If a family member dies in an accident, you need a special type of personal injury attorney to handle your case. You need a wrongful death attorney.
Here is the reality.
Insurance companies want to pay as little as possible, so they strongly fight wrongful death cases. Georgia law allows you to be compensated for many things, including money that the deceased would have earned, money for pain and suffering, and money for the services the person would have performed for the family. Put that all together, and it can be a very large amount.
Here are 3 things that make a wrongful death case so difficult and why you need a special type of lawyer.
First, your attorney needs to be well funded. The firm has to have the money to hire expert witnesses, investigators, plus have lawyers who are willing commit years of time even though they are not yet receiving any compensation. Why is this important? All this preparation is the only way to get you maximum dollars. Remember, there is no money out of your pocket, so someone must front these costs.
The next reason these cases are so difficult is that you do not have the testimony of the injured person. It takes a great deal of fact-finding to determine exactly what happened. We must reconstruct the accident. It may take reconstruction experts, economists, doctors and biomechanical engineers to present your case. When someone dies, the stakes are high, and the insurance companies spend big to fight you.
The third thing that makes it so difficult is that the lawyer in charge must have extensive trial experience. You may be surprised at how many personal injury attorneys have little or no experience in a courtroom. If you want to receive a maximum settlement, you must have an attorney that can fight for you in court. You must have an attorney who can present your case persuasively to a jury. Ironically, if an insurance company knows you will fight … you very rarely have to.
Wrongful death in Georgia is a very complicated procedure. Choose your attorney wisely. There are many twists and turns, and the wrong decision can cost you and your family a lot of money. The Hawk Law Group has a history of success in these types of cases.
If your family suffers a wrongful death, you can talk us at the Hawk Law Group for free. 706-444-4444. We want to help. We are working remotely and in-person but are always available.
Also, join us on News 12 LawCall here in Augusta every Sunday night at 11:30 right after the news. We are on tape during the COVID-19 epidemic but plan to be back live soon taking your questions.
Vic Hawk
GA Personal Injury Attorney