Personal Injury Lawyer In Duluth

Why Choose Us

• Our attorneys have the experience you need to earn maximum compensation for your injuries.
• We handle your case every step of the way so you can focus on recovering
• Unlike other law firms who are scared of court and quick to settle, we are prepared to take each case to trial
• Our clients come first, and we are committed to customer satisfaction
• If we take your case, we only get paid if you win

Our Practice Areas

Car Accidents

If you have been injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t have to pay for medical bills and car repairs. Common causes of car accidents include drunk driving, distracted driving, speeding, and drowsy driving.

Semi-Truck Accidents

Being in an accident with a semi-truck or 18-wheeler can cause significant damage, including long-term medical issues and wage loss. Your Duluth personal injury lawyer from Rafi, Brown, and Stokes will put legal instruments like depositions and requests for production to work on your behalf to collect what you need to recover.

Wrongful Death

When you lose a loved one in an accident, you could be entitled to bring a wrongful death lawsuit on their behalf. In Georgia, there are actually two types of wrongful death claims: the “estate claim” and the “full value of life” claim (this second claim is what most people refer to when they say “wrongful death.”)

Wrongful death claims can be complicated. A Duluth personal injury lawyer handles it for you so you can focus on grieving your loss.

What Type of Injuries Fall Under PI?

In this section, we explore some of the common injuries that fall under the category of personal injury (PI). This is not a complete list of injuries. To find out if you have a valid personal injury claim, call Rafi, Brown, and Stokes at (404) 948-3311.

Back Injuries

Back injuries are common in all types of personal injury accidents, particularly car and truck crashes. Back injuries can cause a host of complications, secondary injuries, and a plethora of symptoms, including common pain and discomfort, but extending to bulging disks, spinal stenosis, and more. A particularly serious injury could cause permanent disability.

A back injury could drastically limit your mobility and prevent you from doing activities you previously enjoyed. It can be difficult to bend over, drive, sleep, stand, or do other basic tasks.

If you believe you have a back injury, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible.

Neck Injuries

A neck injury can range from subtle discomfort or tension to intense shooting pain and mobility issues. A neck injury usually occurs due to strain or trauma to the neck area and can make it difficult to turn your head or look up and down.

A common cause of neck injury is whiplash in auto accidents. Whiplash happens when your head is thrust backward and then forward suddenly at a faster speed than the neck is prepared for.

Neck injuries can cause mild to severe pain in the neck and shoulders. Whiplash, specifically, is usually treatable and can heal with time, rest, and medication.

Traumatic Brain Injury

One of the most common injuries that can result from auto accidents is a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. A traumatic brain injury happens when you experience a bump, blow, or penetrating wound to your head that damages the soft tissue of your brain.

When your head strikes a solid surface like in a motor vehicle collision or a catastrophic fall your brain can be injured.

Alternatively, if you are moving quickly then come to a sudden stop like with whiplash from a T-bone accident or a slip-and-fall, your brain can move in your head and strike the inside of your skull, bruising the soft tissue.

Traumatic brain injuries are especially worrisome as the associated symptoms can worsen with time. If a TBI advances, it can have a detrimental impact on your ability to work and on personal relationships due to the behavioral changes that may occur after a TBI.

The experienced Duluth personal injury lawyers from Rafi, Brown, and Stokes have worked on countless cases concerning TBI, and know where to begin to accurately calculate your damages and collect what you are entitled to.

Spinal Cord Injury

Another common personal injury you might stand to recover a significant amount of compensation for is a spinal cord injury. The most common causes of spinal cord injuries are motor vehicle accidents and catastrophic falls.

A spinal cord injury, or SCI, can be caused by a direct injury to the spinal cord itself, or through damage to the tissue and bones, or vertebrae, that surround the spinal cord. Damage to your spinal cord can result in various degrees of paralysis.

Many Other Injuries May Qualify

Injuries that require medical care, impact your personal life, or affect your ability to earn income and support your family may entitle you to compensation. In the following sections, we’ll consider the factors that go into calculating what your personal injury case is worth, and how your Duluth personal injury attorney from Rafi, Brown, and Stokes can handle your accident from claim through compensation.

What is my case worth?

The amount that your personal injury case is worth will depend upon the unique facts and circumstances of your accident. The evidence helps determine the total amount of costs and damages associated with your injury.

You can only collect compensation on damages that you can prove with evidence, which begins with bills and costs associated with your injury, and expands into collecting evidence concerning the full financial implications of your injuries, not only immediately after the accident but throughout the remainder of your life.

Injuries can have lasting symptoms that surpass your visit to the emergency room and could impact your earning potential for decades to come. Complete compensation must cover all of this for you to not be left covering bills out-of-pocket in the future.

Evidence Plays a Crucial Role

Let’s say you were in a motor vehicle accident with someone who was drunk driving. They were breaking the law and are liable for your damages. If you go to the emergency room for a cut on your face, get stitches, and drop your car off at the mechanic, you’ll have an emergency room bill and a repair bill to present as evidence.

You can only collect on damages that you can provide evidence of, and if all you present to the insurance company are your ER bills and repair bills, that is all you’ll get. If you sign a settlement offer you’ll be able to get nothing further in the future.

If the bump on your head that caused the cut ends up being a traumatic brain injury, it could require ongoing medical treatment and prevent you from working, with your household losing your financial contribution.

With an experienced Duluth personal injury lawyer on your claim, follow-up appointments will be scheduled for you with the local network of medical and occupational professionals of your attorney. Evidence will be collected to accurately calculate the long-term costs associated with the symptoms of your injuries, and any impact they might have upon your ability to work, as we’ll discuss below.

Damages in PI Cases: “Being Made Whole”

The purpose of being compensated for your injuries is to put you and your household in as close a position as possible as though the accident had never happened. This is described as “being made whole.” To be fully compensated, your damages should include medical costs, lost wages, and other losses that you suffered as a result of the injury.

Damages for your medical costs are complete if they cover both the short- and long-term costs associated with your injuries. Immediate medical care is essential and should be pursued even if you feel fine, as the excitement from an accident can mask the discomfort of injuries.

While you might want to tough it out and see how things go, this can be dangerous and lead to injuries worsening. It can also take away from an important opportunity to collect evidence on the impact on your health.

Importance of Follow-Up Care

Once you have received emergency medical care, you will need follow-up opinions from experts to determine what your injuries will mean for your future. Will your injuries require ongoing medication, treatment, or rehabilitation? These are questions that your Duluth personal injury attorney will ask, then schedule appointments with experts to collect evidence to incorporate it into your claim.

Your personal injury attorney will also schedule a follow-up opinion for you with an occupational expert. This expert takes your medical information and considers how the symptoms of your injuries will impact your ability to work.

If you’re unable to return to work because of your injury, you are entitled to compensation. Calculating this amount can be difficult and requires an understanding of how the insurance companies treat this information within the context of settlements.

Your experienced personal injury attorney has worked with the major insurance companies in your area and on many similar cases, and we know what your case is worth, and how to negotiate it from the insurance company on your behalf.

Do I need a personal injury lawyer?

Without an attorney, you will be on your own to accurately calculate your short- and long-term damages. From there, you must incorporate that information into a claim and hope that the insurance company will recognize your damages and pay you.

Without an attorney, you are at a significant disadvantage. You may end up receiving far less than you are entitled to, leaving you to cover the associated costs.

Your Duluth personal injury lawyer from Rafi, Brown, and Stokes is standing by to provide a risk-free, no-cost consultation on your case. We only get paid if we win your case. There are no up-front or out-of-pocket costs.

Deadline for Filing a Personal Injury Claim in Duluth

Without a Duluth personal injury lawyer, you will be on your own to accurately calculate your short- and long-term damages. From there, you must incorporate that information into a claim and hope that the insurance company will recognize your damages and pay you.

Without an attorney, you are at a significant disadvantage. You may end up receiving far less than you are entitled to, leaving you to cover the associated costs.

Your Duluth personal injury attorney from Rafi, Brown, and Stokes is standing by to provide a risk-free, no-cost consultation on your case. We only get paid if we win your case. There are no up-front or out-of-pocket costs. Call (404) 948-3311 or contact us to find out how we can help you sort through these complex issues and get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries.