Personal injury law exists because someone else's choice changed your life. A driver looked at their phone. A property owner ignored a leak. A trucking company pushed a schedule the federal regulations weren't supposed to allow. The case is about holding that choice to account — and recovering what you actually lost, including the costs that won't show up until next year.
What we handle
Pereira & Associates represents clients across metro Atlanta in personal injury matters arising from motor vehicle collisions, commercial trucking incidents, slip and fall and other premises liability claims, dog bites, and a range of serious-injury cases. We take cases on a contingency fee basis: you pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Common case types
- Car accidents — rear-end, T-bone, head-on, intersection, hit-and-run
- Truck and 18-wheeler collisions — federal regulation violations, hours-of-service, maintenance failures
- Rideshare incidents — Uber and Lyft passenger and pedestrian injuries
- Motorcycle and bicycle collisions
- Pedestrian accidents in crosswalks and parking facilities
- Slip, trip, and fall — wet floors, poor lighting, broken stairs, missing handrails
- Dog bites and animal attacks
- Premises liability — inadequate security, structural defects
How a Georgia personal injury case actually works
Personal injury cases in Georgia run on a few fixed rules. The statute of limitations is generally two years from the date of injury for most negligence claims (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33). Some categories — claims against governmental entities, certain product liability matters — have shorter notice deadlines that can be missed in weeks if no one is paying attention. The first practical question we ask in any consultation is whether you are still inside the relevant window, and what evidence is at risk of disappearing if we don't move.
Georgia is also a modified comparative negligence state. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and if you are found 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurance defense lawyers know this rule cold and use it. So do we — and we build the case from the start to anticipate every fault argument an adjuster will float.
Most cases settle. The rest go to trial. Either path takes the same preparation: investigate, document, calculate, demand. The firms that win are the ones who do that work the same way regardless of which path the case ends up taking.
The first 48 hours after an injury
What you do — or don't do — in the first 48 hours can matter for years. The most common mistakes we see are simple ones: giving a recorded statement to the at-fault party's insurance company before talking to a lawyer; signing a medical authorization that releases more than the insurer needs; missing follow-up medical care because the urgent care visit felt like enough.
Practical steps in the first 48 hours
- Get medical care, even if you think you can wait. Symptoms from concussion and soft-tissue injuries often delay 24–72 hours.
- Photograph the scene, the vehicles, your visible injuries, and any property damage if it is safe to do so.
- Save any documents you already have — police report, exchange-of-information form, any photos others sent you.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company. They are not required, even if the adjuster says otherwise.
- Do not sign a medical release without showing it to a lawyer first. Standard releases are often broader than the claim.
- Save text messages, voicemails, and emails — including from your own insurer.
How we calculate damages
A personal injury claim has two damages categories. Special damages are the bills you can put a number on — past medical care, future medical care, lost wages, lost earning capacity, property damage. General damages are the harder ones to put a number on — pain, loss of enjoyment, the way an injury changes how you live. Insurance companies underweight both, but they especially underweight the general damages because there is no receipt to argue about.
Calculating future medical care and lost earning capacity is where most personal injury firms cut corners. We don't. William Pereira's training as a tax attorney at PricewaterhouseCoopers — and his LLM in Taxation — means he reads complex financial models the way actuaries do. Future medical costs, lost wages compounded over a working life, the tax-adjusted value of structured settlement options: all of that gets the analysis it actually needs, not a back-of-envelope number.
What working with us looks like
We treat your case the way we built our careers: with rigor, restraint, and the kind of preparation that resolves matters on terms that work for you, often before they need to escalate. You will get direct access to one of the partners — not a paralegal handing your call to whoever is on the rotation that week. You will know what is happening at each stage, in plain English. You will not be pressured to settle when you should not, and you will not be told to hold out when settling is the right move.
We do not take every case. We take the cases we can do well. If your case is not the right fit for us, we will tell you and we will help you find someone whose practice is. That conversation is part of the free consultation, and it is part of the standard.
Common questions.
How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?
Personal injury cases at Pereira & Associates are handled on a contingency fee basis. There is no upfront cost, no hourly billing, and no fee unless we recover for you. The fee is a percentage of the recovery, set at the start of representation in writing. The initial consultation is free.
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Georgia?
Most negligence-based personal injury claims in Georgia have a two-year statute of limitations from the date of injury (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33). Claims against government entities have ante-litem notice requirements that can be much shorter — often six months. Property damage claims have a four-year limit. The deadline that matters depends on the specific facts of your case, which is why the first conversation matters.
Should I talk to the other driver's insurance company?
No, not without a lawyer. The at-fault party's insurance adjuster is not required, even if they ask politely. They are paid to minimize the value of your claim. Anything you say can be used to reduce or deny your recovery later. Refer them to your attorney; if you do not yet have one, refer them to the lawyer you are considering.
What is comparative negligence in Georgia?
Georgia follows modified comparative negligence (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault for the incident. If you are found 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing. This rule shapes how cases are investigated and how insurers argue them, and it is why building the fault analysis from day one matters.
How long does a personal injury case take?
Most cases resolve within 6–18 months. Cases that settle pre-suit can resolve in 3–6 months once medical treatment has plateaued. Cases that go through litigation typically take 12–24 months. Cases involving complex damages, contested liability, or trial are longer. We give you an honest read on timeline at the start, and we update it as facts develop.
Will my personal injury settlement be taxed?
Compensatory damages for physical injuries and physical sickness are generally excluded from federal income tax under IRC § 104(a)(2). Punitive damages and interest are taxable. Lost-wage portions of certain non-physical-injury claims are taxable. Settlement structure affects tax treatment, and this is one area where William's tax background — PwC plus LLM in Taxation — actually matters in how we design the recovery.