Personal Injury

Car accidents change lives. If you or a loved one is injured due to the negligence of another driver, both the emotional and financial stress can seem overpowering.

Charles Barrow P.C. is here to help citizens throughout Georgia navigate the muddy waters that can rise when injured in a crash.

From medical bills to lost wages to pain and suffering, we consider all aspects of a potential car accident case and work hard to protect the legal rights of our clients and to prepare for the individual challenges that different cases can present.

Each year, distraction, driver fatigue, road and weather conditions, and medical and emotional impairment are among the top causes of car wrecks. Crashes also occur more often during rush hour, peak holiday travel times and late at night on weekends. Please remember to stay as safe as possible and never:

• Drive distracted – put the cell phone out of reach, in the center console, glove box or back seat.

• Drive aggressively – avoid tailgating and excessive speeding. Obey all traffic signals, and keep your emotions in check should you encounter a not-too-courteous driver.

• Drive drowsy – if tired, pull off the road at a safe place, and stay parked until you are alert.

• Drive under the influence – drugs and alcohol generally account for around one-third of car accident deaths each year in the United States.

Do you need legal representation?

Even if you think your injuries are not severe enough to warrant hiring a lawyer, it may be important to consult with an experienced attorney who understands the complexities of automobile accident claims. If you choose to contact an attorney, be sure to select a firm you are comfortable with and that treats you with dignity and respect. Ask your friends and family for recommendations and be sure that the firm, like Charles Barrow P.C., offers free initial injury consultations.

No matter how safe we are when driving our vehicles, using power tools or industrial equipment, taking our medications, etc., accidents do happen. Often these incidents are operator or consumer error.

However, defective products exist, and there are times when a manufacturer is producing an unreasonably unsafe product, and flaws in the product itself are causing injuries to consumers.

We have many government agencies that mandate safety and impose rules and regulations on manufacturers in an effort to keep the public safe. Unfortunately, some dangerous products still make it to market. Prescription drugs, cars, toys, children’s furniture – all these items get recalled at some time or another; thankfully, it’s pretty infrequent.

Obviously, consumers can’t go around being paranoid or consumed by fear at the thought of using a defective product. But there are some simple steps you can take to reduce the risk of being injured:

• Always fill out and mail in product registrations – these registrations are free to mail back to the company and enable the manufacturer to contact consumers quickly should a recall be issued or the need for a warning arise.

• Always read and follow instructions – be sure to thoroughly read owners’ manuals and follow the safety advice therein. Look over prescription information for any potentially harmful side effects or reactions when taken in combination with other drugs.

• Use common sense – wear gloves and/or safety goggles when using power equipment. Inspect toys for sharp edges or small parts.

Do you need legal representation?

If you or a family member is injured by a product that has been deemed defective or seems unreasonably dangerous, it’s important to consult with an experienced defective product attorney who understands the complexities of product liability claims. If you choose to contact an attorney, be sure to select a firm you are comfortable with and that treats you with dignity and respect. Ask your friends and family for recommendations. Meet the attorney face to face before agreeing to be represented; don’t just call a number from a television commercial or interstate billboard.

Each year in the United States, almost 1.5 million people are affected by traumatic brain injuries. These injuries, also known as TBI have many different causes including, but not limited to:

• Falls
• Car and Truck Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Workplace Injuries
• Sports Injuries

Any time a person suffers a suspected brain injury, the first thing to do is seek medical attention, whether at a doctor’s office or an emergency room. Early diagnosis and quick treatment can be very important to recovery. Methods of diagnosis include blood work, EEG, MRI and CAT scans.

Serious head or brain injuries can affect cognitive ability, change behavioral patterns, transform emotional reactions and can last many years or even affect the injured party permanently. They can result in expensive and ongoing medical treatments, affect a person’s capacity to work or even live on his or her own.

If a brain injury is attributed to the fault or negligence of another party, it is possible that the negligent party or the party’s insurance company may try to offer compensation well below current and future medical expenses and loss of quality of life during the injury. Our firm has experience helping those affected by brain injury evaluate their rights, and if necessary, taking measures to recover compensation needed to cover medical care, lost wages and quality of life.

Do you need legal representation?

Charles Barrow P.C. takes pride in the personal relationships established with clients and maintained throughout a case and even beyond when the case has reached completion. We thoroughly evaluate each case so we can present to the potential client our best judgment for what to expect should a suit be filed. If you choose to hire an attorney and seek compensation, we recommend you select a lawyer based on experience, reputation and professionalism – not on a television or yellow page ad from someone promising lots of money without even knowing the facts of your case.

Dealing with insurance disputes often creates big problems for many of our clients. We’ve helped clients who have had issues dealing with nearly every type of insurance company—be it life, health, auto or home.

Unfortunately, the playing field is usually tilted against individuals and families when they have a dispute with an insurance company. Families can get exhausted just trying to get an insurance company to pay for needed medical treatment.

There are a couple of things that citizens can do to help when they have a dispute with an insurance company.

• Keep good records of every communication with the insurance company. That means keeping detailed notes of phone calls – who you spoke to, when, and what was said. It also means keeping copies of every letter or email or other communication with the insurance company. A question we often get is: “What can I do to make the insurance company pay this claim?”

• Take advantage of resources available without hiring a lawyer. In Georgia, complaints about insurance company practices can be filed with the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner.

The procedural requirements applicable to dealing with ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) plans are more complex, and often require the formal exhaustion of claims as required by the insurance company plan documents. These types of claims are often associated with insurance plans that are obtained through an employer rather than purchased individually.

If you do have to speak to a lawyer, it will be very helpful if you have good documentation and records. Also, sometimes certain time periods apply to these claims, so if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed and need help, call an attorney as soon as possible before the time periods, or statutes of limitations, become a problem for you.

You see them everywhere – “Share the Road” and “Watch out for Motorcycles” bumper stickers – and it’s important for car and truck drivers to remember to be careful not only around other vehicles but around motorcyclists as well.

Motorcycles are vehicles, and their riders are entitled to the same rights, and have the same responsibilities, as drivers of other automobiles on the road. Unfortunately, many non-riders have a bias against motorcyclists and carry a misconception that they are reckless and irresponsible. Our legal team treats riders injured in motorcycle accidents with the respect and personal attention they deserve and are diligent about investigating the real cause of an accident when hired to represent an injured rider.

Georgia law requires all motorcyclists to wear helmets while on the road and also requires eye protection unless a helmet is windscreen-equipped. Riders can also keep themselves as safe as possible by taking the following precautions:

• Wear protective clothing – heavy boots, gloves, a padded riding jacket.

• Increase visibility – use headlights during daytime (required in Georgia); wear light-colored clothing.

• Avoid poor road and weather conditions – if you regularly encounter bad conditions, take riding classes to improve your skills and be better prepared.

• Do not speed excessively.

• Do not ride under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Do you need legal representation?

As mentioned above, if you or a family member ever finds yourself in need of a motorcycle accident attorney in Georgia, be sure to consult with a lawyer experienced in handling the many nuances of motorcycle accident cases. If you choose to hire an attorney, be sure to select a firm you are comfortable with, that treats you with dignity and respect and that makes you feel like part of the team. Ask your friends and family for recommendations and be sure that the firm, like Charles Barrow P.C., offers free initial injury consultations and works on a contingency fee basis.

Property owners’ liability, also known as premises liability, deals with the responsibility of a property owner or occupier to keep his or her home, land or business reasonably safe by caring for and managing the property in order to protect visitors from an unreasonable risk of harm.

Sometimes referred to, inelegantly, as slip and fall or trip and fall cases, premises liability cases take on a variety of forms, including:

• dog bites
• cracked or uneven sidewalks
• broken stairs or railings
• poor lighting in a stairwell or other walkway
• obstacles on floors
• swimming pool accidents
• failure to provide adequate security
• falling merchandise in stores

Many people are injured each year while on someone else’s property. It is important to remember that a property owner is not liable just because someone is injured. In order for the owner to be liable, the injured person has to prove that the owner was negligent and that the injury was the result of the owner’s negligence.

Georgia law divides people who visit an owner’s property into three legal categories: Invitees, Licensees and Trespassers. A property owner’s duty to protect visitors varies depending on the category into which the visitor falls.

• Invitees are owed the most duty from the property owner. Invitees include customers in a store and guests at a birthday party in someone’s home.

• Licensees are sometimes referred to as “social guests” and include sales people calling on the property owner and friends of the owner popping in to chat. There is a significant gap in the amount of duty owed an invitee and a licensee.

• Trespassers are people on the owner’s property without permission, whether they are there intentionally or by mistake.

Do you need legal representation?

If you or a family member has been injured, it may be important to consult with an experienced attorney who understands the complexities of Georgia premises liability claims and the legal categories listed above. If you choose to contact an attorney, be sure to ask your friends and family for recommendations, and be sure that the firm offers free initial consultations for potential injury cases. Select a firm you are comfortable with and that is known for providing outstanding legal representation and treating clients with dignity and respect.

While it’s vitally important to be careful on the road at all times, many drivers understandably feel the need to take extra precaution around tractor trailers, or “semis.” Because of the size of these vehicles and the working conditions of the drivers, it’s important to understand the dangers and to do everything possible to prevent trucking accidents.

Speeding, sudden lane change, driver fatigue and driver distraction are among the many causes of tractor trailer crashes. Weighing upwards of 80,000 pounds, a loaded semi can outweigh the average vehicle by more than 25 times. Therefore, it’s important to remember the following safety tips when driving around large trucks.

Drive differently around tractor trailers than you do around other vehicles – Don’t tailgate semi’s.

Don’t drive alongside trucks for too long. When passing, do so with the intention of getting around the tractor-trailer quickly.

Stay Visible. Remember the limited sight lines of the truck driver – Trucks have much larger blind spots than passenger vehicles. If the semi’s mirrors aren’t visible, the driver likely can’t see you. Notice the truck’s turn signals. If a signal comes on while you are alongside the tractor trailer, you may be in a blind spot.

Be extra careful in bad or difficult conditions – Leave more room for a tractor trailer to stop on a wet road. Also, road design may make it harder for trucks to navigate turns at the same speed as regular-sized vehicles. Use caution merging into a highway where a truck may not be able to slow down and let you in.

In 2009 (the most recent year for which full data is available), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports the following truck accident data for the state of Georgia.

• Fatal Crashes – 133
• Non-Fatal Crashes – 4,294
• Injury Crashes – 2,213
• Fatalities – 151
• Injuries – 3,167

These numbers have decreased every year since 2006 – a sign that drivers are being more careful around tractor trailers and that truck drivers themselves are being more careful. Charles Barrow P.C. hopes to see the numbers of crashes, injuries and fatalities continue to decline.

Do you need legal representation?

If you or a family member has been injured in a tractor trailer accident, even if you think your injuries are not severe enough to warrant hiring a lawyer, it may be important to consult with an experienced trucking accident attorney who understands the complexities of such claims. If you choose to contact a lawyer, be sure to select a firm you are comfortable with and that treats you with dignity, respect and gives you the personal attention you deserve. Ask your friends and family for recommendations and remember, any firm experienced with injury cases should offer a free initial consultation to evaluate your claim and work on a contingency fee basis should the firm be retained to represent you.

The death of a family member often leaves survivors facing difficult emotional, financial and legal circumstances. Wrongful death claims arise when another’s negligence contributes to the death of an individual and should be handled by an experienced wrongful death lawyer.

Georgia wrongful death claims can arise from car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, dangerous & defective products, medical malpractice, workplace accidents and other cases in which a person’s death can be attributed to the negligence of a company or individual. Georgia wrongful death statutes clearly define claim holders, which range from the spouse, children or parents of the deceased to an appointed “personal representative” – depending on the victim’s family situation.

According to the Georgia wrongful death statutes, persons entitled to compensation can recover the “full value” of the life of the deceased. This means recovery without deducting expenses the victim would have had if he or she lived. Full value claims can include, among other losses:

• loss of future earnings
• loss of inheritance
• pain and suffering compensation for survivors
• funeral costs
• loss of insurance benefits

There are several things to consider when hiring a Georgia wrongful death attorney. One of the most important things to remember is that there are time limits in which a suit must be filed. Georgia’s statute of limitations for a wrongful death claim is two years. Keep in mind though, attorneys need to review and investigate claims, so contacting an attorney well before the statute of limitations expires is advised.

It is also important to consider a law firm’s experience and reputation when seeking out a wrongful death lawyer. Be sure that the firm has handled complicated wrongful death claims and has the reputation of being organized, communicating with and caring about its clients and for obtaining favorable results for its clients as well.

Do you need legal representation?

Charles Barrow P.C. takes pride in the personal relationships established with clients and maintained throughout a case and even beyond the case’s completion. We thoroughly evaluate each case so we can present to the potential client our best judgment for what to expect should a suit be filed. If you choose to hire an attorney and seek compensation, we recommend you select a lawyer based on experience, reputation and professionalism – not on a television or yellow page ad from someone promising lots of money without being familiar with the facts of your case.