About 68,300 people are injured in the 189,500 automobile accidents that occur annually in the Atlanta Metro area each year. Almost 550 are killed.
The Atlanta Regional Commission estimates the cost of medical bills, lost productivity and congestion delay from those accidents at $4.7 billion.
Georgia law says the measure of damages for a wrongful death is “the full value of the life of the decedent without deducting for any of the necessary or personal expenses of the decedent had he lived.” A jury also can award damages for such intangible factors as the enjoyment and experience of living. Although the victim’s lifetime earning capacity can be quantified with the assistance of financial experts, the intangible factors can be difficult to measure. Juries usually are instructed to use their “enlightened conscience” to determine an appropriate award.
About a million Americans get treatment for a head injury in a hospital emergency room each year. More than a quarter of them are diagnosed with a moderate to severe brain injury, and 70,000 Americans die each year from a head injury, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Medical and indirect expenses from such injuries cost the country more than $48 billion annually. Between 2.5 and 6.5 million Americans have survived a traumatic brain injury.
Georgia workers’ compensation law is designed to provide medical coverage and a basic level of support for employees who are injured on the job. It grew out of oppressive working conditions as the state and country industrialized at the turn of the 20th century.
In many ways, the American medical system is a modern miracle. Highly trained specialists use their knowledge and sophisticated medical equipment and devices to perform procedures and save or enhance lives in ways that were fantasies only a few years ago. But, too often, even simple procedures go awry.
Just Ask Jeff!
Dover Law Firm
3650 Mansell Road
Suite 100
Alpharetta, GA 30022
Phone: 770 518-1133
Fax: 770 518-1156