Personal Injury FAQ
Q: If I suffer an injury, what is the first thing I should do?
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If you have suffered an injury, the most important thing is your health, and you should seek medical treatment immediately. After you have tended to your medical needs, you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible. Personal injury cases often need to be investigated quickly and a delay in consulting an injury attorney can sometimes cause critical pieces of evidence to be permanently lost, which could significantly affect your potential case. Additionally, there is a two-year time limit from the date of the injury to seek compensation from the party that injured you, so delay will only ever hurt your case.
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Q: Should I hire an attorney to help me?
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Preservation of evidence is crucial to a personal injury case. Insurance companies often try to take advantage of injured parties. We make sure your rights are protected. Filing a personal injury case is a very complex and stressful event. At White & Choate, we offer free personal injury consultations and only take a fee if we win. Let us shoulder the load and do the heavy lifting required to get you the maximum compensation you deserve.
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Q: How much is my case worth?
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Every personal injury case involves a unique set of facts that will determine how much your case is worth. Factors such as the severity of your injuries, insurance limits, and the identity of the party who injured you will determine how much compensation you will receive for your injuries. We will analyze your past medical bills, pain and suffering, future medical bills, lost wages, and loss of future earning capacity, among other things, to determine the value of your case. Be cautious of any attorney who tries to tell you a value over the phone before meeting with you. Valuing a case is a very unique and complex calculation that typically requires a full investigation before coming to a conclusion.
Q: How much does a lawyer cost?
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All personal injury cases are different. White & Choate will generally handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that our fee is a percentage of the recovery that our firm is able to obtain for you.
Q: What should I do if an insurance company or investigator contacts me?
As Cartersville personal injury attorneys with years of experience dealing with insurance companies, we recommend that you do not discuss your case with anyone until you have first consulted with an attorney. Any documents you sign or settlements you agree to prior to hiring legal counsel could drastically affect your ability to recover full compensation you deserve.
Q: Will my case go to trial?
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There are many factors that will determine whether a case will go to trial or not. While we are always open to meaningful and productive settlement discussions, if the settlement discussions are not yielding an amount you are satisfied with, we have the experience and tenacity to take a case to trial.
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Q: Can an attorney settle my case without asking me?
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The attorneys at White & Choate will never settle a case without your express consent. We are a team with our clients. We are here to offer guidance and recommendations on a settlement amount, but the ultimate decision will always lie with you.