The Cochran Firm – Dothan, Alabama
Your Dothan Personal Injury Attorneys

A: At The Cochran Firm, all initial consultations are free of charge. To ensure that one of our Dothan personal injury attorneys will be available to meet with you face-to-face (or over the phone or virtually if you prefer) we encourage that you call ahead to schedule an appointment when possible. Feel free to call or drop by to set up an appointment with our attorneys.

A: The most important factors to determining the “value” of a case are the damages that you suffered, how bad the wrongful parties’ conduct was, and the amount of insurance available to satisfy the claim. Every case is different. Even two cases that look similar on the surface will be unique in their own ways. The value of your case will be determined by the extensive investigation conducted by our Dothan personal injury lawyers.

A: How long a case takes depends primarily on the complexities of the issues in the case. Cases that have to be taken to trial (and are then subject to appeal) may take years. Cases that do not require trials may be resolved in a matter of weeks or months. Every case is different, and all cases have to be individually assessed.

A: The majority of civil cases do not go to trial. But you may be required to give a deposition (out-of-court sworn testimony) or be subject to a number of important legal hearings in front of the court. Our firm prepares every case like we are going to trial. As our founder, Johnnie Cochran always said, “Preparation, Preparation, Preparation.” One thing is certain: if you fail to prepare, you better be prepared to fail.

A: The majority of all civil judgments or settlements are covered by liability insurance. Occasionally, when a business sues another business (like in the case of a trademark dispute) or if a person is injured because of the intentional actions of another (as opposed to negligent or reckless causes), liability insurance coverage may not be applicable for the claims. However, even in those cases, it is possible that a different type of insurance policy may provide coverage for those damages.

A: Uninsured motorist coverage is insurance that you purchase to protect yourself from other motorists who do not have any insurance (which is against the law) or who do not have enough insurance to cover all of the damages that you have incurred. Inadequate insurance coverage is a surprisingly common problem. You purchase liability insurance to cover damages that you might unintentionally inflict on another motorist. Uninsured motorist coverage is available for purchase to cover damages that other people might inflict on you. When it comes to insurance coverage, it is better to have more than you need than to need more than you have.

A: In most personal injury claims, health insurers often have a contractual right called a subrogation interest (i.e., reimbursement)if you recover damages for medical treatment your health insurer paid for. But if you do not win/recover in your case, you will not owe your health insurers any reimbursement. If you do recover any monies for your medical expenses that were paid by your health insurance company, you are generally required to reimburse that insurer for the actual cost that they incurred paying for your treatment. Many times, the cost that they incurred is significantly less than the actual amount billed by the healthcare provider.

A: In a normal car wreck case where you are making a liability claim for all property and personal injury damages incurred as a result of the conduct of the wrongdoer, you can simultaneously make a contract claim for your property damage against your insurance instead of waiting for the liability claim to be resolved. If our Dothan auto accident attorneys recover any money for the property damage claims against the at-fault party, your automobile insurer will likely have a subrogation interest in a portion of the property damage money that you recovered. This means that you may have to reimburse your automobile insurers for the property damage money they originally paid. Your insurer could elect to waive any subrogation interest and allow you to keep all of the property damages recovered. Alternatively, you may elect not to pursue a property damage claim, as your vehicle has already been repaired, and allow your insurance company to pursue that claim on your behalf. But you may waive any additional property damage claims that were not covered by your own insurance, such as diminished value of your vehicle and rental charges during repair. You may also waive recovery any deductible under your insurance policy if your insurance company doesn’t make a claim for those expenses and reimburse you.

A: Every case is different. Injuries are relevant to any claim/case that arises after those injuries occurred. Just because you were previously injured does not mean that those injuries will limit your ability to recover in a claim/case that happens after your original injury. In fact, it may be that you (because of your previous injuries) were in a more delicate state than an average motorist and your previous injuries may have caused you to suffer more damages than an average person would have suffered under similar circumstances. The law allows individuals to recover for any damages that were caused by the wrongful actions of another. That would include an exacerbation of any of your pre-existing health conditions/injuries.

A: There is no such thing as a case being “too small.” If you were injured because of the unreasonable actions of someone else and those injuries are causing you any problems at all, it is certainly worth a call to an attorney to see what legal options you have available. Remember, all initial consultations with The Cochran Firm are confidential and free of charge. If there is anything that we can reasonably do under the law to help you, we will.