The first thing that your personal injury lawyer and chiropractor will do is find the person responsible for the crash, and this requires an experienced and skilled accident attorney. After we know who caused your collision, we will have someone to sue for the damages.
When a car collision occurs, it is because one or both drivers failed to conduct their vehicles in a safe and responsible manner in most cases. The government also has responsibilities to maintain the roads in good condition, so government officials could be held responsible for the crash as well.
Every person who drives a vehicle has a duty to operate it with care. People who fail to do so are held “liable” for the accident, and the court assigns them “legal liability.” This gives the injured the right to sue the liable parties for their injuries.
In the event that the other driver in your accident wasn’t driving in a careful manner at the time of your car collision, this would be determined to be the reason that you were injured.
Several factors may have come together to cause the collision, but that doesn’t mean that the person determined to be at fault will be allowed to shirk his or her responsibility for paying your medical and repair bills. The vehicle’s design and the design of the road may have contributed to the crash, but the driver’s speed and his or her driving skills also must be considered. Your personal injury lawyer and chiropractor will examine everything to determine who will be given responsibility for the crash.
As was stated before, the driver’s conduct will not be neglected. Your attorney will find out if the at-fault driver was under the influence of any substances or alcohol. He or she will also look into the driver’s past and find out if he or she has a history of road rage. If he or she has been arrested for racing in the streets or speeding, this, of course, will be very important to know and will help your case.
Your attorney will be the one performing all of this research, and when it is complete, he or she will make arguments for you in court. You have nothing to worry about and nothing to do. Our attorneys will do everything for you. This includes interviewing the witnesses and gathering all of the evidence. We may even take pictures of the accident scene after the fact.
Victims of car accidents aren’t prepared to fight the insurance companies and obtain adequate compensation after a car collision. That’s why a personal injury lawyer and chiropractor is so necessary. After an accident, you may need time to heal from your injuries. You may also be scarred emotionally because of the collision. If you cannot work because of the accident, you may be experiencing financial hardship. In addition to that, you are unfamiliar with the ways of insurance companies and the courts, and because of this, you may cheat yourself out of the monetary compensation you deserve.
You shouldn’t have to fight with the other driver’s insurance company while you are dealing with so many other problems. Your personal injury lawyer and chiropractor will be the one to do all of this for you. Another concern is the fact that the other driver’s insurance company is not working with your best interests in mind. Agents and adjusters from these companies often contact victims in order to ask them to sign a release form, or they will ask you to make a recorded statement as was mentioned before.
Your car accident attorneys will also concern themselves with the damages to your vehicle. Along with determining how much money you will need for your injuries, they will also estimate the amount you will need to have your vehicle repaired. Your lawyers will do this by examining the photographs you took at the scene of the crash.
Your personal injury lawyer and chiropractor will be working to arrange payment of your medical bills and property repair bills. To this end, they answer several questions about the at-fault driver’s finances. For example, your attorneys will find out whether the at-fault driver owns a home or not. They will ask if the at-fault driver has any liquid assets or any other property. If these items exist, they might be able to arrange to seize the assets for payment of your bills in the event that they would be able to pay your bills in full.
The At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Company’s Role
After the at-fault driver’s insurance company is notified about the car accident, a claim will be filed and given a claim number. Then, a claim representative will assign a claim adjuster to your case. This person will use an actuarial table and other formulas to estimate the cost of your accident.
In a car accident, there are property damages and physical damages, so there are two different types of adjusters. Property damage adjusters work with the property damages, and bodily insurance adjusters work with the bodily injuries. At insurance companies, the property damage adjuster gets to work first and determines the value of the vehicle. Property damage adjusters always want to value the vehicle at the lowest amount possible, so they state that the condition of the vehicle is largely due to wear and tear. These people will even state that your vehicle isn’t worth anything at all. To combat this tactic, you will need to have proof of the true value of your vehicle as well as any receipts that can prove the vehicle’s worth.
The bodily injury adjuster will contact you next. Those who do not have a lawyer are in a particularly vulnerable position at this time. These adjusters are looking for ways in which they can get you to say something that would lessen the at-fault driver’s responsibility for the accident. As was mentioned before, do not give them a recorded statement.
You must remember that the insurance adjuster is not concerned about you. The adjuster’s task is to protect his or her boss from having to pay you a large settlement if that is what you are entitled to receive. The adjusters are thinking of the bonuses that they will receive when they cheat you out of the money that you deserve. They are definitely working against you.
If you sign a release form, an insurance company has the right to investigate your entire medical history. Then, they will be free to claim that the injuries and problems that you are currently experiencing because of the crash were actually related to a prior condition. This is one way that they can reduce their liability in your claim. An insurance company makes recorded statements in the hope that you will say something that can reduce its liability. That’s why you must not say anything about the accident before you have an attorney by your side.
Car insurance companies do not want to treat you fairly. They want to pay you as little as they possibly can, but this will not happen if you hire a personal injury attorney. When they know that you have an attorney, they know that they cannot trick you into giving away your rights. They won’t even begin to play their usual games with you, and you will be on your way to receiving the compensation that you deserve. Our attorneys will deal with the adjusters so that you are free to concentrate on healing.
What are the services a personal injury lawyer provides?
The job of your personal injury lawyer and chiropractor will be to demonstrate to the court that the other driver was negligent in your car accident. After this has been proven, he or she can either negotiate a settlement or take your case to court.
Every driver has the duty to drive his or her vehicle in a careful manner. To show that the other driver was negligent, your attorney will need to show that he or she failed to live up to that duty. In addition to that, the other driver’s actions must be responsible for causing the collision, and the accident must be the reason that you suffered physical injuries and monetary losses.
Car accidents can also be the result of faulty traffic conditions. For example, traffic signals may be inoperable, or there may be defects in the road or the curb. If this is the case, your attorney will pursue legal action against the city, county or state that is responsible for the upkeep of this equipment. Before this can occur, your personal injury lawyer and chiropractor will need to file a notice of claim within 6 months of initiating your personal injury claim. Accidents can also be the result of defects in the automobile, and so your attorney will have the option of filing suit against the vehicle’s manufacturer or the distributor.
The best reason to hire an attorney after a car accident is the fact that you will have an advocate on your side, and this person will be able to answer any questions that you have about the legal process. Your attorney will present you with your options and help you make the best decisions for your situation.
Accident victims who make the mistake of negotiating with insurance companies on their own are taking a risk that can result in inadequate compensation. An attorney will prevent this from happening to you because experienced attorneys are familiar with the ways in which insurance companies operate. Your personal injury lawyer and chiropractor will do all of the talking to the insurance agents and adjusters. He or she will fill out any paperwork while he or she builds a case against the at-fault party. Your attorney can also prevent you from saying anything that can jeopardize your case.
Your attorney will also be familiar with the compensation that you would be able to pursue. Your attorney has the experience to look over the details and determine all of the compensation that you may need in the future. The damages to your vehicle and your current medical bills are just one portion of the damages you may be able to receive. You may also be able to collect money for your future medical bills as well as lost wages. You could even receive a sum of money that will compensate you for your loss of earnings in the future. Emotional distress and pain and suffering could be included in your damages as well.
An attorney is well-versed in conducting negotiations for monetary settlements. Insurance companies are skilled at performing negotiations such as these, and they have a talent for convincing victims of accidents who aren’t represented by personal injury attorneys to accept less than they deserve. Your attorney will be able to stand up to the insurance agents and ensure that these people do not try to offer you less than you deserve.
The negotiations for car accident victims often end with a monetary settlement that is fair, but this doesn’t occur in every case. If you cannot reach an acceptable agreement with the insurance company, your personal injury lawyer and chiropractor will be able to initiate a lawsuit. If that occurs, your attorney will present the court with a strong case that will lead to monetary damages that are fair.
What is the job of a personal injury lawyer?
When an accident victim files a claim for a personal injury, it will be his or her lawyer’s job to negotiate with the at-fault driver’s insurance company in order to obtain a fair settlement for the client. In the beginning, the attorney asks for draft payment, but the process is not as simple as it seems. Insurance adjusters work for insurance companies, and they have bosses. These adjusters like to please their bosses and make it so that they do not have to pay large settlements to victims. If they do this, they receive bonuses and recognition, so that is why accident victims receive such low offers in the beginning.
In the event that you continue to refuse to hire a lawyer, the adjusters will start to play with your emotions. This will be at a time when your self esteem is taking a beating because you cannot work and are not receiving your salary. You will also be under the influence of the pain from your injuries, which your personal injury chiropractor can attest to. This is not the time that you should be negotiating with anyone, but people often do, and this does not bode well for the future.
As was mentioned earlier, insurance adjusters give car accident victims without representation general release forms to sign. If you sign them, the case will be over, and you will never be able to receive another dime from the insurance company for this accident.
Car Crash Statistics
- The reason that 93 percent of the car collisions occur is because of motorist error. Adding to the increase in crashes is the fact that there are around 3.7 million registered vehicles in Georgia alone. Because of these statistics, we don’t have to wonder why a car accident occurs every 30 seconds on the streets and highways in this state.
- In Georgia millions of vehicles travel back and forth on the highways every day, and these roads and highways are in very poor condition. Out of the 123,546 miles of public roads and 21,541 miles of county roads, many of them only have two lanes of traffic.
- In the city of Atlanta, road crews are responsible for 234 miles of highways. County crews are in control of the other 382 miles of roadways, and they need a lot of work. On a daily basis, these people need to repair sinkholes, potholes and other obstacles. The large number of vehicles traveling the roads contributes to the current conditions.
- People purchase new and used vehicles at a rate of 600,000 per year. There aren’t many counties that exist that sell more automobiles than that. In addition to the car sales, no one drives more than people in the county. Each year, drivers travel 92 million miles in their cars.
- With so many vehicles on the roads, we can expect our pedestrian accident rates to be high as well, and pedestrian deaths are above the national average.
The United States as Compared to the Rest of the World
America has more car accidents than anywhere else in the entire world.
- In 1990, there were 2.1 fatalities per 100 million people in the United States. Fortunately, this number fell to 1.1 per 100 million in the year 2009.
- Car crashes cost Americans $260.6 billion every year. This amounts to $820 per person.
- In the year 2012, 92 people died each day in the United States in car collisions. This means that there was a car accident every 16 minutes.
- Every year, more than 1,600 children under the age of 15 die in car collisions.
- In the U.S., the car accident is the number one cause of death for people from age eight to age 34. Every type of vehicle is represented in this statistic, so it includes convertibles, pick up trucks, sports cars, station wagons, motorcycles, trucks and cars.
- Car accidents in the U.S. are the cause of 2.35 million injuries each year.
World Car Crash Statistics
- In the rest of the world, 1.3 million people die in car accidents each year.
- Approximately 3,287 people die in car accidents each day.
- Every year, about 400,000 people under the age of 25 die in car accidents.
- In the rest of the world, car accidents are only the ninth leading cause of death. This means that car crashes caused 2 percent of the world’s deaths.
- More than 90 percent of deaths due to car collisions occur in small countries. A majority of these low-income and middle-income countries have less than half as many transportation vehicles as developed countries.
- More than half of people aged 15 to 45 die in car accidents each year.
- The car accident is the second leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 14.
- The number one cause of death for individuals between the ages of 15 and 29 is the car accident.
- Traffic accidents cost the world $518 billion, and this amount is equal to 1 or 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product of some countries.
- Car accidents cost some low-income and middle-income countries $65 billion. Unfortunately for these countries, they do not receive this much money in aid from other developed countries.
Needless to say, car accidents happen every day, and they can be horrendous affairs, but our lawyers are not fooling around. We take this matter seriously and give everything to make you feel whole again.
What types of car accidents can we help you fight?
Our attorneys can help you with the following types of car accidents:
Intersection Accidents
Intersection accidents usually occur between a vehicle and a pedestrian. In 2015, 5,376 people were killed in this manner, and 129,000 people were treated in the emergency room after a collision. A majority of these incidents took place at intersections. If you are injured by a motor vehicle, you need to speak to a personal injury lawyer and chiropractor right away. The driver of the vehicle will be held responsible for the accident, but the government may share part of the blame because of the conditions of the roads.
Roof Crush Accidents
Roof crush accidents are common with SUVs. In addition to that, these vehicles have been known to roll over because of unsafe guardrails. When the SUV rolls over, the roof tends to cave in, and it has the effect of crushing the heads of everyone inside the vehicle. Very serious injuries result from this type of crash, including paralysis, brain damage and even death.
T-Bone Accidents
T-bone accidents occur when the front of one vehicle collides with the side of another vehicle. It is called a “T-bone” accident because the cars look like the letter “T” after it is over. Serious bodily injuries can result even if both cars were traveling at low speeds. Injuries range from moderate shock to severe trauma and often need the help of a personal injury chiropractor . T-bone accidents comprise 13 percent of the car crashes in the United States, and we are prepared to fight for you if you experienced this type of accident too.
Defective Product Accidents
The attorneys for the at-fault driver may say that their client shouldn’t be on trial for the accident that caused your injuries. They like to state that the vehicle’s manufacturer, for example, is the one who should be sitting in the defendant’s chair. Their argument will be that your brakes failed, and that is the reason the crash occurred. They may also say that the airbags failed, so the manufacturer needs to be in court. This tactic is the reason that you need to have your own attorney so that the at-fault driver will be made to pay for his or her mistakes.
Rear-end Accidents
More people report rear-end accidents in Atlanta than any other type of accident. This is when the front portion of an automobile runs into a child, an animal, the curb or another vehicle.
Hit-and-Run Accidents
According to the Atlanta Police Department, 20,000 hit-and-run accidents occur every year. Most of these crashes result in property damages, but sometimes, bodily injuries also occur, which may require a personal injury chiropractor. In 2014, 27 people died in these crashes, and 144 people were injured. They occur when one of the drivers in these collisions decides to leave the scene of the accident, and if the occupants of the other vehicle were hurt, they are left to deal with their medical bills and chiropractic care on their own. The police rarely arrest these perpetrators, but this doesn’t mean that you don’t need an attorney. You definitely have options when you are involved in a hit-and-run accident, and our attorneys can help you.
Distractions
The fact is that people are still texting and driving, and they are the reason that most of the car accidents due to distracted driving occur. The unfortunate part of this equation is the fact that these accidents can seriously debilitate or kill their victims.
Drivers in Atlanta have a special relationship with their vehicles, so our personal injury lawyers and chiropractors are aware of all of the issues that are unique to our state that relate to bodily injuries. We have extensively studied all the reasons that car accidents occur and why people die in car accidents. We have spent time with the relatives of those who have perished in these crashes. The statistics that we learned are very useful to us, and we are in a position to help jurors and adjusters understand them.
Unfortunately, what we have discovered from all of our research and study is that Southern Atlanta’s roads are highly dangerous for all of us. Pedestrians are particularly hard hit because they make up 30 percent of deaths related to car accidents. Rear-end accidents are also common on the streets, but they are common on the freeways as well.