation for your injuries, an Alabama personal injury lawyer may be able to help you achieve it. However, you shouldn’t just choose the first attorney you come across.

Some personal injury lawyers are more skilled than others, and the lawyer you choose might make the difference between winning and losing your case. Here are a few things to look for when choosing an attorney:

• Experience with personal injury law as a whole
• Experience with cases like yours
• A proven track record of success
• Familiarity with your local court system
• Prompt, clear communication
• A fee structure that works for you
• Positive client reviews
• A positive reputation among their peers

If you’re wondering how to check a lawyer’s reputation among their peers, see if they have been recognized by Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell or similar organizations. These organizations use a peer review process to acknowledge excellence in the field of law.

Common Types of Personal Injury Claims Filed in Alabama

Personal injury lawyers can help clients with almost any injury caused by either (1) another person’s negligence or (2) another person’s intentional actions. These are some of the most common types of personal injury claims:

Car Accidents

Most personal injury firms handle a large volume of cases involving car accidents. Car accidents are more common than incidents of medical malpractice, slip and fall accidents and many other causes of injury. They are also likely to result in very serious injuries.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents

When cars collide with pedestrians or cyclists, the results can be catastrophic. Many of these cases may seem straightforward, but recovering bicycle accident compensation is often harder than you’d think. If you have a lawyer with strong negotiation skills, you may be more likely to receive compensation.

Truck Accidents

While truck accidents are somewhat similar to car accidents, they often result in even more damage. Determining liability is also more complex.

Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, a trucking company may be held liable for the actions of an employee, so your lawsuit might name both the trucking company and the individual driver.

Motorcycle Accidents

Like car accidents, motorcycle accidents come with their own challenges. Some insurance companies and even judges harbor some level of anti-motorcycle bias.

Even if you weren’t lane splitting or otherwise breaking the law, the other side might believe that the simple fact that you were on a motorcycle means you’re reckless — and therefore less deserving of compensation.

Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall (and trip and fall) accidents can happen when business owners or owners of private property fail to maintain a safe environment. If a property owner fails to maintain safe premises and you get seriously hurt as a result, you may have a case.

Medical Malpractice

If a doctor failed to deliver an appropriate standard of care and you suffered harm as a result, you might have a medical malpractice case. It’s important to understand that a medical error alone is not evidence of malpractice — the doctor must have made an error that no competent physician would make.

Medical malpractice lawyers have to have a strong working knowledge of both medicine and the law. Not all personal injury lawyers handle medical malpractice cases, and some of those who do choose to focus exclusively on malpractice.

Dog Bites

If a dangerous dog attacks you, the owner should be responsible for your medical bills and other losses. If your injuries are serious, filing a lawsuit could be the best course of action.

Workplace Accidents

Navigating cases involving workplace accidents can be complex. Depending on your employer, you might need to file a workers’ compensation claim or a personal injury claim. An experienced attorney can help you understand what you should do next.

Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?

The idea of consulting with an Alabama personal injury lawyer can seem daunting, especially if you’re already dealing with a serious, painful injury.

Before you go to the trouble of gathering necessary documentation, identifying a promising law firm and scheduling a consultation, you might understandably want to determine whether you have a strong case or not.

Unfortunately, because so many different factors go into determining the viability of your case, it’s impossible to know if you have a strong case without consulting a personal injury lawyer first.

Almost all personal injury lawyers offer free consultations, so you should be able to find out whether your case is strong without putting money on the line.

However, keep in mind that not all personal injury lawyers think alike. If one attorney turns down your case, another might think it’s promising and take it on.

When Should I Hire a Personal Injury Law Firm?

For many injured people, finding a personal injury attorney is their first foray into the legal system. You might think that you simply need to choose a firm and sign a contract, but personal injury law firms don’t generally work that way.

Almost all personal injury lawyers work on contingency, which means that you agree to pay your lawyer a percentage of your compensation if you win. If you lose, you pay nothing. Because law firms take on all the financial risk, they can’t accept every case they encounter.

Instead, an Alabama personal injury lawyer will typically discuss your case at a free consultation. If they think there’s a good chance they can win it, they will offer to represent you.

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Alabama?

You don’t have to find an Alabama personal injury lawyer immediately after your injury, but you shouldn’t wait too long, either. In Alabama, the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is relatively short.

You have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit. However, keep in mind that it may take several months for your lawyer to investigate your injuries and gather evidence. The more time you can give your attorney to work on your case, the stronger your case is likely to be.

Common Damages in Personal Injury Cases

In a personal injury case, “damages” refers to compensation for losses you’ve suffered. These are some of the most common damages injured people collect:

Medical Bills

For many injured people, medical bills are their most significant expense. Even if you have health insurance, you may still owe thousands out of pocket.

Property Damage

In any personal injury case, your injuries are the main focus. However, if your car or other property was damaged, your lawyer can help you seek compensation for property damage as well.

Lost Income

If your injuries have caused you to miss work, you may run into considerable financial difficulties. Compensation for lost income can help remedy these problems.

This kind of compensation isn’t limited to wages. If you used sick leave or vacation time to cover some of the days you missed due to your injury, you may be compensated for these losses as well.

Lost Earning Capacity

Some injuries cause disabilities that permanently diminish your ability to earn money. If this has happened to you, you could be compensated for this loss of earning potential.

For example, imagine you made $100,000 per year before your injury. Now, the most you can make is $80,000 per year. In this case, you could be paid $20,000 for each remaining year of your working life.

Pain and Suffering

When you hear people talk about compensation for pain and suffering, they usually are referring to compensation for non-economic damages (or intangible losses). For example, if you’ve suffered from PTSD after car accident injuries, you could receive a monetary award to compensate you for emotional suffering.

Loss of Consortium

Technically speaking, loss of consortium is a separate claim from a personal injury lawsuit. If you are married and your injuries have caused substantial damage to your relationship with your spouse, your spouse might choose to file a loss of consortium claim.

Serving Personal Injury Clients Across Alabama

ConsumerShield works with law firms and individual attorneys across the state of Alabama. These are some of the cities we serve:

• Alabaster
• Auburn
• Birmingham
• Decatur
• Dothan
• Florence
• Gadsden
• Hoover
• Huntsville
• Madison
• Mobile
• Montgomery
• Northport
• Opelika
• Phenix City
• Prattville
• Tuscaloosa
• Vestavia Hills

If you’re looking for an Alabama personal injury lawyer, we want to help. Get started with a free case review today.

Connect With Experienced Alabama Personal Injury Lawyers

Nothing can undo the impact your injury has had on your life. However, when you have a skilled Alabama personal injury lawyer on your side, you may be able to find at least some sense of security as you try to navigate the aftermath.

When you’re dealing with the physical and emotional trauma of a life-altering injury, it can be difficult to summon the energy to search for the right lawyer. That’s where we come in. ConsumerShield matches people like you with qualified local attorneys who meet your needs.

If you need an Alabama personal injury lawyer or think that you might, fill out our contact form below to get started.