Frequently Asked Questions
Georgia Personal Injury
If you’ve been injured through the fault of someone else’s carelessness or neglect, the chances are likely that you have a personal injury case.
DO:
- Dial 911. Call the police or an ambulance immediately.
- Get examined for injuries as a result of the accident.
- Be honest and give only the facts to the police.
- Take photos and/or videos of the scene of the accident if possible.
- If riding a bicycle, e-bike or e-scooter leave your bike in the same state it was after the crash.
- Get the information contact for any witnesses.
DON’T:
- Don’t leave the scene unless you are seriously injured and must visit the hospital.
- Don’t try to move anyone injured.
- Don’t discuss the accident or your injuries with other people involved in the accident.
- Don’t make any statement to an insurance company until you talk to a lawyer.
- Don’t post anything on social media about the accident.
Insurance companies rarely, if ever, pay a victim who has no legal counsel what is deserved, and medical conditions resulting from an accident can sometimes take months to produce symptoms. If you’ve been injured in an accident due to someone else’s carelessness or negligence, don’t shortchange yourself by settling with an insurance company before you consult a personal injury attorney. At Hagen Rosskopf LLC, we make the legal process as simple as possible for our clients and often, insurance companies greatly improve their offers to accident victims after they discover we are representing them. Many times, our cases are settled very favorably for our clients without ever even going to trial.
At Hagen Rosskopf LLC, there is never a fee for a consultation or for filing a lawsuit, unless you receive money. Please note, however, that court costs and other additional expenses of legal action usually must be paid by the client. Contingent fees are not permitted in all types of cases.
Most cases handled by Hagen Rosskopf LLC are handled on contingency, meaning that we collect fees for our services only when our clients win their lawsuits, or when the cases are settled favorably for our clients out of court.
Every case is different, but victims of personal injury cases are awarded monetary compensations according to several factors, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain & suffering and emotional distress.
A statute of limitations exists for many types of cases, making it mandatory to file a lawsuit within a certain amount of time following an accident. The sooner you consult an attorney, the better. At Hagen Rosskopf LLC, we know that victims need to devote their energies to healing after an accident. Once you’ve hired us as your legal counsel, you can leave the worries regarding your legal case to us, so you can focus on getting well.
Unfortunately, we can’t provide timelines for any case. Although we work swiftly to gather evidence and prepare your case, progress often is delayed by the defense. You can rely on us to keep you informed about your case along the way and be assured that any inquiries you make to our office will be met with a timely response.
Do not sign anything for an insurance company until you speak with an attorney at our law office.
Yes. We will provide our professional insight, opinion and guidance regarding any settlement offer you receive, but the decision as to whether to accept the offer or go to court ultimately is up to you. We will passionately defend your rights to compensation, whatever you choose to do.
In Georgia, it is possible to collect damages from an establishment or individual that has sold or provided alcohol to a driver who is underage or noticeably intoxicated. Contact us to discuss your claim.
Yes. Personal injury claims may be filed by anyone injured in an accident caused by a careless driver – whether they were in another vehicle or in the same vehicle with the at-fault driver.
Wrongful Death FAQs
If a family member has died as a result of a crime, from criminal or other negligence, or from the property which has been defectively manufactured, whether or not as the result of negligence, there is potentially a wrongful death case.
The Georgia wrongful death statute specifies that the order of priority runs from the spouse, to children, to parents. If there are no immediate family members, the administrator of the decedent’s estate may bring a wrongful death case.
The Georgia wrongful death statute specifies that the measure of damages in a wrongful death case is “the full value of the life of the decedent without deducting any of the necessary or personal expenses of the decedent had he lived.”
Separate from any wrongful death claim, the decedent’s estate may bring a claim for medical bills, lost wages and benefits, funeral and burial costs, and pain and suffering the decedent endured before death. If the decedent was married, the spouse may bring a claim for the loss of care and companionship.
Yes.
Under Georgia law, parents may sue for the wrongful death of an unborn child if the fetus reached the point of “quickening”. Determined on a case-by-case basis, various Georgia courts have held that “quickening” occurs sometime between the 10th week and the fourth month of pregnancy. “Quickening” includes any movement by the fetus, although it has to be movement felt by the mother in her womb.
Yes. We will provide our professional insight, opinion and guidance regarding any settlement offer you receive, but the decision as to whether to accept the offer or go to court ultimately is up to you. We will passionately defend your rights to compensation, whatever you choose to do.
Other FAQs
Absolutely. Oftentimes, persons who have been convicted in a criminal trial also are taken to civil court by those seeking compensation for the injuries the criminal misconduct has caused.
In Georgia, it is possible to collect damages from an establishment or individual that has sold or provided alcohol to a driver who is underage or noticeably intoxicated. Contact us to discuss your claim.
If you think that the injury resulting from what you believe to be a defective product is or could be significant now or in the future, do not take any form of compensation or sign anything from the product or service provider until you consult an attorney.
Yes. A camera can capture an image of a license plate in a hit and run case or video footage of how an accident happened providing you with clear evidence of someone else’s negligence eliminating disputes with the insurance company. We recommend front and back cameras, especially for bicyclists.
If you’ve been injured through the fault of someone else’s carelessness or neglect, the chances are likely that you have a personal injury case.
It depends on how you use it. Using an AI tool for general background reading — for example, understanding what "pain and suffering" damages are, or how Georgia's statute of limitations works — carries little risk. The trouble starts when people use AI to do the parts of a case that require legal judgment: estimating what a claim is worth, drafting a demand letter, deciding whether to accept a settlement offer, or working through accident and injury details in the process.
AI can't verify the accuracy of what it tells you, doesn't know the specifics of Georgia law that apply to your situation, and won't be there to negotiate with the insurance company or represent you in court. There's also a confidentiality risk that has nothing to do with accuracy: anything you type into a public AI tool isn't protected by attorney-client privilege and could potentially be used against you by the defense.
If you're using AI at all while your claim is active, the safest approach is to ask your attorney what's fine to use it for, and keep any actual case details, injury descriptions, or settlement discussions out of it entirely.
Used the right way, AI can genuinely put you ahead — you just want to keep it to general, non-case-specific uses. Some examples:
● Understanding unfamiliar terms. If your police report, medical bill, or insurance letter uses language you don't recognize — "subrogation," "comparative negligence," "MRI with contrast" — asking an AI tool to explain the general term (without describing your specific accident) is a fast way to walk into your next conversation with your attorney or doctor already speaking the language.
● Building a personal checklist. AI can help you put together a general to-do list after an accident — things like "what documents should I keep after a car accident" or "what should I ask my doctor at a follow-up appointment" — without needing to enter any details about what actually happened to you.
● Preparing questions for your consultation. Many people walk into their first meeting with an attorney unsure what to ask. AI can help you draft a sharp list of questions to bring with you, so you get the most out of that time and don't leave wondering what you forgot to ask.
● Staying organized. Tools like a calendar app or a simple AI-assisted reminder system can help you keep track of appointment dates, deadlines, and paperwork — again, without needing to put your actual case facts into the tool itself.
The real advantage isn't having AI fight your case for you — it's walking into every conversation with your attorney or doctor more prepared, with better questions and less confusion. Use it to get organized and informed; let your attorney handle the parts that actually decide your case.
No. Conversations with AI tools aren't protected by attorney-client privilege, and what you type into them could potentially be used against you by the defense. Avoid entering accident details, medical information, injury descriptions, or settlement discussions into any AI tool. If you have questions about your case, contact your attorney directly — that conversation stays protected. You can read more about how we handle information and AI in our Privacy Policy.
You can try, but it's risky, and here's why. AI tools can explain general concepts — what a demand letter is, how Georgia's statute of limitations works — but they can't do the things that actually determine the outcome of your claim: they can't negotiate with an insurance adjuster on your behalf, can't file a lawsuit or represent you in court, can't subpoena records or take depositions, and can't apply legal judgment to the specific facts of your case. AI also can't verify itself — it can confidently give you wrong information about deadlines, liability, or how much your claim is worth, with no one accountable if that costs you your case.
Insurance companies know the difference between a claimant who has legal representation and one who doesn't, and they adjust their offers accordingly. An AI chatbot isn't a substitute for an attorney who can push back, gather evidence, and take the case to trial if needed. If you're not sure whether you need a lawyer, a free consultation costs you nothing and gives you a real answer — not a generated one.
Tell your attorney right away. Conversations with AI tools aren't protected by attorney-client privilege, and what you've typed into them could potentially be used against you. Don't delete the conversation without talking to your attorney first — in some cases, preserving it is safer than removing it. Going forward, avoid discussing your case details with any AI tool, and direct those questions to your attorney instead.
No. Every legal decision on your case — evaluating your claim, negotiating with insurers, building your case for trial — is made by a licensed attorney, not an AI system. Any technology we use internally supports our work; it doesn't replace the judgment and experience of our attorneys.
We use business and enterprise AI accounts whose terms prohibit training on client data. Client information never goes into consumer apps, and an attorney reviews all legal work. You can read more in our Privacy Policy.