When someone else is careless or reckless and causes you to suffer injuries, you can hold them legally responsible based on Alabama’s negligence laws. Our Opelika, AL, legal team can help you build a strong case for fair compensation. We seek a payout to cover your medical care costs, lost wages and income, and pain and suffering.
Our personal injury lawyer in Opelika, AL, from the Law Office of Dwayne L. Brown has more than 30 years of experience helping the injured get compensation for their losses. We are here to help you. Contact us today for a free consultation with our team.
Our Opelika Lawyer Will Seek Compensation to Treat Your Injuries
In a personal injury case, you might suffer almost any type of physical or psychological injury and seek damages based on them. Some examples of injuries our clients in Opelika might endure in an accident or incident include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI), concussions, and other head injuries
- Spinal cord injuries with paraplegia or quadriplegia
- Neck or back injuries that cause chronic pain
- Broken bones, fractures, and crush injuries
- Internal injuries and internal bleeding
- Severe burns, skin grafts, infections, and permanent disfigurement
- Torn ligaments, sprains, and strains
- Loss of a limb or loss of use of a limb
- PTSD, anxiety, and emotional distress
When our team gathers evidence to prove your case, we will also look at your medical records, discuss your injuries with you, and learn more about your injuries and your case. Then, we will take steps to document as many damages as possible to help you pursue fair compensation for your injuries, expenses, and losses. This process is especially important for those who have lasting injuries and will require ongoing care and support.
Some common types of damages we seek for our clients include:
- Medical expenses to cover the cost of current and future treatment
- Rehabilitation and therapy costs
- Related medical costs, such as mobility or accessibility devices
- Lost income to date and reduced earning capacity for permanent injuries
- Property damage, including vehicle repair or replacement after a crash
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality of life
- Disfigurement and permanent disability
Protect Your Rights and See to Your Injuries
If you have been in an accident and believe it to be based on negligence, you should:
- Report the accident
- See a doctor as soon as possible and follow their orders
- Record what you can from the scene
- Ask for contact and insurance information
- Limit what you say until you speak with a lawyer
How Our Opelika Attorney, Dwayne Brown, Handles Personal Injury Cases
At the Law Office of Dwayne L. Brown, we have a long history of recovering much-needed and deserved compensation for our clients. We have won more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts for our clients, ensuring they can get the care and support they need.
We truly believe that every accident victim deserves to have a strong legal team on their side. We focus on a few clients at a time, giving each case the personal attention it deserves. Our Super Lawyers rated attorney works to develop a personal relationship with each individual or family he represents.
You can expect our team to:
- Know the details of your case and your needs
- Develop a personal relationship with you
- Ask questions to learn how we can better help you
- Check in on your physical and emotional health
- Ensure you see the right doctors or help you get a second opinion
- Recommend physicians and psychologists as necessary
- Provide regular case updates and answer your questions ASAP
Our firm will always put your needs first. We know you need to win your case, and we are here to help you. We work on a contingency fee basis. You will not pay us anything unless we recover compensation for you. Contact us for a free consultation to learn more.
Our Attorney Can Represent You in Various Injury Cases in Opelika
If you were hurt because of someone else’s negligence, you likely have a viable personal injury case. If you can show they acted carelessly or recklessly and caused your injuries, you can hold them legally responsible to the fullest extent allowed under Alabama law. Our attorney handles these cases every day.
Our team knows how to build a case based on:
Car Accidents
According to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), there were 143,487 crashes resulting in 37,792 injuries and 975 fatalities in 2023. When a car hits another car, a motorcycle, a bicyclist, or a pedestrian, the victim can suffer serious injuries. Negligent drivers are usually liable, but vehicle manufacturers and government entities could play a role. Alabama supports fault-based car accident claims and requires that all drivers carry auto liability insurance coverage.
Truck Accidents
ALDOT also reported 2,590 injuries and 134 fatalities involving large trucks and commercial vehicles in 2023. When a truck driver causes a crash and injuries, their employer is often liable. This is thanks to a legal doctrine known as respondeat superior that creates vicarious liability for employers.
Construction Accidents
When workers suffer injuries from falls, falling debris, or other unsafe work conditions, they may have a case against the property owner, a general contractor, or another party.
Medical Malpractice
If a healthcare provider fails to provide an accepted standard of care, their negligence can cause serious injuries. Alabama’s medical malpractice laws allow victims to hold doctors, hospitals, and clinics responsible.
Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home residents might suffer physical, emotional, or financial harm because of neglect and abuse in their residential facility. Liable parties include facility administrators, owners, or contractors.
Premises Liability
When injuries occur due to unsafe property conditions, the property owner, building manager, or tenant might be liable. This liability generally applies when the responsible party knew or should have known about the hazard.
Slip and Falls
When wet floors, uneven flooring or ground, or poor lighting causes a fall, the property owner or maintenance team might be legally responsible for any falls that occur.
Dog Bites
When a dog bites and causes injuries, the victim may be able to hold the dog’s owner responsible based on the state’s dog bite rule or the owner’s negligence.
What Must Our Opelika Injury Lawyer Prove to Win a Case?
Personal injury cases are based on negligence. To hold a party accountable for their negligence, we must ensure we have evidence to show all four elements of negligence occurred. These are:
- Duty of care
- Breach of duty
- Causation
- Harm
Alabama laws create duties of care for many people. Some examples include:
- Drivers must follow traffic laws to prevent accidents
- Property owners must keep their properties free from dangerous hazards
- Doctors must provide an accepted standard of care for patients
- Nursing home administrators must provide adequate care for residents
When one of these parties fails to uphold the duty of care they owe, their breach of duty can cause an accident or incident that harms another person. This failure is what leads to many collisions, premises liability injuries, medical malpractice cases, and other types of injuries.
To hold the negligent party responsible, we must investigate what happened and gather compelling evidence to document these four elements. This process allows us to demand fair compensation from the liable party’s insurance carrier or ask a jury to award it at trial.
What Evidence Will a Lawyer Use to Support Your Opelika Claim?
When our personal injury attorney is building a case for compensation, our team takes a number of steps to identify, preserve, and analyze the available evidence to determine what happened and identify all possible liable parties.
The evidence available depends on the type of accident and the unique circumstances of the case. Some types of possible evidence we can use to prove a personal injury case include:
- Official Reports: We obtain official reports about the accident and injuries. This could include police accident reports, workplace incident reports, or other official documentation related to the accident.
- Medical Records: Relevant medical records provide proof of injuries, treatment, prognosis, and future care needs. They also tie the injuries to the accident, which can be essential in some cases.
- Photographic and Video Evidence: We seek and preserve photos and videos from the crash scene. This documents injuries, property damage, hazards, and other crucial details. Sometimes, we can also get video of the incident, often from surveillance footage.
- Witness Statements: We interview bystanders, other victims, and first responders to understand what they witnessed and determine how it fits with other evidence.
- Expert Testimony: Opinions from medical professionals, accident reconstruction specialists, financial analysts, and care planners often play a role in developing a convincing case.
- Documentation of Damages: We gather documents and work with experts to understand the potential settlement range of accident cases based on our client’s expenses and losses.
Some cases have more evidence or stronger evidence than others. Our goal is always to develop a compelling case that convinces the liable party’s insurance carrier or a judge and jury to award fair compensation for our client.
If we need to file a lawsuit, AL Code § 6-2-38 gives us two years to file the complaint in the Lee County court. Meeting this deadline is essential. Missing it could mean losing the right to hold the liable party accountable.
Discuss Your Opelika, AL, Injuries With Our Team for Free
At the Law Office of Dwayne L. Brown, our team provides free consultations for victims hurt in Opelika negligence accidents. We can help you learn more about your rights and discuss how our attorney can help you get justice. Call us today.
