Gadsden, AL Personal Injury Lawyers

Gadsden, Alabama is a quiet community with a population of just under 40,000 that is conveniently situated about an hour away from Birmingham. Residents in this area enjoy a great quality of life while being close enough to commute to larger population centers where there are more available jobs.

This is definitely a nice place to live, but it is not without its problems. Like any other area, Gadsden has its share of fatal auto accidents. There are also numerous workplace accidents that happen every year, and many of them result in serious and sometimes fatal injuries. When someone gets hurt or killed and it is caused by the negligence or reckless actions of another party, they have a right to be compensated. But unfortunately, insurance companies do not usually see things the same way.

For Gadsden, AL personal injury victims, recovering full and fair compensation from the responsible party’s insurer can be a major ordeal. In many cases, the insurer will do whatever they can to minimize the amount of damages that they have to pay out. They may even try to use Alabama laws to deny the claim altogether, leaving victims and their families out in the cold and struggling financially.

In a situation like this with so much at stake, it makes sense for those who have suffered moderate to severe personal injuries in Gadsden to at least speak with an experienced attorney about their case. Otherwise, they could end up getting far less than they deserve.

At Burge & Burge, we understand the difficulties and hardships that personal injury victims and their families face, and we are here to provide strong legal guidance and moral support during this challenging time. Our firm is focused exclusively on representing those who have been wrongly injured or killed, and we have a successful track record with even the most complex cases. We work closely with our clients, putting our extensive experience to work to explore every potential legal avenue toward recovering maximum compensation.

We represent clients for all types of personal injury cases, including but not limited to:

• Car Accidents

• Truck Accidents

• Motorcycle Accidents

• Pedestrian Accidents

• Medical Malpractice

• Nursing Home Abuse

• Product Liability

• Workers’ Compensation

• Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) Claims

• Social Security Disability

• Wrongful Death

When Does it Make Sense to Hire a Gadsden, AL Personal Injury Attorney?

As we touched on earlier, it is always a good idea to talk with a lawyer after you have suffered a personal injury just to get a professional legal opinion on your case. This way, you will have a better idea of what legal recourses you have, so you can make the most informed decision on how you wish to proceed.

Whether or not you want to go ahead and retain an attorney is an entirely different question. Many injury victims question whether it is worth it to pay a percentage of their settlement or jury award to a lawyer as opposed to handling the claim themselves and keeping 100% of it. This is a fair concern, and there are definitely situations in which you might not need to hire a personal injury attorney.

Deciding which way to go on this depends largely on the extent of your injuries if there are questions over who was at fault, and whether there are any other complicating factors. For example, if your injuries are fairly minor, everyone agrees that the other party was at fault, and the insurance company is offering what you believe to be a fair settlement, then there may not be any need to involve an attorney. It still wouldn’t hurt to have a free conversation with one, however, because you never know if you might have overlooked something important.

If, on the other hand, your injuries are moderate to severe, there are disputes over who caused the injury, there are multiple parties that could be at fault, and the insurance company is giving you a hard time, then this is a case where you might very well need skilled legal counsel.

When we get into more serious injuries, insurance carriers tend to push back harder against the claim because there is more money at stake. Personal injury claims in Gadsden, AL are also impacted by Alabama’s defendant-friendly contributory negligence laws.

Contributory negligence is an archaic legal standard that only a handful of states still use, and it essentially means that if an injured person is responsible in any way for the underlying accident or event that caused the injury (even 1%), they can be barred from recovering damages.

It is not uncommon for Alabama insurers to try to pin at least some of the blame on injury victims so they can avoid having to pay out damages on behalf of their insureds. And this is why it is absolutely critical to get an attorney involved if there are extensive injuries and any questions at all over who is at fault.

Statute of Limitations for Gadsden, AL Personal Injury Cases

It is important to realize that there is a time limit that personal injury victims have to file a legal claim for damages. This is known as the “statute of limitations”. In Alabama, the statute of limitations for most personal injury cases is two years from the date of the injury.

There are exceptions to this, however. When you are suing a government entity, for example, the statute of limitations is much shorter (usually six months to a year depending on the circumstances of your case). On the other hand, the statute of limitations can be extended in cases involving a minor or incompetent individual; or in cases in which medical negligence causes a delayed injury that is discovered later.

Contact Our Reputable Gadsden, AL Personal Injury Attorneys

if you or someone close to you suffered an injury in Alabama that was caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness, Burge & Burge is ready to go to work for you! Call our office today at 205-251-9000 or send us a message through our online contact form to schedule your free consultation and case evaluation.