Injury

Charles W. Watwood, Jr. and Associates are experienced trial attorneys and lawyers who ride. We offer free legal consultations and make house calls for your Georgia motorcycle injuries. There is no charge for recovery on motorcycle damage. There is no fee for your case unless we make a recovery for you.* (We only get paid if you do.)

Our office will initially investigate your motorcycle accident case. In some cases, we will hire a special investigator to interview you and obtain statements from any witnesses that may exist to your motorcycle accident. The investigation will be conducted also to obtain photographs of the motorcycle accident and to assemble all the information that is available as to how the motorcycle accident occurred and who is responsible. Photos of the motorcycle accident scene and your injuries before the cuts and bruises have had a chance to disappear and heal will probably be taken.

As the investigation is being conducted, our office will prepare a letter to each of your physicians and request medical records. We may also wish to contact the physician to personally interview him before requesting a written report.

Your insurance company or, if you do not have any insurance or the defendant's insurance company, will wish to have a list of out-of-pocket expenses from you with copies of supporting documentation. These are called special damages, which include doctor bills, hospital bills, medical bills, any loss of earnings or income that occurred as a result of the motorcycle accident, and any property damage. For items of property damage, if you have repair estimates and photographs of your motorcycle, please provide those to us as well.

Any inquiries from the person responsible for your injuries or their representatives, including their insurance company, should be referred to our office. You should not discuss the details of your motorcycle accident or your injuries with people who are not entitled to that information. If an insurance company representative contacts you, inform them that you are represented by our law firm and refer them to us for any information they seek. DO NOT MAKE STATEMENTS TO THEM. If you have already made statements to any insurance company representative or anyone else, notify us immediately of these statements and we shall obtain a copy of them.

You are entitled to the best medical care available to cure or to minimize the effects of your motorcycle injury. It is essential that you obtain copies of bills and receipts for all medical expenditures you have made. Your financial loss is sometimes less important then the effects of the injury. We need your assistance to keep us informed of the effects of the motorcycle accident on your life and in furnishing information as to where we can get credible and admissible testimony to prove the effects of your motorcycle injuries on your life. One of the jobs of the legal assistant handling your case is to accumulate all of these medical records and expenses. It is essential that you communicate with them during the course of your medical treatment and with any questions you may have regarding your treatment.

You should continue to go to a doctor as long as your injuries continue to bother you. Cooperate with your doctor in every way, and relate to him truthfully and fully all symptoms that you have that were a result of this accident. Answer completely all questions that he asks you. Medical treatment often takes time to produce results. You cannot expect a doctor to give effective testimony about your conditions at time of trial if several months have elapsed since he last examined you. Also, insurance companies will often treat this failure to obtain medical treatment as evidence that there was no injury or that you are exaggerating. Naturally, we do not want you to fake or exaggerate anything, but as long as there is something legitimately wrong with you, in order to help the doctors make their diagnosis and avoid a distortion of your medical picture by the insurance company, you should continue to obtain the medical care you need.

If you have had prior injuries, particularly to the same area of the body, you must let us know. This information often appears in medical records, and it is not in your best interest to attempt to hide that fact. As long as we are made aware of any prior or subsequent injuries, we can deal with them.

One of the most significant factors affecting the value of your lawsuit is whether we can establish by doctor testimony that you have suffered a permanent injury because of the motorcycle accident. Doctors know from experience that the full extent of a person's injuries is usually not known until several months after the accident. It is important for you to advise us of your medical progress, including when your doctor refers you for physical therapy or to another doctor. We will then be able to get complete copies of all your records, which is of utmost importance in documenting your case.

Do not talk about your case or your lawyers when you see your doctor. You do not want to give the impression that you care more about collecting money than you do about getting well.

Some insurance companies in cases where the liability or fault is clear relate the value of the case to the special damages. This is often unrealistic because the major factors, including the physical pain and suffering and the loss of your capacity to lead a normal life, may have a greater impact on the value of your case than do the special damages.

After we have assembled all the information, we will make the best estimate of the smallest Georgia jury verdict we could obtain, the largest Georgia verdict we could obtain, and the probable verdict. This figure is based on our experience and research regarding jury verdicts for similar cases in our area.

There are special factors that influence the value of your case. These factors also affect whether or not we will be able to file a lawsuit on your behalf.

There are situations where the driver of the other vehicle had no automobile/motorcycle insurance or had automobile/motorcycle insurance in the least amount that can be carried by law. It is therefore necessary for us to know whether you have a policy of vehicle liability insurance and whether you have purchased uninsured motorist coverage on that policy. In most states an injured person is permitted to make a claim for his pain and suffering under his own insurance policy if he has uninsured motorist coverage. Sometimes this coverage may be the only source of recovery for yourself or your family for the negligence of another driver. It is also important to report the motorcycle accident to all insurance polices of motor vehicles in your household as soon as possible (this includes automobile polices and policies of household relatives).

We will exhaust all resources to settle your Georgia motorcycle case with the insurance companies. If a fair offer is not tendered, then we will file a lawsuit against the negligent parties.

In some jurisdictions you are permitted to file a lawsuit only if you have met the threshold requirements, and in Georgia within two years from the date of the accident. This time period is provided for by law and once that time period has elapsed, you are forever barred from pursuing your claim. We usually will not initiate a lawsuit until the permanency of your injuries becomes known or until this time period is about to elapse, whichever comes first. If we file a lawsuit, you are the plaintiff. A complaint is filed on your behalf, which states the reasons why we believe you have a cause of action against the defendant, and it sets forth the claims we are making.

The Georgia defendant has twenty/thirty days after he has been served with the papers of the lawsuit to respond or answer that claim. Often the defendant will claim that you contributed to your own injuries.

Many clients want to know how much we are going to sue for. In order to recover the maximum amount possible, we wait to see the full extent and permanence of your injuries before we decide on a specific amount. This way, we are able to recover an amount proportionate to the nature and extent of your motorcycle injuries.

During the course of the lawsuit, we will take testimony from all witnesses and doctors who may be involved in the case.

The attorney for the defendant will send written questions known as interrogatories, which must be answered under oath in writing. The attorney for the defendant will also take your deposition. A deposition is oral questions given to you under oath in an informal setting. Your attorney will be present with you during this time and will adequately prepare you before your deposition.

This phase of the lawsuit is called discovery, and its purpose is to attempt to narrow the issues for trial. There are certain items of damages that you are entitled to recover in most lawsuits. These include:

1. Past pain and suffering
2. Future pain and suffering
3. Loss of income
4. Future loss of income and loss of earning
5. Out of pocket expenses, such as doctor bills or other medical bills and property damage that has not been reimbursed to you.
6. Loss of consortium on behalf of the non-injured spouse. That is the loss of services of an injured spouse in all ways that the spouse renders service to his or her mate including housekeeping, lawn mowing, maintenance, cooking, companionship, and sexual relations.

We will not settle your claim without your permission, and we are bound to advise you of any offers of settlement that are made to us on your behalf.

The following is a list of important things that you can do to help us in our representation. This list is designed to help you furnish us with information that is of great importance in preparing your case for both trial and settlement purposes. You should keep us informed of any changes that may occur. Items of information we need from you are as follows:

• A diary of your activities with emphasis on restriction of the activities caused by your injuries, specific pains and the frequency of them, the frequency of medications taken, and the kind of medication. This diary may be useful to refresh your memory as to the occurrences that might be forgotten. This should be kept personal and may be as simple as jotting remarks on a calendar when appropriate.
• Keep any physical objects such as shoes or clothing that you had on at the time of the accident. We may need to use them as evidence at trial.
• Provide our office with itemized receipts of:
  1. Hospital bills
  2. Doctor bills
  3. Ambulance bills
  4. Nursing bills
  5. Drug bills
  6. All other expenses you incurred
  as a result of the accident including travel to and from the doctor's office and any time you have missed from work as a result of these office appointments, and additional help around the home or business that you have required (including baby-sitters or domestic or yard help).
• The names of neighbors, friends, employees, or relatives who knew of your activities both before and after the accident.

  As you think of any other information that you think should be added to this list, please let us know. The more information we have the better job we can do for you. Please do not hesitate to call my legal assistant or me with any questions you may have. We will do our best to represent you fairly and aggressively and will keep you informed of the progress of your case.

Charles W. Watwood, Jr. & Associates Providing Lawyer and Attorney Services for Motorcycle Accident and Injury Cases serving Atlanta, GA and the following Georgia Counties:

Adairsville, Adel, Albany, Alma, Alpharetta, Americus, Ashburn, Athens, Augusta, Austell, Bainbridge, Barnesville, Baxley, Blackshear, Blairsville, Blakely, Blue Ridge, Bogart, Bremen, Brunswick, Buford, Byron, Cairo, Calhoun, Camilla, Canton, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cedartown, Chatsworth, Chickamauga, Clarkesville, Clarkston, Claxton, Clayton, Cleveland, Cochran, Colquitt, Columbus, Commerce, Conyers, Cordele, Cornelia, Covington, Cumming, Dacula, Dahlonega, Dallas, Dalton, Darien, Dawson, Dawsonville, Decatur, Donalsonville, Douglas, Douglasville, Dublin Duluth Eastman, Eatonton, Elberton, Ellijay, Evans, Fairburn, Fayetteville, Fitzgerald, Flowery Branch, Forest Park, Forsyth, Fort Oglethorpe, Fort Valley, Gainesville, Glennville, Gray, Greensboro, Griffin, Grovetown, Hampton, Hartwell, Hawkinsville, Hazlehurst, Helen, Hephzibah, Hiawassee, Hinesville, Hiram, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jessup, Jonesboro, Kennesaw, Kingsland, La Fayette, LaGrange, Lake Park, Lavonia, Lawrenceville, Leesburg, Lilburn, Lincolnton, Lithia Springs, Lithonia, Loganville, Lyons, Mableton, Macon, Madison, Marietta, McRae, McDonough, Metter, Milledgeville, Monroe, Montezuma, Morganton, Morrow, Moultrie, Nashville, Newnan, Norcross, Peachtree City, Perry, Pooler, Powder Springs, Quitman, Richmond Hill, Rincon, Ringgold, Riverdale, Rockmart, Rome, Rossville, Roswell, Royston, Saint Marys, Saint Simons Island, Sandersville, Savannah, Smyrna, Snellville, Springfield, Statesboro, Stockbridge, Stone Mountain, Suches, Summerville, Suwanee, Swainsboro, Sylvania, Sylvester, Thomaston, Thomasville, Thomson, Tifton, Toccoa, Trenton, Tucker, Union City, Valdosta, Vidalia, Vienna, Villa Rica, Warner Robins, Warner Robbins, Washington, Watkinsville, Waycross, Waynesboro, West Point, Winder, and Woodstock

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