Personal Injury Law in Alabama

If you have been injured in an accident, your future Alabama personal injury attorney would warn you against these things:

• Don’t delay in calling for help.
• Don’t leave the scene of the accident.
• Don’t talk about the accident until you speak with a personal injury lawyer.
• Don’t blame yourself or anyone else for the accident until you speak with a personal injury attorney.
• Don’t forget to use your phone camera to document what happened, including injuries or damages to property such as your car.
• Don’t wait to call PI law offices because evidence may disappear.
• Don’t speak to insurance companies other than to report your accident to your own insurance company.
• Don’t sign any papers from an insurance company without first seeking legal advice.
• Don’t agree to a settlement or payout from an insurance company without first seeking legal advice.

If you or a loved one has been injured in the state of Alabama, this article is meant for you. We’ll discuss:

• The kinds of cases that Alabama personal injury lawyers handle.
• What you need to prove in a personal injury case.
• What you should do if you are injured in an accident.
• Why you should call a lawyer immediately.
• How to find an Alabama Personal Injury Attorney.

Would an Alabama Personal Injury Attorney Handle My Case?

If you were injured in Alabama, an Alabama attorney would likely handle your type of case. Fortunately, Alabama PI attorneys always give free consultations, with no commitment required, so you can find out if you have a case without paying a fee.

Here are some of the cases Alabama personal injury attorneys handle. If you don’t see your type of accident or injury, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get help. This is just a listing the most common accidents and injuries.

• Example motor vehicle cases include truck, car, motorcycle, pedestrian, bicycle, golf cart, RV, ATV, boat, cruise line, and amusement park ride accidents.

• Sometimes defective products cause injuries. Cars, hair dryers, power tools, medicines, vacuum cleaners, machines, appliances, kitchen tools, etc. have all been found to be defective at times.

• Example injuries include death, dog bites, adverse drug reactions, burns, scars, lacerations, bruises, broken bones, nursing home abuse injuries, slip and falls injuries, food poisoning injury, medical malpractice injuries, and Mesothelioma (i.e. cancer).

The Workers Compensation system was designed to avoid litigation and get the worker healed and back on the job as quickly as possible; the system also seeks to maintain the worker/employer relationship whereas litigation does not.

If you were injured on the job, you’re likely covered by Workers Compensation insurance and you may not need to litigate.

• However, some injured workers do need legal representation to get their rightful Workers Compensation benefits.

• In addition, if you were hurt by a dangerous product on the job, litigation against the manufacturer or distributer of the product may be appropriate.

Some Alabama personal injury attorneys handle Workers Compensation and some do not. It’s okay to call or email and ask – or you can likely tell by checking out their offerings through our site, www.attorneys.org.

How Do I Prove My Alabama Personal Injury Case?

To win your case, you must prove negligence. There are other theories of liability, but in Alabama, negligence is the most common.

• First, you need to show that the person (or company)who caused your injury had a duty to you and failed to act as a reasonable prudent person in that particular situation would act.
• Second, you need to show causation, meaning that the person’s unreasonable actions or inactions caused your injury. For example, you must show that but for the person’s unreasonable actions/inactions you would not have been injured.
• Third, you need to show that you suffered legal damages because of those injuries. Examples would be medical bills, lost wages, lost benefits, pain and suffering, and for family members, loss of consortium.

What Should I Do if I am Injured in an Alabama Accident?

• Get to a safe place and seek medical treatment. Nothing else matters more than your safety and the safety of others.

• Call 911 and report the accident, if you can safely do so. You and others may be in shock and may be more injured than you realize. In addition, police document evidence, which is way more effective than “he said – she said”.

• If you can safely do so, take photographs of the scene with your cell phone. Include road signage, damage to cars, injuries, any road blockage, and weather conditions.

• Even map out the scene with pen and paper if you have the tools available.

• Call an Alabama personal injury attorney so an investigator can be sent to the scene immediately to preserve evidence and so the law firm can give you specific advice about your individual situation.

It’s prudent to keep the phone numbers for your doctor, insurance company, and Alabama personal injury attorney in your cell phone in case of emergency.

Why Should I Call a Personal Injury Lawyer Immediately?

• As soon as you make the call to a personal injury attorney, you’ll have professionals on your side to collect evidence and give you advice. There is no fee for this immediate service.

• Evidence is easily lost and is better preserved as close to the time of the accident as possible. Witness memories fade and physical evidence can disappear as weather conditions change, road signage is replaced, items are moved, and skid marks fade away.

• Insurance companies will pounce on you; and, regardless of what you have seen on TV, insurance companies are not your friends. They will pressure you, ask you questions while taping you, and later use your words against you.
  The only communication you should have is one brief conversation with your own insurance company to report the accident. Say nothing else – even to your own insurance company.

• In addition, if you allow the statute of limitations to pass on your case, you will be forever barred from receiving financial compensation for your injuries.
  Here are some example Alabama statute of limitations for personal injury cases:

  • Medical Malpractice is 2 years (Ala. Code § 6-5-482).

  • Personal Injury is 2 years (Ala. Code § 6-2-38).

  • Wrongful Death is 2 years (Ala. Code § 6-2-38).

  • Property Damage is6 years (Ala. Code § 6-2-34).

How Do I Find an Alabama Personal Injury Attorney?

To find a Alabama personal injury lawyer, search our site, www.attorneys.org, or ask the bar association or a loved one for a referral.

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