Motor Vehicle Accident Economic Damages Expert in Georgia

By Christopher Skerritt, M.Ed., MBA, Chief of Economic Services · Published · Reviewed

KW Economics prepares economic damages analyses for motor vehicle accident cases venued in Georgia: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to Georgia's damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.

A motor vehicle accident economic claim ranges from a documented period of lost pay to lifetime earnings, household services, and care losses after a catastrophic crash, and the analysis is scaled to the injury the record describes. Read the full motor vehicle accident analysis guide.

Georgia courts and expert standards

Georgia trial courts act as gatekeepers in civil cases and ask whether the economist is qualified by training and experience, whether the method has been tested and accepted in the profession, and whether it was applied reliably to the facts. An economic damages report meets that inquiry by stating its assumptions and naming the data series behind each one.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Supreme Court of Georgia. Federal venues: N.D. Ga., M.D. Ga., S.D. Ga. Court system: gasupreme.us.

Outside the civil courts, wage-loss disputes in workers' compensation matters proceed before the Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation.

Damages framework

Georgia measures wrongful death by the full value of the life of the decedent from the decedent's own standpoint, an economic component built on lost earnings and services without deduction for the decedent's personal expenses plus an intangible component, while the estate separately recovers pre-death medical expenses, pain and suffering, and funeral costs. Recovery is barred once the plaintiff's fault reaches half, the common-law collateral source rule applies, and prejudgment interest on unliquidated tort damages is tied to a written demand procedure.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a motor vehicle accident case venued in Georgia; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Document the earnings history, the date the person left work, and any return to work at full or reduced capacity.
  2. Project the but-for earnings over a worklife expectancy with a stated wage growth rate and compare it with the post-injury path.
  3. Value fringe benefits from plan documents or published employer cost data, household services from time-use data, and future care from the life care plan.
  4. Discount each stream to present value at a stated rate and present the alternative scenarios where the return-to-work date or capacity is disputed.

Attorney guides for motor vehicle accident cases

Other case types in Georgia

Frequently asked: motor vehicle accident cases in Georgia

Which Georgia courts hear motor vehicle accident cases?

Motor Vehicle Accident cases venued in Georgia are heard in the Superior Court (General jurisdiction; civil cases, felonies, domestic relations, equity) and the State Court (Civil actions regardless of amount except those reserved to the superior court, misdemeanors). Final appeals run to the Supreme Court of Georgia. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Georgia, Middle District of Georgia, and Southern District of Georgia.

How does Georgia's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

Georgia measures wrongful death by the full value of the life of the decedent from the decedent's own standpoint, an economic component built on lost earnings and services without deduction for the decedent's personal expenses plus an intangible component, while the estate separately recovers pre-death medical expenses, pain and suffering, and funeral costs. Recovery is barred once the plaintiff's fault reaches half, the common-law collateral source rule applies, and prejudgment interest on unliquidated tort damages is tied to a written demand procedure. Georgia trial courts act as gatekeepers in civil cases and ask whether the economist is qualified by training and experience, whether the method has been tested and accepted in the profession, and whether it was applied reliably to the facts. An economic damages report meets that inquiry by stating its assumptions and naming the data series behind each one.

More questions about motor vehicle accident analysis

References

Request a consultation on motor vehicle accident cases in Georgia or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.