After an injury, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the pain and financial stress. When your injury is due to someone else’s negligence, you may also be angry and have a desire for justice. Our personal injury lawyer in Phenix City, AL can help you recover compensation and justice.
At the Law Office of Dwayne L. Brown, we know that personal injury deserves personal attention. We want to understand what you are going through so that we can fight for the fair compensation that you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation. Learn more about your case and your legal options for recovering the fair compensation your injuries deserve.
Personal Injury Cases That We Take on in Phenix City, AL
There are many types of accidents that can lead to severe injuries. At the Law Office of Dwayne L. Brown, our legal team has handled the following types of accident cases for 30 years:
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Construction Accidents
- Premises Liability
- Dog Bites
- Workers’ Compensation
- Wrongful Death
No matter the cause of your injury, we will work as hard as we can to recover the maximum compensation possible for all the losses you have suffered. Ways in which we can help include the following:
- Negotiating with insurance companies on your behalf
- Communicating with all parties involved
- Filing paperwork
- Gathering evidence to support your claim
- Keeping you updated on the status of your case
- Answering any questions you have
- Representing you in court if necessary
What Compensation Can Be Recovered After a Personal Injury in Phenix City?
Every personal injury claim is different, as each depends on the circumstances of the accident and the severity of the injuries involved. For example, if you were injured in a car accident, you may be dealing with such injuries as broken bones, scarring from lacerations, and spinal cord damage. You may be facing lifelong difficulties due to the injuries you’ve suffered.
At the Law Office of Dwayne L. Brown, we look at the full picture of what you’ve lost. Our goal is to get you and your family the compensation you need for both your current and future life.
Below, we’ll go through some specific types of compensation that you may be eligible to receive:
Medical Expenses
Both past and future medical costs for your injuries may be recovered. These include medical bills for emergency room visits, follow-up appointments with your primary care physician or specialists, surgeries, physical therapy, medications, and even gas and mileage for attending appointments.
Lost Wages and Loss of Earning Potential
Recovering from injuries may mean that you need to take a considerable amount of time off from work, or that you are never able to return to work. You may be eligible for compensation for lost income from work, diminished earning potential, and the loss of benefits, such as PTO, salary increases, and bonuses.
Pain and Suffering
In addition to economic losses, you may also be eligible for compensation for non-economic losses. For example, the physical pain and emotional distress that you have endured following your injuries.
How Is Compensation Recovered for Personal Injury Cases?
Typically, compensation is recovered in one of two ways: either through a personal injury claim or a personal injury lawsuit. In both cases, it is essential for you to prove that someone else’s negligence caused your injuries.
Examples of Liability
Liability will be different for every case. Here are some examples of what it may look like, though:
- Car Accidents: An auto accident caused by a driver who is drunk or under the influence of drugs, a driver failing to follow traffic laws, or a distracted driver
- Premises Liability: Store ownership failing to uphold a duty of care towards their customers, such as knowingly leaving hazards on a store floor
- Dog Bites: An unleashed dog attacking you while you’re on a run
- Bicycle Accidents: A driver who fails to obey traffic laws, such as failure to yield
A personal injury lawyer in Phenix City, AL will build a case supporting your personal injury claim in a variety of ways. These include gathering and analyzing evidence, such as the following:
Interviewing Witnesses
Eyewitness accounts can be helpful in personal injury cases, as they may be unbiased accounts of what happened. Depending on your accident, eyewitnesses can include people like bystanders, other drivers and passengers, employees or co-workers, customers, and more.
Obtaining Video Footage
In personal injury cases where multiple parties may have different versions of events, video footage can be particularly beneficial. It offers an unbiased and accurate view before and after the accident has occurred. Examples of the types of footage we may recover include traffic cameras, business security/surveillance cameras, dashcams, and cellphone videos.
Consulting With Subject Matter Experts
In some cases, expert witnesses can provide testimonies that help to explain certain complicated aspects of a case. Examples of this include:
- A highway safety expert in a car accident case
- A safety standards expert in a workers’ compensation case
- An accident reconstruction post in a motorcycle accident case
Your doctors can also explain your prognosis, which helps us determine the compensation we should pursue for your healthy recovery.
Alabama Laws Affecting Your Phenix City Personal Injury Case
State laws can have a significant effect on recovering compensation after a personal injury. Some of these laws include the following:
Contributory Negligence
Alabama’s personal injury laws follow contributory negligence. Under this legal doctrine, if you are in any way responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, you will be unable to recover compensation. The burden of proof falls on you to prove that someone else was at fault and that you were not responsible.
Statute of Limitations
Under AL Code § 6-2-38, you typically have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. This time limit generally starts from the date of the accident that caused your injuries.
If a loved one passed away after an accident, you also typically only have two years (from the date of their death) to pursue a wrongful death suit.
Understanding these deadlines is very important. If you miss the deadline to file a civil lawsuit in the Russell County courthouse, you will be unable to seek compensation through trial and lose any negotiating leverage with the insurance companies.
What Should You Do After a Personal Injury?
If you’ve been in an accident, there are a few actions that you should take to protect your health and your rights:
Seek Medical Attention as Soon as Possible
The first thing you should do after an accident is check for injuries that require emergency care. If you don’t require emergency medical care, you should still follow up with your primary care physician. They will be able to diagnose your injuries and create a treatment plan. This step also connects your injuries to the accident.
Contact the Authorities
After an accident, it’s important to have a record that it occurred. For example:
- In car accidents, you should call the Phenix City Police Department.
- After a dog bite, you should call the police department or animal control.
- If you’ve suffered an injury while on a business’ premises, you should report the incident to a manager.
Take Photos and Videos
If it is possible to do so, take photos or video of your injuries and of the accident scene. For example, in car accidents, it can be helpful to photograph any posted traffic signs that were ignored by the at-fault driver.
Avoid Taking Blame
When talking to authorities or insurance companies, it’s important to avoid taking any blame. State the facts and do not offer personal opinions on what happened.
Don’t Post to Social Media
In today’s world, it’s easy to want to immediately post about an accident and vent your frustration. However, it’s important to avoid doing so, as social media posts may be used against you.
Why Choose a Phenix City Personal Injury Lawyer From the Law Offices of Dwayne L. Brown?
Choosing a personal injury attorney can be a time-consuming process. At the Law Offices of Dwayne L. Brown, we are committed to fighting for you.
We’ve recovered over $100,000,000 million for injury victims. Including:
- $11,500,000 for the family of a victim involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler truck
- $5,500,000 for the children of a pedestrian struck by a delivery truck
- $3,000,000 for a catastrophic wreck
Even though we are Super Lawyers Rated, we know it’s not about us; it’s about you and your needs. We will focus on your needs and ensure that you feel supported in any way that we can.
Contact a Phenix City, AL Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence, you are likely facing many unexpected challenges in your life. From physical pain to financial stress, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning. The Law Offices of Dwayne L. Brown can offer you a helping hand. We’ll take on the time and burden of your personal injury claim so that you can focus on recovering.
We also don’t want to add to your financial stresses, so we work on a contingency-fee basis. This means that you won’t owe us anything unless we recover compensation.
Call us today for your free initial consultation!
