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Acworth, Georgia is a small, peaceful town, but even so, sometimes accidents happen. When they occur, another driver may be at fault, leaving you with painful injuries and a pile of medical bills. Auto accidents are one of the more common causes of injury, but people may be hurt in other ways, including boating accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, and many others. When you’ve been hurt by another’s negligence, you need an Acworth personal injury lawyer to stand up for you.
Ali Awad, the founder and managing attorney at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, takes on insurance companies of all sizes for his clients. Known as the “CEO Lawyer,” Mr. Awad has grown a tiny business to an 8-figure firm in only three years. In fact, his firm was voted the fastest-growing law firm in the United States, beating out 499 others in 2021. More than a million followers on social media look to Mr. Awad’s informative yet entertaining posts for timely legal advice.
If you or a loved one has been injured in any kind of accident, don’t wait to call Ali Awad for a no-obligation consultation regarding your case. The CEO Lawyer and his team of injury and accident attorneys work on a contingency basis – that means they don’t get paid unless you do. As a result, there is nothing to lose by calling (833) 254-2923 or reaching out to us online to discuss the details of your case and discover your options.
Please keep reading to learn about some common situations and questions about car accidents and personal injury claims.
Traffic Issues in Acworth
Every city has challenging areas for traffic. In Acworth, many residents have noted the lack of traffic lights on some stretches of Mars Hill, particularly in heavily populated areas. Another difficulty is that sometimes people from different neighborhoods will cruise through areas with a lower speed limit at high rates of speed. It may be that they’re used to driving in their own neighborhood and don’t notice the speed limit change, but speeding drivers are more likely to have accidents and to get hurt when they do.
Although you can’t control what other drivers do, you can drive defensively, obey the speed limits yourself, and keep on the lookout for motorists who may be going too fast. You can also contact your local government to let them know about problem areas where another traffic light would be helpful.
Accidents at Intersections
Intersections like the one at GA-92 and Hunt Road in Acworth are frequently sites of auto accidents. In fact, research from the Federal Highway Administration shows about half of the car crashes that lead to injury or death happen in or near an intersection. Despite safety interventions like traffic lights designed to prevent accidents, there are still a lot of intersection crashes. The most common reasons for these accidents are running a red light, trying to run a yellow light, and failing to yield to another driver who has the right of way.
In the first two situations, people often think they have time to get through a yellow light, or that no one is coming so it’s okay to run a red light. These are bad ideas. One good way to reduce the risk of accidents is to always obey traffic lights. Stop for all red lights, even if you don’t think anyone is coming – cars can arrive at the intersection quickly. It’s best to stop for yellow lights as well.
However, no matter how defensively you drive, there’s always the possibility that another driver will ignore the law and come barreling through a red or yellow light. While you should certainly be on the lookout for cars unexpectedly entering an intersection, sometimes there’s nothing you can do to avoid a collision. If this happens, you may be injured and out of work for days, weeks, or even months thanks to the other driver’s careless actions. When this happens to you, be sure to contact an Acworth personal injury attorney right away to determine the best way to receive compensation for your damages.
Drunk Driving Numbers in Georgia
In 2018, the state had 375 fatalities associated with intoxicated driving and countless more injuries. Just under 25 percent of fatal crashes for the year were attributed to drunk driving.
For the year 2020, Cobb County had 540 first DUI convictions, 69 second DUI convictions, and 6 third DUI convictions. There were also 139 administrative license suspensions resulting from DUI arrests in the county.
Unfortunately, drunk driving still leads to many accidents. Common injuries include concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI), internal or organ damage, spinal cord injuries, broken bones or damaged tendons or other soft tissues, and burns if the crash leads to a car fire. If you’ve been hurt by a driver who had too much to drink, you could be looking at weeks or months of recovery and rehab time. You could also suffer permanent harm or disability or develop chronic pain. Worse, you may get a lot of bills for your treatment while unable to work due to your injuries. If this sounds familiar, don’t waste another minute. Call an Acworth lawyer for personal injury right away to find out how you can be compensated for your injuries.
Commonly Asked Questions
What If the Drunk Driver Who Hit Me Doesn’t Have Any Money?
This is always an important concern before filing any lawsuit. Fortunately, most car accident lawsuits start with an insurance company. We simply ask the at-fault driver’s insurance to pay for your damages. However, this isn’t an option if the motorist is uninsured. If you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, you may ask your own insurance to pay your damages.
Another issue is that all policies have limits, and Georgia drivers are only required to carry $25,000 per person in liability insurance. In some cases, your medical bills alone may cost more than that. If this is the case, and the driver appears to have some funds, we may file a lawsuit against the driver directly. But if the driver is unlikely to be able to pay the claim, it probably won’t be worth the court costs to sue them. However, in certain situations, you may be able to file a claim against a third party.
Can I Sue the Bar That Served the Drunk Driver Who Caused My Accident?
In some cases, yes, but not always. Georgia has “dram shop” laws that allow lawsuits to be filed against individuals or businesses that serve alcohol to a person who later drives while intoxicated and causes an accident. There are similar rules applying to “social hosts” who have parties where intoxicated guests leave and get into crashes.
However, it’s important to understand that these laws have limitations. You can’t just sue someone for serving a person who later drove drunk and hit you. Once you get to court, it will be necessary to prove that they both knew the person was already intoxicated, and that they planned to drive somewhere. This is not always possible. Keep in mind that most bars have policies about this exact situation. Bartenders are usually trained to confiscate keys of any patrons who have had too much and to recommend a rideshare or cab ride home instead. So for this reason, bars aren’t often negligent in drunk driving accidents.
People who host parties usually have good judgment about encouraging friends to sleep it off on the couch or get a sober ride as well, but there are exceptions. Sometimes problems happen when a teenager throws a party and many of their friends get drunk for the first time. A teen might not be used to checking if someone has arranged for a designated driver. Minors are not usually held responsible in these cases, but their parents might be. You may be able to sue the parents in this situation, but only if they knew the party would happen and alcohol would be served to minors. Since teenagers tend to throw these sorts of parties without their parents’ knowledge, that isn’t often the case.
As you might imagine, this kind of claim can be a difficult thing to prove. The parents may say they didn’t know their child was planning a party or that they would break into the liquor cabinet, etc. Unless you can find some specific evidence that they knew what would happen, this may not be a viable option for recovering damages. In some unusual situations, there may be video or texts indicating the parents knew, and this may make your case more likely to be successful.
There are many ways that a drunk driving accident can happen, and if it did you can discuss your options for recovering damages with your personal injury attorney in Acworth, Georgia.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is also the cause of many car accidents that leave people injured and in pain. Texting or looking at a phone is the most common culprit these days, but eating, doing your hair, putting on makeup, getting distracted adjusting the radio or GPS units, or anything that takes your eyes and mind off the road, can all contribute to distractions. If you really need to fix or deal with something, find a place to pull over safely or wait until you arrive at your destination. Keep your eyes on the road and be on the lookout for other vehicles and pedestrians at all times.
If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, contact an Acworth attorney who handles personal injury claims right away. One of the most important factors in a distracted driving situation is proving the driver was distracted. Sometimes they admit it, but not always. Your attorney may ask for copies of their phone records, interview witnesses, and investigate the crash in other ways so they can demonstrate in court that the other driver’s distraction led to the accident.
Contact Our Acworth Personal Injury Attorneys Today
The CEO Lawyer, Ali Awad, is dedicated to finding success for himself and his clients. He has built a booming business out of earning his clients hundreds of millions in collective settlements and jury awards. When you need assistance with a personal injury matter, contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm online or call us at (833) 254-2923 for a free consultation to learn more about your rights.