Savannah Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer | Savannah Personal Injury Attorneys
If you have a Savannah, Georgia personal injury claim, Savannah personal injury attorneys are here for you. Call one of the Savannah personal injury lawyers listed on this site for a free initial consultation.
Savannah is the largest city and county seat of Chatham County, Georgia. Established in 1733, it was the first state capital of Georgia. Savannah is an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fourth-largest city and third-largest metropolitan area.
In the nineteenth century, the Port of Savannah became one of the most active in the United States, and residents had the opportunity to consume some of the world's finest goods, imported by foreign merchants. Savannah's port has always been a mainstay of the city's economy. In the early years of the United States, goods produced in the New World had to pass through Atlantic ports such as Savannah's before they could be shipped to England. Today, the Port of Savannah, manufacturing, the military and the tourism industry are Savannah's four major economic drivers.
Living in a large city like Savannah has many benefits in addition to its booming job market, such as a diverse restaurant scene, nightlife, and a variety of other cultural options. In spite of these benefits, living in Savannah can create a high risk of personal injury. When accidents happen, a Savannah personal injury attorney can help you and provide the expertise necessary to advocate on your behalf. If you have a Savannah personal injury claim, call one of the qualified Savannah personal injury attorneys listed on this site for a free consultation.
What is a Personal Injury Attorney and what types of matters does a Savannah Personal Injury Attorney's practice cover?
Savannah personal injury attorneys sometimes get the undeserved reputation of being greedy. Many people believe that personal injury lawyers are only interested in cases where they stand to make huge sums of money, and that they care little for their clients. This is simply not the case. Chatham County personal injury attorneys' practices cover a wide range of practice areas. More importantly, Savannah personal injury lawyers are here to help right the wrong that you may have suffered because of another person's mistake. Chatham County accident lawyers and other Savannah personal injury attorneys play a crucial role in protecting the rights—both financial and legal—of injury victims and their families. Just some of the matters that a Savannah personal injury lawyer covers throughout the State of Georgia are:
- Product Defects & Products Liability
- Medical Malpractice
- Stock Broker & Real Estate Broker Malpractice
- Dangerous Drugs & Medical Devices
- Rollover & Crash Worthiness
- Truck Accidents, 18-Wheeler Accidents, other Auto Accidents
- Workers' Compensation Injuries
- Cruise Ship Accidents & Injuries
- Boating & Jet Ski Accidents
- Railroad Employee FELA Injuries
- Slip & Trip & Falls
- Dog Bites
- Bad Faith Insurance
- Government Liability - City of Savannah, Chatham County, & State of Georgia Liability
- Federal Government Liability
An injury can be a catastrophic event for an entire family, potentially ruining quality of life, destroying a person's livelihood, and preventing them from working. A Savannah personal injury attorney will step in and fight to protect your rights if you find yourself in this unfortunate situation. Although your attorney will not be able to repair the physical damage you have sustained, it is very likely that a Savannah personal injury lawyer will be able to get you deserved compensation for your injuries, which can provide for you, your family, and your medical expenses.
Why do you need a Savannah Personal Injury Lawyer?
In most cases where someone gets injured due to the negligence of another person or company, insurance covers the personal injury claim. If you have ever dealt with an insurance company in the past, then you will immediately know why you need to hire an experienced and competent personal injury lawyer to represent you in your Savannah personal injury claim. A Savannah personal injury attorney can help you negotiate an acceptable settlement or, if need be, take your claim to trial to get you the money you deserve in Georgia state or federal courts.
Proving a personal injury claim can be a very complicated task, particularly if you are not familiar with the legal concepts involved. Even for lawyers who are familiar with these concepts, it can often be difficult to prove causation and damages, and your attorney may need to consult a number of medical and scientific experts to prove the necessary legal arguments. Your Savannah personal injury lawyer will be able to advise you of the various theories of recovery that might be involved in your claim, including negligence, strict liability, or intentional tort. In a negligence-based case in Georgia, you must prove:
- The person or party that caused your injury owed you a duty of care, but did not live up to that duty;
- There was sufficient causation, or connection, between that person's action and your injury to constitute a breach of their duty to you; and
- You suffered compensable damages as a result.
The analysis only becomes more complicated in a strict liability case, where you seek to hold the defendant responsible for your injuries regardless of fault, or negligence. In these types of strict products liability cases, your Savannah personal injury attorney can help you prove the following elements:
- The seller was in the business of selling the product that caused your injury;
- A defect existing in the product when it was sold made it unreasonably dangerous for consumer use;
- The product was intended to reach you without substantial change from the condition it was in when you purchased it;
- The product wasn't fit for its intended use or a reasonably foreseeable use at the time it left the manufacturer's hands;
- The defect in the product caused your injury; and
- You suffered damages as a result.
As noted, a variety of medical and scientific experts might be involved in proving these elements, and an experienced Savannah personal injury attorney can help arrange these experts and prepare legal arguments based on your medical records. Your Savannah personal injury lawyer can also advise on whether claims may be brought on behalf of your family members for negligent or intentional infliction of emotional distress, or for loss of consortium. Similarly, there may be other variables involved when more than one party may have contributed to your injury. In these cases, a Savannah personal injury lawyer may decide to bring a claim against multiple tortfeasors for joint and several liability.
To illustrate this point, consider the following example: If you have been injured by a defective consumer product, the manufacturer may be liable under a theory of strict liability, regardless of any negligence involved. Other people in the chain of distribution, including the retailer or distributor may also be strictly liable for your injuries. In Georgia, joint and several liability rules were abolished in 2005. Damages are apportioned based first on fault and then the damages are the liability of each person against whom they are awarded. Other theories besides strict liability might also be involved, including negligent design and/or manufacture of the product at issue. This is even without introducing the idea of comparative negligence—that is, the idea that your own negligence might, in some cases, reduce your recovery. This might occur in a car accident case, where you were 15% at fault but the other driver involved was primarily responsible for the accident. Clearly, this analysis varies depending upon the facts of each case, and proving all of these elements can become enormously complicated. A qualified Savannah personal injury attorney or Chatham County personal injury lawyer can help you navigate these difficult legal concepts, as well as the federal and state courts in Georgia. Click here to read more on apportionment of fault and damages in Georgia personal injury cases.
Finally, a Savannah personal injury attorney or Chatham County personal injury attorney can help you determine what your claim is worth and the measure of damages you should seek to recover. Under Georgia law, the party that caused your injury is liable for:
• Past, current, and future estimated medical expenses
• Time off from work due to injury, including time spent at doctors appointments or rehabilitative therapy
• Property damage, such as damage to your vehicle during an automobile accident
• The cost of hiring help to perform household chores you couldn't perform due to your injury
• Damages for permanent disfigurement or disability
• Emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, interference with family relationships, & loss of consortium
• A change in your future earning ability and any other expenses that are a direct result of your injury
For more information on damages you may be able to recover, including damages for specific types of injuries and wrongful death, please refer to our Damages page, Punitive Damages page, and Wrongful Death Damages page. Savannah personal injury lawyers represent not only injury victims, but also their families and spouses in actions throughout Savannah and the Savannah Metropolitan area. If your loved one has been injured, you may be able to recover damages as well. You should contact one of the experienced Savannah personal injury attorneys listed on this site to represent you and protect your rights.
How long do you have to file a personal injury claim in Georgia?
Under Georgia's statute of limitations, you only have two (2) years to file a personal injury claim against the party or parties that caused your injury. You should consult a Savannah accident lawyer or Chatham County personal injury attorney to evaluate your claim and pursue legal action before Georgia's two-year statute of limitations has expired.
What does a Savannah Personal Injury Lawyer charge?
Most lawyers charge an hourly rate plus a retainer fee. These type of lawyers perform billable hours and keep records of the time they spend working on your case, and then charge you accordingly. This is not the case for Savannah personal injury attorneys. Georgia laws regulating legal ethics allow personal injury lawyers, or "PI lawyers" for short, to execute "contingency fee" agreements with their clients. The availability of a contingency fee agreement for an injury victim is essential because, as a practical matter, it can be extremely financially burdensome for such persons to pay up-front hourly fees for their lawyer. This is especially true when a person has been injured and might not be able to work due to their injury. Instead, your Savannah personal injury lawyer will usually agree to accept a percentage of any monetary recovery they win on your behalf, either at trial or in a settlement. The specifics of the contingency fee agreement can vary from state to state, and even from lawyer to lawyer within a state; but, essentially, a contingency fee agreement means that if the injured person does not recover anything, then they pay their attorney nothing. You can easily see how this benefits personal injury victims: not only do they only pay if they recover money, but their interests are also more closely aligned with those of the attorney representing them, who will not simply seek to rack up billable hours, but will do their utmost to win their case. Contact a Chatham County personal injury lawyer to discuss your case now.
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Hospitals in the Savannah area: Memorial Health University Medical Center, Inc. 4700 Waters Avenue, Savannah, GA 31404 (912) 350-8000 Candler Hospital 5353 Reynolds Street, Savannah, GA 31405 (912) 819-6901 Select Specialty Hospital - Savannah, Inc. 5353 Reynolds Street, Savannah, GA 31405 (912) 819-7993 Coastal Harbor Treatment Center 1150 Cornell Avenue, Savannah, GA 31406 (912) 354-3911 Saint Joseph's Hospital 11705 Mercy Boulevard, Savannah, GA 31419 (912) 819-2948 Coastal Carolina Medical Center, Inc. 1000 Medical Center Drive, Hardeeville, SC 29927 (843) 784-8000 Hilton Head Hospital 25 Hospital Center Boulevard, Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 (843) 689-8206 |
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Savannah Emergency Services Contact Information
Savannah Police Department |
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For more information on Georgia personal injury law, see |
Where can you find a Savannah Personal Injury Attorney to represent you?
Serving clients throughout Southeastern Georgia, including Barnwell Island, Bloomingdale, Burroughs, Cockspur Island, Dutch Island, Elba Island, Garden City, Green Island, Harveys Island, Hunter Army Airfield, Isle Of Hope, Lamarville, Little Wassaw Island, Long Island, Middle March Island, Montgomery, Mount Herman, Myrtle Grove, Oatland Island, Onslow Island, Ossabaw Island, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Raccoon Key, Riverside, Rush Creek, Savannah, Skidaway Island, Sylvan Island, Thunderbolt, Tybee Island, Ursla Island, Vernonburg, Wassaw Island, Whitemarsh Island, Wilmington Island, areas in the vicinity of Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, and other communities in Chatham County.
Savannah trial attorneys are capable of investigating, preparing, presenting, and filing your lawsuit at all levels of the state and federal courts. Call a Savannah Personal Injury Lawyer today to discuss your case, no strings attached.