Grayson, Georgia is known for being a “live, work, and play” community situated close enough to Atlanta for commuting, but independent enough to have a cozy small-town feel. It’s also a frequent tourist destination, with parks, recreation, shopping, and restaurants, plus festivals and concerts throughout the year. Founded in 2001, the Arts & History Center maintains a collection of memorabilia pertaining to Grayson’s history.
Even in a pleasant suburb like Grayson, car accidents can sometimes happen, and they can be devastating. You may find yourself deluged with medical bills, yet out of work due to your injuries, and the insurance company may not be eager to pay your claim. Ali Awad, the founder and managing attorney at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, is prepared to fight for his clients against big insurance companies. Known as The CEO Lawyer, Mr. Awad has taken a small business to an 8-figure firm in three short years. It was voted the fastest-growing law firm in the United States, coming out ahead of 499 others in 2021. The CEO Lawyer has over a million followers on social media, where he delivers useful and entertaining legal advice.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, give Ali Awad a call for a no-obligation consultation of your case. The CEO Lawyer and his injury and accident attorneys work on a contingency basis, which means they don’t get paid unless you do. You’ve got nothing to lose by calling (470) 323-8779 or reaching out to us online to discuss the options for handling your case.
Questions About Car Accident Cases
Many people have questions about their car accident or general questions about receiving compensation after a personal injury has occurred. If you’re unsure what to do after being injured in a car wreck, It’s advisable to seek legal advice from a Grayson personal injury lawyer who can address the details of your situation. In the meantime, here are some common questions we receive about car accident claims.
Should I File A Claim With My Car Insurance Company?
You should always notify your insurance carrier after being in an accident, but if the other driver was at fault, their insurance should pay your claim. However, many people run into difficulty when making claims against the other driver’s insurance. The insurer may claim you were at fault, or they may say this particular accident isn’t covered under some term of the policy. They might make you an offer that is far too low for your damages. Sometimes they will pay the claim, but due to policy limits, they’ll only pay a small portion of your bills. (The minimum car insurance requirement for Georgia drivers is only $25,000 per person or $50,000 per accident.) For all of these reasons, we recommend consulting a Georgia personal injury attorney who can help you navigate the intricacies of filing a car insurance claim.
The Other Driver’s Insurance Adjuster Is Pushing Me to Accept a Claim, Should I Just Sign the Paperwork Before They Withdraw Their Offer?
No. Don’t sign anything until you’ve spoken with a lawyer. Often when insurance companies are eager to pay a claim, it’s because they’re making you a lowball offer and they know it. Frequently this happens while accident victims are still in treatment for their injuries and have no way of knowing how much their total costs will be.
What About Giving the Insurance Company a Recorded Statement?
Another tactic insurance adjusters use is to say something like, “We’ll get started on your claim right away, I just need to ask you a few questions about the accident. Mind if I record this?”
It may seem like a good idea to talk to them so you can get your claim paid. However, insurance adjusters love to latch onto any little thing you say as an excuse to claim the accident was your fault and refuse to pay. This is especially common in Georgia, which has comparative negligence laws. These statutes say that the insurer doesn’t have to pay anything if they can prove you were more than 49 percent at fault for the accident. Or if you were some lower percentage at fault, what they have to pay will be lowered by that amount. Either way, the insurance company has an incentive to argue that you bear some responsibility for the accident.
Another tactic is to try to get you to fill out questionnaires or sign various written documents. In either case, it’s advisable to consult an attorney for personal injury law in Grayson before you do anything. If an insurance adjuster calls and pressures you to answer questions, simply tell them it’s not a good time to talk and hang up. Then call and speak with an attorney before having any further contact with them.
What If the Other Driver Didn’t Get a Ticket, But I Still Believe They Were At Fault?
You can still file a claim against their insurance or file a lawsuit in court. The fact that the responding officer didn’t issue a ticket isn’t proof that the other driver was blameless. In some cases, the other driver won’t admit fault, or may even flat-out lie to the officer about what happened. If the officer can’t tell easily who is at fault, they may not ticket anyone. At CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, we have a team of investigators that can look into your case, talk to witnesses, and gather other evidence to use in your case.
What If the Other Driver Was Uninsured or Underinsured?
This is a common problem, but fortunately, there are several ways to address it. If you have uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance, this is a situation where you may just make a claim with your own insurance company. You can also sue the negligent driver directly. Unfortunately, this is not always a viable option as an uninsured driver may not have any assets. If you’re going to spend more money on court costs than you’re likely to be able to collect, your attorney may advise against this approach.
In certain situations, you may be able to sue a third party. Typically the driver who caused the accident is considered responsible for damages if/when insurance coverage is not an option or has been exhausted. However, Georgia law allows lawsuits against other parties in specific situations.
For example, under dram shop laws, you may sue a business or individual who intentionally served alcohol to someone who drove drunk and caused an accident. However, for this type of lawsuit, you have to prove the third party both knew the person was already drunk and likely to drive afterward. Bars and restaurants usually have policies to avoid this sort of situation, like confiscating keys from customers who have had too much, so this doesn’t happen very often. Individuals may also be sued if they served alcohol to a guest, knowing they were already a bit tipsy and planning to drive home.
There are also situations where the negligent driver isn’t the owner of the car they were driving. Why is this important? In most cases, simply owning a car that someone else drove when they caused an accident doesn’t make a person liable for the damages. But there are a few situations where this is the case. One is when the driver was working for the car’s owner at the time of the accident. For example, if someone sends their employee to the store to buy supplies for the office, and they crash into your car, you might be able to sue their employer who owned the car they were driving. In fact, this also holds true if the employee is in their own car – if they were working for the employer when they hit you, the employer can be held liable too.
There is also a law about “family purpose doctrine.” It says that if a negligent driver causes a crash, in a car owned by a family member, you may be able to sue the owner if they provided the vehicle for “pleasure, comfort, and convenience.” This is generally used in situations where a teenage driver causes a wreck, as teenagers don’t typically have many assets to seize in a lawsuit.
How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit?
Georgia law places a two-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims, so we recommend contacting a Grayson personal injury attorney right away to ensure your rights are protected.
Can I Recover Other Damages Besides My Medical Bills?
Yes. You can recover damages for medical costs, including ongoing physical therapy and assistive devices, lost income if you were out of work for a time after the accident, travel costs if you had to go elsewhere to receive medical care, and costs if you needed to hire someone to help you after the accident – home health care aides, people to do your housework or yard work when you can’t, etc. You may also recover damages for pain and suffering (both physical and mental), permanent disability or scarring, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of earning potential if you’ve suffered a permanent disability and inability to work, and loss of consortium/companionship if you’ve lost a loved one.
When dealing with the aftermath of a serious accident, you may feel overwhelmed and frustrated, but attorney Ali Awad, the CEO lawyer, is here to stand up for your legal rights. Don’t accept lowball offers, and don’t let insurers take advantage of you. Secure the legal representation you need to get a fair shot at the settlement you deserve. Contact us online or call (470) 323-8779 for help today.
