Birmingham Personal Injury Lawyer

A serious accident can have repercussions that change your life forever. If someone else’s failure to act with reasonable care (negligence) caused your accident and gave you or a loved one an injury, you could be entitled to financial compensation. The Birmingham personal injury lawyers at Drake Injury Lawyers can help you fight for the settlement or jury verdict that you need to make up for the losses associated with your accident. We can help you file a claim and seek the outcome that you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Why Choose Us?

• We have 25 years of experience representing clients during personal injury cases. In that time, we have achieved close to a 99 percent success rate and recovered well over $100 million in positive case results.
• Our Birmingham personal injury attorneys have the right skills to handle your case and get results. We always provide our clients with personalized attention and have earned the highest possible Martindale Hubbell rating (AV) in a peer-review process.
• We take pride in our firm’s founding principles: a commitment to integrity and an open line of communication with our clients throughout their cases.

Birmingham Personal Injury Resources

• Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
• Filing a Personal Injury Claim in Birmingham
• Grounds For a Personal Injury Case
• Evidence in a Personal Injury Claim
• How a Birmingham Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
• Costs to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney in Birmingham, Alabama
• What Compensation Is Available

When Should You Hire a Birmingham Personal Injury Attorney?

If your case is relatively simple, with only minor injuries and no disputes over financial responsibility (liability), you may not need an attorney to represent you. If, however, there are any challenges or complications, it is critical to contact a personal injury lawyer for advice right away. It can benefit you greatly to hire a personal injury lawyer for a complex injury case, as a lawyer knows how to navigate the law and pursue maximum financial compensation. In general, you should hire a personal injury lawyer if:

• You have serious or catastrophic injuries, such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, or loss of limb.
• Your personal injury case is worth more than $10,000.
• A loved one was killed in a preventable accident.
• One or more defendants are disputing liability for your case.
• You are going up against a powerful company or corporation.
• The insurance company has wrongfully rejected your claim.
• You believe you deserve more for your injuries than what an insurer is offering.
• The defendant(s) does not have enough insurance coverage for your damages.

When you have a lot on the line, hiring a personal injury lawyer in Birmingham can be the best way to protect your best interests and achieve the outcome that you need. Even an injury that appears minor could end up dramatically impacting your life and requiring thousands of dollars in medical treatments. Do not risk your family’s future. Hire an experienced Birmingham personal injury attorney from Drake Injury Lawyers to represent you for the best possible case results.

Types of Personal Injury Cases Our Firm Handles

At Drake Injury Lawyers, personal injury is all we do. Exclusively handling personal injury and wrongful death cases over the course of 25 years has given us in-depth experience and a great deal of on-the-job experience. Our attorneys accept all of the following types of cases in Birmingham, Alabama, and more:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Public transportation accidents
• Workplace accidents
• Workers’ compensation claims
• Daycare injuries
• Hospital negligence
• Nursing home abuse
• Product liability
• Auto defects
• Premises liability
• Dog bite injuries
• Fatal accidents and wrongful death claims

Learn more about our practice areas and how we can help with your particular case during a free evaluation. You may be entitled to financial compensation after any type of preventable accident or intentional act of violence or wrongdoing. We can help you learn more about your case, such as the surrounding laws, and navigate the required legal process.

What Is the Process of Filing a Personal Injury Claim in Birmingham, AL?

The Birmingham personal injury claims process starts with an injured accident victim filing a civil claim against one or more persons or parties who are allegedly responsible for causing the injuries being claimed. The victim or filing party becomes the plaintiff and the at-fault party is the defendant. Once the claim is filed, the defendant will have a certain number of days to respond to the claim in writing.

If the defendant accepts liability for the claim being made, it will offer a settlement and the two parties will enter into negotiations to determine an amount that is adequate to resolve the legal dispute. If the defendant denies liability, the plaintiff can bring the defendant to trial with a personal injury lawsuit.

You will file your lawsuit in the civil courthouse in the county where your accident took place or where you reside. If your case does go to trial, a judge will assign you a court date. You may have to wait several months for your day in court, depending on how busy the courthouse is in your jurisdiction. While you wait for your court date, you can hire an attorney if you have not already done so and start gathering information during the discovery phase.

The injury trial itself will involve the presentation of evidence and testimony given by witnesses to support your claim. If the jury rules in your favor, it will award an amount in financial compensation that it deems reasonable and appropriate based on the defendant’s actions and your losses. If the jury does not believe that you met your burden of proof, your attorney may be able to file an appeal. Note that personal injury jury trials are rare. Most cases in Alabama end in insurance settlements.

Do You Have a Personal Injury Case?

You may have grounds to file a personal injury claim in Alabama if one or more parties negligently caused your injuries. The definition of negligence is the failure to act with a normal or reasonable amount of care based on the circumstances. Negligence consists of four elements:

1. Duty of care. The at-fault party had an obligation to treat the victim a certain way or fulfill a responsibility based on the circumstances.
2. Breach of duty. The defendant failed to fulfill his or her legal or ethical duty to the plaintiff.
3. Direct cause. The defendant’s failure to meet the duty of care is what caused the plaintiff to be injured; in other words, the plaintiff’s injuries would not exist but for the defendant’s actions.
4. Damages. The plaintiff suffered real and compensable losses, or damages, because of the defendant’s wrongdoing.

If your recent accident involves these elements, you may have grounds to hold one or more parties responsible for your injuries. An attorney can help you determine if you have a personal injury case, as well as the right legal action to take according to your circumstances.

Types Evidence in a Personal Injury Claim

In personal injury law, the burden of proof rests with the injured party. This means the plaintiff or the plaintiff’s attorney must provide enough evidence to prove that the claim being made is more likely to be true than not true. This is what is known as a preponderance of the evidence. It is less than the burden of proof in a criminal case – proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Proving a personal injury case, however, still requires significant evidence.

Evidence in a personal injury claim may include:

• Documentary evidence, such as a police report
• Photographs of the damage or injuries
• Video footage
• Eyewitness statements
• Accident reconstruction evidence
• Medical documents and records
• Testimony from experts

The type of evidence available can vary according to the case. In a truck accident case, for example, evidence such as the truck’s black box and trucking company employment records may be used to prove negligence. A medical malpractice case, on the other hand, may rely heavily on testimony from a medical expert. An attorney can help you preserve, collect and present the evidence that you need to prove your personal injury case.

How Can a Birmingham Personal Injury Lawyer Help?

Although hiring an attorney might be one of the last things you’re thinking about after a serious accident in Birmingham, it is one of the most important aspects to consider. The moment you hire an attorney, you can find relief from stress and worries regarding your case. You can focus fully on your physical and emotional recovery while an experienced Birmingham personal injury lawyer fights for the case outcome that you deserve. A Birmingham personal injury attorney at Drake Injury Lawyers can do many things to protect your rights and assist you with a case, including:

• Answer your questions and provide some insight into the legal process.
• Direct you toward the best possible resolution for your case.
• Accurately analyze the value of your personal injury case.
• Thoroughly investigate your accident and collect proof of fault or negligence.
• Fill out complicated claims paperwork and file it for you.
• Negotiate with an insurance company for maximum compensation.
• Take your personal injury case to trial, if necessary.
• Help you and your loved ones get closure and move forward.

A personal injury lawyer in Birmingham, Alabama can help you connect to the right doctor, get your bills paid, make up for lost wages and much more. In the unlikely situation that your injury case has to go to trial to be resolved, your attorney will represent you and your family at court to demand justice for your injuries. Your lawyer will know many ways to seek compensation and give you mental peace when you need it the most.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney in Birmingham, Alabama?

It is normal to be concerned about how much it costs to hire a personal injury lawyer. After all, you are most likely already dealing with expensive medical care and lost wages after an accident. The answer to this question depends on the personal injury law firm, how it charges its clients, the amount of work that it takes to resolve your case, and the final value of your settlement or judgment award.

At Drake Injury Lawyers, you can benefit from high-quality legal representation without a high price tag. Our personal injury lawyers in Alabama operate on a contingency fee basis. This means we do not charge our clients a dime in attorney’s fees unless we win the case. If we do not secure financial compensation for you, you won’t pay us – no hidden fees and no catches. If we do win your case, we will deduct our fees as a percentage of the overall amount won rather than billing you directly. This means that you will never have to pay your attorney out of your own pocket.

Ask the attorney you are considering hiring about legal fees before you sign a retainer. You should choose an attorney who is upfront and honest about how the law firm charges and how much your case will cost to litigate. At Drake Injury Lawyers, we offer 100-percent free initial consultations at no obligation to hire our law firm. This means you can speak to one of our lawyers about your case and how much it will cost at no financial risk.

What Compensation Is Available in a Birmingham Personal Injury Claim?

Although no amount of money can make up for suffering a life-altering injury, holding someone accountable and recovering a financial settlement or award can give your family what it needs to move forward. A successful claim can lead to the money that you need to pay for current and future medical bills, for example. State law may entitle you to financial compensation for several economic and noneconomic losses as an injured victim of negligence. The losses for which you could receive a monetary recovery include:

• Past and future medical bills
• Disability costs
• Losses of income
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Death benefits, if applicable
• Punitive damages, in some cases

It is important to discuss your personal injury case with an attorney before accepting a settlement offered by an insurance company. Insurance companies often offer low settlements in an attempt to minimize what they must pay claimants. Rather than rushing into a fast settlement or accepting the first offer, bring your injury case to a personal injury lawyer at Drake Injury Lawyers for a free evaluation. We will accurately analyze your case and calculate your losses to help you understand how much it is worth.

Contact a Birmingham Personal Injury Attorney Today

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident in Birmingham, Alabama, we can help you recover. Drake Injury Lawyers has provided compassionate and professional legal representation to injured victims and families throughout Alabama for decades. We recognize the struggles that come with a serious injury. We are here for you through every stage of the recovery process, helping you build a better future for you and your loved ones.

Find out how we can help after an accident in Birmingham during a free consultation at our local law office. We also make home and hospital visits for those who cannot come to our office. Call (205) 970-0800 or contact us online today to discuss your case for free.