After a serious car accident in Georgia, you may wonder how long it takes to resolve the accident claim and recover compensation for your injuries. You may be facing significant financial stress due to medical expenses and loss of income from missed work. When you’re facing these challenges, you’ll want a Georgia car accident lawyer who will aggressively pursue compensation on your behalf as efficiently as possible.
With nearly 80 years of combined legal experience, the attorneys at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., have a track record of recovering fair compensation on behalf of our clients. We are prepared to handle all aspects of your injury case so that you can focus on your treatment and recovery. Our attorneys and staff are known for our friendly, down-to-earth approach. We make a point of keeping our clients informed about the progress of their claims throughout the process.
Don’t wait to begin pursuing compensation for the injuries and losses that you sustained in a car accident because of someone else’s recklessness or inattention to safety. Reach out to our firm for a free case evaluation to discuss your legal options.
Types of Damages in Georgia Car Accident Cases
After you have been injured in a car accident in Georgia, you may be entitled to seek compensation for expenses and losses that you incurred, including:
- Costs of medical treatment, physical therapy, and rehabilitation
- Costs of long-term care for permanent disabilities or chronic health conditions caused by your injuries
- Loss of income from missed time from work
- Loss of future earning potential if your injuries limit your ability to work or the type of work you can do
- Physical pain and emotional trauma and distress
- Loss of enjoyment or quality of life due to physical disability or scarring/disfigurement
- Repair costs for your vehicle, or the pre-accident value of your vehicle if it was totaled in the accident.
What Is the Average Recovery Time After a Car Accident?
If you have significant injuries, you will want to wait to pursue an injury claim until after you have recovered from your injuries and your medical expenses and related costs can be accurately estimated. If you accept a settlement before your medical expenses are known, you will be responsible for any additional medical debt. An experienced car accident lawyer can help you determine the appropriate approach given your specific circumstances. The length of your physical recovery will depend on the severity of the injuries.
If you suffered injuries such as broken bones, those injuries typically heal within a few weeks to a few months. However, some soft tissue injuries can cause chronic pain and other debilitating symptoms that can last for a longer period of time.
Severe burns, spinal cord injuries, internal organ injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and amputations may require months of surgeries and rehabilitation and may lead to permanent disabilities.
What Is the Average Settlement for a Car Accident in Georgia?
The amount of a settlement for a car accident case in Georgia largely depends on numerous factors including the severity of the injuries sustained by the accident victim and the insurance policies available to provide compensation. Every case has unique facts that affect the outcome.
For example, relatively minor injuries might result in a settlement of several thousand dollars. However, more serious injuries that require medical care and time missed at work, such as bone fractures or concussions, can result in settlements ranging in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Injuries that require surgery and post-surgical recovery, such as internal organ injuries, may involve losses reaching upwards of $100,000.
No amount of compensation is guaranteed in any case. It all depends on the facts of the specific case, who is determined to be financially liable, and the insurance policies available to provide compensation.
How Long Do Car Accident Settlements Usually Take?
It is difficult to provide an accurate estimate of how long a car accident settlement will take without knowing the specifics of the case. The various factors that affect the length of a case, include:
The severity of your injuries. The worse your injuries, the longer your recovery time and the greater the amount of compensation you deserve. A long recovery time can delay the process of settling your car accident claim. If you are seeking a large amount of compensation or need to factor in future anticipated medical expenses, the settlement process might be more complex and take longer.- The number of parties involved. If your car accident case only involves one other driver, a settlement may be relatively simple to reach. However, if multiple parties share fault for the accident and your injuries, reaching a settlement can become more complex – especially if those parties disagree about the circumstances of the accident. Reaching a settlement when a car accident has injured multiple victims can take longer. The insurance companies may want to reach a settlement with all the parties at once.
- Whether fault for the accident is being contested. Reaching a settlement can take longer if the other side disputes their liability for the accident. In these cases, it often becomes necessary to pursue litigation in court to establish the strength of the case and bring the other side to the negotiating table. If the insurance company representing the other side refuses to negotiate, the injury claim must eventually be resolved at trial.
How Long Do Car Accident Settlements Usually Take in Georgia?
If you’ve finished treatment for your injuries and the other side accepts liability, a settlement may be reached within a few months. Claims settled out of court generally take less time to resolve. If the claim goes to court and to trial, your case may take a year or longer to reach a resolution.
Please note, the state of Georgia has a Statute of Limitations on personal injury lawsuits, such as one for car accidents. That statute sets a time limit on how long you have to bring your lawsuit to court. That time limit is two years. If you do not file your lawsuit before that time has lapsed, you will have forfeited your opportunity for your lawsuit.
How Can Car Accident Lawyers in Georgia Help Me?
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Georgia, contact the attorneys of Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll explain the process of pursuing a legal claim for financial recovery for the injuries and losses you suffered and discuss how our firm can help you seek just compensation.
