Need a Personal Injury Lawyer in Atlanta to Fight for Your Rights?
Atlanta personal injury attorney Stephen D. Apolinsky and Apolinsky & Associates, LLC are AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, the highest available rating for legal skill and ethics. With over 33 years of experience, our Atlanta personal injury law firm is an ideal combination of personal, accessible legal representation and cost-effective legal services. The firm is recognized in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.
Your initial consultation with the personal injury attorneys of Apolinsky & Associates, LLC is free of charge. The majority of the firm’s cases are handled on a contingency basis, which means that you will never be charged unless the firm recovers money on your behalf. If you were involved in an accident or injured in the Atlanta area, including DeKalb County, Georgia, please contact an Atlanta personal injury lawyer at Apolinsky & Associates, LLC by email at steve@aa-legal.com or by calling (404) 377-9191.
Atlanta Personal Injury Cases We Handle
The Atlanta personal injury lawyers at Apolinsky & Associates, LLC have experience in the following personal injury areas:
Serious Car and Truck Accidents
Unfortunately, serious injuries from car and commercial truck accidents do occur. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with a commercial truck or automobile, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your injuries by bringing a legal claim against the responsible parties.
Catastrophic injuries
Brain injury, spinal cord injury, accidental amputation, severe burns, multiple fractures and other neurological disorders are considered catastrophic due to the damage caused to the central nervous system and consequential significant impact they have on the lives of the individuals who are injured.
Wrongful Death
Many times families who have lost a loved one contact us to ask for our assistance. If there has been a wrongful death, then you are entitled to recover for the loss of value of the life of the deceased. In addition, the estate has a separate claim for expenses related to the death.
Negligent Security
We represent victims of criminal attacks. We represent families and individuals who have been shot, raped, stabbed, battered or assaulted. These frequently occur in apartment complexes, gas stations, and in business office settings. We are able to recover compensation for our clients when we show that the security in place was not adequate.
Assault & Battery Cases
Assault & battery is non-consensual touching of another person and unlawful. A victim of personal injury caused by assault and battery may be entitled to recover compensation from the responsible party. Details regarding liability for assault & battery cases are complicated, therefore, if you or a loved one has suffered personal injury from assault & battery, contact Stephen D. Apolinsky, a successful Atlanta-based personal injury litigator, to learn more today.
Boating Accidents
Have you or a loved one been involved in a boating accident and suffered a personal injury or death? If so, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your injuries by bringing a legal claim against the responsible parties.
Aviation Accidents
While generally safe, aviation transportation accidents do occur. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident with a commercial plane or private jet, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your injuries.
Dog Bites/Attacks
Dog bites can cause serious injury or mutilation. If you or your loved one has experienced the pain of a personal injury caused by tragic dog bite, you may be entitled to recover compensation from the animal’s owner or other responsible party.
How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Georgia?
If you or a family member was injured in an accident in the state of Georgia, you will only have a limited amount of time to bring legal action. Georgia personal injury claims are governed by the state’s strict statute of limitations (Ga. Code Ann. Sec. 9-3-33). For the most part, you must file your lawsuit within two years of the date of the accident. While there are some limited exceptions to this rule, such as cases involving minors or cases in which the injury was not discoverable, you need to take this deadline seriously.
If you fail to file your lawsuit before the statute of limitations clock runs out, you will likely not be able to bring a legal claim at all. Do not let yourself lose out on the compensation that is owed to you because you waited too long to get started. Get your case into the hands of a top-quality Atlanta personal injury attorney as soon as possible after your accident. This will allow your attorney to begin an immediate and comprehensive investigation of your case.
How Do You Hold Another Party Legally Liable for an Injury?
To hold another party legally responsible for your injuries in Georgia, you must prove that they were ‘at fault’ for your accident. Fault is generally established under the state’s comparative negligence standard (Ga. Code Ann. Sec. 51-12-33). What types of actions (or inactions) constitute negligence will always depend on the specific facts of the case. As such, it imperative that victims work with an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer. To prove negligence, your attorney will need to be able to establish the following four basic elements:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care;
- The defendant breached that duty of care;
- The defendant’s breach of duty contributed to your injuries; and
- You sustained real harm in the accident.
Georgia is a comparative negligence jurisdiction, so two or more different defendants can sometimes be held legally liable for the same accident. In these cases, the co-defendants will split the liability for the accident in proportion to their level of blame.
Under this standard, victims can actually be held partially at fault for their own injuries. When this happens, compensation will be reduced. For example, if you were injured in an Atlanta auto accident, and the court determines that you were 20 percent at fault for the crash, your compensation will be reduced by a corresponding 20 percent.
What Type of Financial Compensation are is Available for Injured Victims?
Injured victims deserve financial compensation that is equivalent to the full value of their losses. In Georgia, personal injury compensation is available for both direct economic losses and intangible (noneconomic) damages. Of course, most personal injury cases are defended by corporations or big insurance companies, and these companies will always fight aggressively to try to limit settlement offers.
To get fair compensation, injured victims should always obtain high-quality legal representation. Our personal injury lawyers help victims seek recovery for:
- Emergency room costs and ambulance fees;
- All other medical bills;
- Long-term disability (LTD);
- Lost current and future wages;
- Pain and suffering;
- Mental anguish;
- Disfigurement;
- Loss of limb;
- Loss of life enjoyment; and
- The wrongful death of a family member.
What Qualities Should You Look for in an Atlanta Personal Injury Attorney?
1. Relevant Experience
To start, injured victims must find a Georgia personal injury attorney who has relevant experience. If you were injured in a commercial truck accident, you will want to hire an Atlanta truck accident lawyer. Likewise, if you a victim of a criminal attack, you want to hire an experienced negligent security attorney. Relevant experience matters.
2. Trial-Tested
Many people do not realize it, but the vast majority of personal injury lawsuits are resolved without a trial. In fact, according to data provided by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), less than five percent of all tort cases ever go through a trial. That being said, injured victims should always work with a trial-tested attorney. You never know where your specific case will take you. Additionally, insurance companies will take your claim far more seriously if they know that you are being represented by a top-rated legal advocate who has the skills and experience to hold them accountable in the courtroom.
3. A Proven Track Record of Success
Ultimately, for injured victims, nothing is more important than results. You need to work with an Atlanta personal injury attorney who can get you the money that you need to pay for your medical bills and provide support for your family. You should be able to focus on your recovery, while your attorney deals with all of the legal issues.
Work With a Top Rated Personal Injury Law Firm in Atlanta, Georgia
Each personal injury attorney at Apolinsky & Associates, LLC has experience with catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases and understands the tremendous pain and suffering they cause for the families involved. If you or your family member has suffered a catastrophic injury, please contact an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer at our firm for a free consultation.
