Posts Tagged Personal Injury Law

Do I Need a Georgia Lawyer – Motorcycle Accidents

October 16, 2014 at 9:19 pm · Filed under Topamax ·Tagged

Good morning!
Welcome to “Do I Need A Lawyer?”

I’m Gary Martin Hays.

Do I Need a Lawyer – Motorcycle Crash



And so you will have that phone number handy at any time, go ahead and enter it into your cell phone.

Our staff of legal professionals are standing by right now to take your information.

Or you can email me your question. The address is Gary@garymartinhays.com.
Now let’s go to the next question from one of our viewers.
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“Gary – I’d love to have your advice on this. It was a great day for me to be riding my Harley. And then it happened. This elderly woman pulls out of a fast food restaurant’s parking lot. She was trying to turn left and pulled out in front of me. I broke my right ankle and actually had to have surgery on it because it was really messed up.
Do I need a lawyer? And can you help me???” -Glenn in Norcross.

You need a lawyer and I would be happy to help you.

But let me give our viewers some alarming statistics from government studies about motorcycle accidents:

* In 2011 in Georgia, there were 149 motorcycle accident fatalities.

* Motorcyclists are 35 times more likely to experience a deadly accident on the road than those in passenger cars.

And Glenn – that is what you said happened in your wreck. The at fault driver was attempting to turn left out of the fast food restaurant driveway when she pulled out in front of you.
Now what is the main reason these motorcycle accidents happened?
The driver of the other vehicle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until it was too late to avoid a collision.

First – from the perspective of the person riding the motorcycle.
Here are 5Tips I’d like to share:
(1) Perform a Bike Safety Check BEFORE you ride!
Start with the tires. Make sure they are property inflated by using a good tire pressure gauge.

Check your lights, turn signals and brakes. Please make sure they are in working order.

And this really does apply to all of us, not just to motorcycle riders.
Speed kills.

(3) Wear a quality protective helmet.
Head injury is the #1 cause of deaths in motorcycle crashes.

In 2008 in Georgia, 97 motorcyclists lives were saved because they were wearing a proper helmet at the time of their crash.
Georgia requires all riders and passengers to wear a helmet.

Make it a habit to do this – even in daylight hours.

(5) Wear high visibility, protective clothing.
Colors that stand out – like yellow, orange, or bright red jackets will help you be seen by others.

Now here are a couple of helpful hints for all of us:

You should always double check to make sure the road is clear before you pull into a roadway from either a stop sign, a yield sign, or a driveway.

(2) Keep your eyes on the road!
Please put down that cell phone when you are behind the wheel.

Glenn: you were hurt in this wreck because the other driver pulled out in front of you.

However, just because she was cited for causing the wreck does not mean her insurance company is going to compensate you fairly for your injuries.

Insurance adjusters are trained to act like your long lost friend. They will tell you things like “You don’t need a lawyer. We are here to help you.”

You really have to ask yourself – Do you want to take on the insurance company and THEIR lawyers by yourself?

* Injured victims receive an average of 40% more money just by consulting a lawyer to learn their rights!
So just by talking with a lawyer the injured victim received 40% more money than when they tried to handle the claim on their own.

* Injured victims receive an average of 3 and ? times more money when they hire an attorney to defend their rights!

Let’s put that in real dollars.
Suppose an injured victim that DID NOT have an attorney settled their claim for only $3,000.00. If they had hired an attorney, they could have settled the case for $10,500.00.
If you have been hurt in a wreck and you don’t hire an attorney, you are letting the insurance company hang onto YOUR money. Plain and simple.

Our legal professionals are standing by right now to speak with you.
The consultation is FREE and completely confidential.
I encourage you – if you don’t call us, please call someone to help you with your claim.

Personal Injury Law

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Do I Need a Lawyer – Three Things You Have to Prove in a P.I. Claim

September 2, 2014 at 10:02 pm · Filed under Tequin ·Tagged

What are the 3 things YOU must prove in your personal injury claim?

Welcome to “Do I Need A Lawyer?”

If you have a question you would like for me to answer, or if you would like to speak with me regarding a potential claim, please pick up the phone and give us a call right now. (770) 934-8000.

Three Things You Have to Prove in a PI Claim



Or you can email me your question.
Now let’s go to the next question from one of our viewers.
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Our Firm on Youtube
Gary: My wife and I were hurt in a car accident about a month ago. We were not at fault. I am ok but my wife is not. The other driver slammed into the passenger side door where she was riding. She is still treating with the doctor. We are already getting a lot of medical bills in the mail. If we hire a lawyer, what do we have to prove to be able to recover from the driver’s insurance company?

Now let’s go to the next question from one of our viewers.
Jeff in Decatur
Gary: My wife and I were hurt in a car accident about a month ago. The other driver slammed into the passenger side door where she was riding. We are already getting a lot of medical bills in the mail.
Thanks for the question though I’m sorry to hear about your wife’s injuries and the wreck.
There are several things we have to prove in these personal injury claims:

* We have to prove the damages our client sustained in the wreck.

Negligence: this essentially means who is at fault.
We have to prove that someone (besides yourself) was at fault for causing the wreck.
The injured party has the burden of proof in showing that the Defendant driver was negligent in causing the wreck.
For example: When the defendant rear-ends your car because they did not maintain a safe following distance or they failed to keep a proper lookout of the road ahead, they were negligent.

Other examples include:

Speeding or traveling too fast for conditions
Tailgating
Driving under the influence of alcohol or some illegal drug
Failure to yield while turning left
Driver fatigue because they drove their tractor trailer more than Federal law allows

Here is an example:

The Defendant is not paying attention to the road ahead and crashes into the rear of your car. Your head hits the steering wheel causing a huge cut on your chin and you chip a couple of your teeth.
The Defendant’s negligence was the proximate cause of the wreck and your injuries.
Here is another example:
You have a green light allowing you to proceed straight through the intersection.
The Defendant is traveling in the opposite direction.
He does not see you and he attempts to turn left in front of your car and crashes into your vehicle. You sustain a broken arm and leg in the crash.
His failure to yield while turning left is the proximate cause of the collision and your injuries.

When we prove that the Defendant was negligent and his negligence was the proximate cause of the wreck, we must now prove what damages were inflicted upon you.
Damages could include compensation for:
Medical bills, including:

-emergency room physician

-chiropractors

This is easy to prove as all of these health care providers/suppliers will issue an itemized statement for the services they provide to our clients.

Typically, if someone misses a week of work due to a car wreck, it can be proven with a couple of check stubs showing the time missed from work, a doctor’s disability slip, and a wage verification form signed by the employer.
It can be very problematic, however, if someone misses time from work but is paid “under the table” and there is no record on the books. It gets even messier when there is no mention of this work on the tax returns.

You would not have to be driving around from doctor’s appointments to physical therapy to the pharmacy to get your prescriptions filled if the Defendant had not caused the wreck.

You should be compensated for this loss.
Gas is expensive.
Parking in some of the private lots can also add up.
Keep track of your round trip mileage to these appointments and save those parking receipts!

No one has a crystal ball to tell you everything the future is going to hold for you medically. However, doctors can sometimes tell us to a reasonable degree of medical certainty what they anticipate you will incur should you eventually need a surgery or have to undergo some additional tests.

FUTURE lost wages
The standard for proving future lost wages is simple, yet can sometimes be a difficult hurdle to overcome.
The way a jury measures future lost income is for them to determine what the plaintiff would otherwise have earned in his job or profession but for the injury.

Punitive damages:

The purpose of punitive damages is to punish, penalize, or deter the Defendant from repeating the conduct.
For example, punitive damages can be sought in wrecks where:

– The Defendant was driving their vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The amount of the damage for pain and suffering is based upon the enlightened conscience of fair and impartial jurors that apply the facts and law to that specific claim.

Now – if you have questions about a potential claim, please give us a call.
If not us, please call someone – but call an attorney that specializes in personal injury law.
You have absolutely nothing to lose by calling a lawyer, but think of all you can lose if you don’t!
If you would like to speak with my law firm about your claim, we make it easy for you.
Just pick up the phone right now and give us a call at (770) 934-8000.

You can also visit our website – www.GaryMartinHays.com.
It is loaded with information about personal injury claims and you can learn a lot more about me and my law firm.

You owe it to yourself – to your family – to get the help you need.
So give us a call right now. (770) 934-8000.
And stay tuned for more of “Do I Need A Lawyer”
We’ll be right back.

Personal Injury Law

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