If inured in a wreck, you may need an injury lawyer in Atlanta. These incidents may wreak financial, emotional and physical havoc on your life. You may experience pain and suffering, face high medical bills and expensive treatments, and lose income and the ability to support your family. That’s why many victims choose to file a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. However, in order to prove the driver is liable, you must first prove that they were negligent and that this negligence caused the injury.
In Georgia, there are five parts to proving negligence:
- duty of care;
- breach of duty;
- cause in fact;
- proximate cause; and
- damages.
Duty of Care
In order to prove negligence in a personal injury claim, you must first establish that there was a duty of care owed to the victim. This means that the defendant had a duty to execute reasonable care and caution toward the victim and the public in general. Specifically, they had a responsibility to act and behave as any reasonable person in his position would.
A driver, for example, has a duty of care to others on the road when operating their vehicle. They are expected to drive their car safely and follow all traffic laws, as any other driver is expected to do.
Breach of Duty
Once you have established that there is, in fact, a duty of care, you must prove that this duty has been breached or violated. If the defendant, who in this case is the other driver, failed to act according to the duty of care and did not behave as any reasonable person in his position would, this could be considered a breach of duty and may lead to a negligence claim.
As an example: if a driver failed to use a turn signal while changing lanes, causing you to spin off the road and crash. This would be considered a breach of duty, as a reasonable driver is expected to use a turn signal when making a lane change.
10 Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Georgia Wreck Case is intended to help people with auto accident injuries in the state of Georgia. It is written to help you maximize your car accident settlement and prevent you from making one of the most common mistakes that will reduce the amount of money you receive from your auto accident settlement.
Don't fall victim to the insurance companies' tricks. Shane Smith is a personal injury attorney who has handled over a thousand of personal injury cases, and is fully aware of the intentions of the insurance companies and what you should know. You NEED to get this free report before you sign any forms, give any statements, or talk to any adjustors. Don't be caught off guard when you talk to the insurance company.