A serious injury in a car crash, fall, or another type of accident can disrupt your life in Athens and leave you unable to work for a long time. If your injury was caused by another’s disregard for safety or negligence or intentional acts, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your losses.
Serious accidents put significant amounts of stress on the accident victim and their family. If you or a loved one has been injured, seek the guidance of a knowledgeable Athens personal injury attorney. We can reduce your stress and allow you to focus on your recovery and your family. Our attorneys at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., have the depth of knowledge and legal experience that legal publications and other Alabama lawyers have repeatedly recognized for exceptional legal service. We offer the strength you need during a challenging time. We are justifiably proud of the case results we have obtained for people who placed their trust in us.
Our attorneys are committed to providing legal representation to individuals and families in Athens, Limestone County, and across the Tennessee Valley who are facing difficult personal injuries. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can take the important steps to help you recover the compensation you deserve. At Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., we offer a free consultation to review your legal options. Call us toll-free at 256-801-2905 or use our online attorney contact form to speak with an experienced North Alabama personal injury attorney.
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Mr. Aiello has been a great help to me by navigating me through an out-of-state legal process I am going through. He is very helpful and professional. He is quick to respond to questions and emails.
What’s an example of an Athens Personal Injury Case?
Athens is located along busy Interstate 65 west of Huntsville. Auto accidents, truck accidents, and bicycle accidents account for many personal injury claims in Limestone County. An individual who sustains serious injuries due to another motorist’s carelessness or negligence may have a right to file a personal injury claim and seek compensation for his or her losses.
For example, a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) employee is headed to the Brown’s Ferry power plant. A careless driver who is talking on a cell phone drifts across the centerline and hits the TVA worker’s car head-on. The TVA worker suffers head and neck injuries and multiple fractures from the impact of the collision. The TVA worker will be hospitalized for 10 days and then need many weeks of rehabilitation. The injured worker will miss several months of work. The worker’s medical bills will exceed $100,000, and the worker will be left with chronic pain related to the accident. The TVA worker has health insurance, but will still have hefty medical bills as a result of an accident caused by a distracted driver.
The TVA worker should not be burdened with medical bills stemming from an accident that another driver caused. Fortunately, the State of Alabama gives accident victims a legal right to seek compensation from negligent drivers for medical bills, loss of income, car repairs, and other losses associated with the accident. A person who is injured as a result of another’s carelessness or negligence may file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver and demand compensation to cover his or her accident losses. An Athens car accident attorney at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., can negotiate aggressively on your behalf with the at-fault driver’s insurer and, if needed, file a personal injury lawsuit seeking compensation for your losses.
Types of Cases Our Athens Personal Injury Attorney Can Handle
Our Athens personal injury attorneys bring many years of legal experience to each case that we handle.
If you have suffered a serious injury in an accident in Athens or elsewhere in Limestone County, it can affect your ability to work and the quality of your life. You want to keep working, but you may no longer be able to take on the physical demands of your former job. You may have to adapt to a new lifestyle, and you may need retraining to find suitable employment. Your wages may be lower as a result of your injuries and work limitations.
You may worry about how to pay medical bills and household expenses. You will need all the financial resources available to recover and move forward. Our personal injury lawyers in Athens will carefully investigate your accident and determine all the potentially responsible parties. We will notify the appropriate insurance company or companies of your claim and seek the compensation you need to move forward with your life.
Most people that we represent understandably want to put the accident behind them as quickly as possible and move forward with their lives. Typically, they want to resolve their legal issues without going to court if feasible. Our skilled Athens personal injury lawyers at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., settle most injury claims without a jury trial. We investigate and prepare each case thoroughly so we can negotiate with the opposing side from a position of strength.
When the attorneys at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., begin work on an injury case, we notify the responsible party and their insurance provider of our client’s pending legal claim. After identifying all the potentially responsible parties, we determine the insurance policies available to provide compensation. If we are successful in negotiating a satisfactory informal settlement, you will receive compensation without the delays and uncertainties that a trial presents.
Usually, insurance companies want to settle a case out of court to avoid the expense of a jury trial. An insurer’s initial settlement offer may be low.
The attorneys at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., are skilled negotiators with decades of experience negotiating and settling personal injury claims. With each case, our goal is to obtain the fair and full compensation that reflects the seriousness of your injuries. Some insurance companies will not discuss a reasonable settlement until an injury case is scheduled for trial.
Every injury case has its own set of contributing factors that make it unique. The fact that our Athens personal injury lawyers are skilled litigators who are willing to take cases to trial makes insurance companies more willing to present a fair settlement offer. We are confident of our skills as negotiators and as trial lawyers. The results we achieve are reflected in the outstanding settlements and jury awards that we have achieved for many clients across the Tennessee Valley.
Is there a time limit on filing a personal injury lawsuit in Alabama?
The State of Alabama allows an accident victim two years from the date of the injury to file most types of personal injury lawsuits. But under certain circumstances, the time limit or statute of limitations, as it is known, may be longer or shorter. Sometimes, the victim is not immediately aware of an injury and only discovers the injury many months afterward. The time permitted to file a claim may be longer in cases involving discovered injuries.
There also may be more time allowed in cases involving minor children under age 19. The time limit for giving notice when filing an injury claim against a government agency in Alabama may be as short as six months after an accident. If you do not act within the proper time frame, you may forfeit your legal right to seek compensation, so it is important to talk with a knowledgeable attorney promptly. You should consult with an Athens personal injury attorney and about starting to investigate your case as soon as possible.
Contact our attorneys for guidance about your legal options if you have been injured due to another’s fault in Athens. Our attorneys are ready to review your accident and discuss how best to protect your legal rights.
What can an Athens personal injury lawyer do for me?
If you or a loved one has sustained serious injuries in a car crash or other accident in Athens, your family is likely to be going through a tough period. You may have many questions about how to move forward. Our compassionate attorneys care about our client’s well-being. We want to hear your questions and concerns. We will offer guidance based on our years of experience helping many families in Athens and across North Alabama.
We will offer to represent you on a contingency fee basis if your injury is the type that we handle. If we represent you, we will determine how the accident occurred, gather statements from witnesses, and identify the potentially liable parties and insurance policies available.
We believe in client communication. We will update you regularly on our progress in settling your case. In cases involving disabling injuries, we may work with financial planners to project the lifetime costs of your injuries and their effect on your ability to earn income.
Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., is a well-established law firm. Since 1966, our attorneys have been representing the rights of injury victims in Athens, Limestone County, and throughout North Alabama. Our attorneys handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis so that you have no upfront costs. We do not get paid a legal fee unless we obtain compensation for you. Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., has the determination and skill to take on big insurance companies and see your case through to the end.
Let our Athens personal injury lawyers handle dealing with the insurance companies while you concentrate on regaining your health and your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, there is a limited amount to time in which to file a personal injury lawsuit in Alabama. Generally speaking, Alabama law allows a competent adult two years from the date of the injury to bring most types if claims. There may be exceptions for minor children under age 19. the deadline for filing a claim against a government agency may be as short as six months. Claims take time to investigate and prepare, so it is important to have an Alabama personal injury lawyer start working on your case as soon as possible so that you do not miss a deadline.
If you have been injured due to another’s fault, contact our law firm for advice regarding the deadlines for your case.
Because of Alabama’s pure contributory negligence doctrine, it’s nearly impossible to recover compensation if you are found partly at fault for an accident. However, don’t just assume that you bear fault for your injuries. Instead, consult with our lawyers to find out how this law might affect your case.
The Alabama personal injury lawyers at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., work on a contingency fee basis. That means we get paid only if you win your case. The attorney’s fee is a percentage of your insurance settlement or trial award. This arrangement makes it easier for you to afford quality legal help without worrying about upfront costs.
Seek immediate medical treatment for your injuries. As soon as possible, report the accident to the proper authorities. Try to gather evidence like photos and eyewitness contact information. Keep all your medical records and bills in a folder with proof of your missing income. Contact our personal injury lawyers to discuss your case as soon as possible. Acting quickly can help protect your rights and increase your chances of getting compensation.
Courts determine fault by examining evidence like accident scene photos, eyewitness and expert testimony, and incident reports. They will then weigh this evidence to understand how each involved party may have contributed to the incident. If a court decides that the injured party was in any way to blame for their injuries, it will bar them from recovering compensation from other at-fault parties. The high stakes of this process are one reason it’s so important to work with an experienced attorney.
While no law requires hiring a lawyer for a personal injury case, you should strongly consider doing so. A lawyer understands the complex process you must follow when bringing suit and can handle all of the legal requirements for you. They can gather evidence to prove liability and negotiate with insurance companies for you. Without a lawyer, you might accept an insufficient settlement or make a mistake that jeopardizes your right to recover compensation.
You could recover several different types of damages in an Alabama personal injury lawsuit. One is called economic damages, which compensate you for financial losses like your medical expenses, lost wages, and damaged personal property. Another type is called non-economic damages, which cover your less tangible losses, like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and lost quality of life. Additionally, if the person who hurt you did so while they were acting in a particularly egregious way, you can seek punitive damages from them. These are meant to punish bad behavior rather than to compensate you for a particular loss.
In Alabama, you have two years from the date you suffered your injuries to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you miss this deadline, you will most likely lose your right to seek compensation for your injuries. Therefore, acting quickly to protect your rights is essential, especially as some cases (such as those involving government agencies) have shorter deadlines.
A personal injury case is a type of legal action that an individual can bring against someone who’s harmed them in some way. Common grounds for personal injury cases include car crashes, falls, dog bites, pedestrian accidents, defective products, and nursing home neglect. The goal is for the injured party to “be made whole again” – that is, to be restored as nearly as possible to their pre-injury condition. That could involve money to pay for their medical bills, offset their lost income, and compensate them for their pain and suffering, to name just a few examples.
What is the next step?
If you think that one of our personal injury lawyers can assist you or your loved one, contact us right now for a no-obligation consultation. You need to have a solid understanding of your legal options in order to make good decisions. Let us help. We will discuss your legal options during a free consultation. Call our Athens personal injury attorneys or complete our quick web contact form. The personal injury lawyers at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., are here to assist you, as we have helped many Alabamians. When experience matters, contact Morris, King & Hodge, P.C.
Not in Athens? Not a Problem
The personal injury lawyers at Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., are here to assist you, as we have helped many Alabamians. We are proud to help injury victims in Albertville, Decatur, Florence, Huntsville, and Scottsboro.