Legal Question in Personal Injury in Georgia

Re: Claim denied by insurance company for personal injury

You mention that your case went to litigation. Did you actually have a trial and it resulted in a defense verdict? If so, you are out of luck.

Re: Claim denied by insurance company for personal injury

Insurance companies -- especially State Farm and Allstate -- have become increasingly hardnosed in dealing with cases in which low impact, low property damage collisions produce soft tissue injuries ("whiplash"). They get by with it because most lawyers don't know how to present these cases to skeptical juries. Unfortunately, your case fits that profile. I have gotten some decent results in these cases over the past decade -- $35,000 to $60,000, which is way above the average range for this category. However, in doing so I generally incurred hundreds of hours in preparation and $10,000 to $15,000 in out of pocket expenses for doctors' depostions, etc. Rarely I hear about higher verdicts for whiplash cases. However, I have stopped taking whiplash cases in order to focus on cases with better potential in relation to the amount of work involved, and to reclaim my family life.

Your dilemma is to find a lawyer who knows how to handle these cases -- if your present lawyer does not know how -- and is still willing to do so.

You might contact Charles Stephens in Gainesville, GA. He has been the guru of soft tissue injury cases in Georgia, teaching continuing legal education programs on the topic for several years. He may be trying to stop taking those cases for the same reason, but perhaps he can make a referral. (Check martindale.com for his contact info.)