Personal Injury

Opelika Personal Injury Attorneys

What is a Personal Injury?

When you are injured in an accident, through no fault of your own with negligence from another person or entity involved, this is known as a personal injury. Although automobile accidents account for a large percentage of personal injury claims, there are many other sources of personal injury claims.

These include:

• Medical Malpractice
• Slip And Fall Accidents
• Dog Bites
• Premises Liability Injuries
• Product Liability Claims for dangerous or defective drugs and medical devices or other consumer products

If an accident like this has happened to you, you need guidance from Opelika personal injury attorneys.

The Carmichael Law Group will help you recover medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for other damages. For example, someone who has a lifelong disability from a personal injury accident can significantly benefit from personal injury representation.

Who Can File A Personal Injury Claim?

An attorney can file a personal injury claim on your behalf, but filing can also be done by:

• You, if you’re over the age of 18 and of mental capacity.
• If you do not have the mental capacity to file a claim or are under 18, someone else may be able to file a claim on your behalf. For example, a parent or guardian can file a claim.
• Close relatives or spouses if you die due to a personal injury. In this case, a wrongful death claim will be filed.

Personal injury claims require a legal standing. If you are injured due to someone else’s actions or inactions, you may be able to file a claim.

You must show that you suffered actual harm due to the person’s:

• Intentional acts, or
• Negligence, or
• Strict liability

Schedule a consultation with us to discuss your personal injury claim.

What Is The Statute Of Limitations On Personal Injury Cases In Alabama?

Even if you’re working with a personal injury attorney, your claim must be filed within the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations is the amount of time (from the date of the accident in most cases) in which you can file a claim.

Alabama’s statute of limitations for most personal injuries is two years.

Exceptions do exist, such as the “discovery rule.” In most cases, you know that you have sustained an injury. If you break your leg or are bitten by a dog, it’s evident that you’re injured. In some cases, a person may:

• Not immediately realize that they’re injured
• Discover the injury later on

In the scenarios above, the clock for the statute of limitations doesn’t start ticking until the injury is discovered. Working with an experienced attorney in cases involving discovery is recommended because the defense will question how you didn’t know that the injury existed.

If the defense can show that you should have known about your injuries and that the statute of limitations passed, you will not be able to seek the compensation you deserve.

What Compensation Is Available For An Opelika Personal Injury Claim?

If you are injured because of someone else’s negligence, a personal injury attorney can help you pursue compensation for economic and/or non-economic damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages can include any verifiable and out-of-pocket losses you incur because of the accident. They can include (but are not limited to):

• Medical expenses, including hospital stays, rehabilitation, specialist visits and even mobility aids.
• Lost wages if your injuries forced you to take time off of work.
• Loss of future income. If your injuries are expected to cause you to miss work in the future, you may be entitled to compensation for this loss of income.
• Property damage to cover the cost of repairs or replacement of items affected by the accident (e.g. your car).

Economic damages are relatively straightforward to calculate, but they make up just a portion of your potential compensatory damages.

Non-economic Damages

Damages that fall into the non-economic category are more complex to calculate. Although intangible, these damages can have a greater impact on your quality of life.

Non-economic damages can include:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment
• Emotional distress
• Loss of companionship

You may be eligible for some or all of these damages. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you determine what compensation will be available to you and calculate your potential damages.

What Areas of Personal Injury Can the Carmichael Law Group Help You With?

The Carmichael Law Group has years of experience, as well as many successful outcomes to our credit. When you face injuries due to the fault of another, it’s good to know you have someone in your corner who truly cares about you, your health, and your future. Our team immediately begins helping you put your life back together following your injury, handling every legal aspect of your accident.

We will deal with the insurance company or companies, gather medical evidence on your behalf, help you get the medical treatment you need, and give you the time you need to heal. We understand that not only are you facing physical injuries resulting from your accident, but you are likely also facing a mountain of medical expenses. If your injuries prevent you from returning to work, you may also be unable to pay your average monthly expenses. The emotional trauma you face can also hinder your recovery from your injuries and your overall health.

Just as the insurance company is likely looking for any excuse to deny a legitimate claim, we will be working even harder to prove your injuries result from negligence and that you are entitled to receive compensation for your damages. The Carmichael Law Group will advocate tirelessly and passionately on your behalf to ensure you are not left injured, out of work, with nowhere to turn. At the Carmichael Law Group, we can help you with the following areas of Alabama personal injury:

Automobile Accidents

Unfortunately, most of us have seen—and possibly believe—the commercials that make insurance companies seem as though they are your friend and will be there through thick and thin, always with your best interests at heart. In reality, insurance companies are looking out for themselves and their financial bottom line. They will find any excuse at all to either deny your claim or pay you the lowest settlement possible—one that will not fully cover your injuries, your lost wages, and other damages. You must act quickly following an automobile accident, hiring an Alabama car accident attorney who will thoroughly investigate your accident, challenging the insurance company’s findings while presenting facts and evidence on your behalf. At Carmichael Law Group, we firmly believe a personal injury should never bring severe financial harm on top of your physical injuries. We will be aggressive advocates who offer compassion and support to our injury clients. We are highly skilled negotiators and aggressive litigators when warranted. If you have been involved in an Alabama automobile accident and are left with injuries due to another’s negligence, the Carmichael Law Group can help.

Dog Bites

When a dog unexpectedly attacks you or a loved one, the resulting injuries can be severe, even life-changing. For children, in particular, a dog is likely to bite in the face, leaving the child with potentially disfiguring injuries and scars. In the state of Alabama, dog owners are liable for damages when their dog bites or injures another person, so long as that person is lawfully on the dog owner’s property at the time of the attack. (In other words, you cannot be a trespasser). There also can be no provocation of the dog, which caused the dog to attack. The statute does permit dog owners to defend their case by denying they had any knowledge that the dog was dangerous or vicious. If lack of knowledge is proven, damages are limited to the victim’s actual expenses, but not including pain and suffering. If the dog bite occurred off the owner’s property, the right to recover is governed by negligence principles under the common law. This means the injured person must prove the owner knew or should have known, the dog could potentially be dangerous. At the Carmichael Law Group, we can help you through this challenging time, assisting you in getting the medical treatment necessary, then helping you get the compensation you are entitled to receive.

Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents happen much more often than you might imagine, falling under an area of personal injury law known as premises liability. Property owners in the state of Alabama have to use reasonable care to keep their premises safe for those whose presence on the property provides a material benefit for the owner. In other words, when you are shopping at a grocery store, the money you spend provides benefits to the owner. Therefore, the owner has a responsibility to keep the premises safe and free from hazards. To prevail in a slip and fall claim, you must be able to show that the owner knew or should have known of the dangerous or defective condition on the property. If someone spilled a drink in the grocery store right before you walked in, causing you to slip and fall, the owner might not be held responsible because he or she did not have sufficient time to learn of the spill and clean it up.

On the other hand, if the spill had been there for hours, with store employees passing by the spill but not cleaning it up, the owner would almost certainly be liable for your slip and fall accident and subsequent injuries. If you have suffered a slip and fall accident, our Opelika personal injury attorneys can help. We will ensure you receive the medical attention you need, as well as the financial compensation you are entitled to receive. 

Contact Our Opelika Personal Injury Attorneys

At the Carmichael Law Group, our Opelika personal injury attorneys are dedicated to helping those in Alabama get the justice they deserve. We fight hard for the rights and the future of each and every client. We also want you to feel comfortable from the moment you step into our office, and we appreciate the fact that you are entrusting your future to our firm. After thoroughly evaluating your personal injury facts, we will provide an honest assessment of your options. Contact the Carmichael Law Group today—we want to help you through this difficult time.