Street racing: it’s dumb, it’s dangerous, and it can change lives for the worse in milliseconds. Unfortunately, street racing and other forms of risky “stunting” while driving have become intertwined in the culture of Atlanta and its surrounding counties.
Every month, new arrests are made, and new videos depicting horrifying behaviors are uploaded — all to no avail when it comes to cracking down on dangerous behavior.
One bit of solace you can take is that you may be able to reclaim the costs of your medical care, lost wages, and other losses by working with an Atlanta street racing accident lawyer. Ali Awad, the CEO Lawyer, and the rest of his experienced Atlanta injury law team are prepared to jump in and aggressively pursue any and all available forms of compensation from liable parties.
When you face injury or have tragically lost a loved one because of a street racing incident, make the call that could put the full weight of the law behind your back. Reach out to our seasoned attorney team to find out more about your legal options and the types of compensation you could be eligible to receive.
Schedule your free, confidential case review with no obligation today when you call (404) 777-8800 or contact us online.
Fight Back Against Reckless Behavior With an Atlanta Street Racing Accident Attorney
When people decide to race and engage in childish, dangerous behavior on the streets of Atlanta, the potential consequences are high. Many street racing accidents cause life-altering injuries — or claim lives entirely.
Yet, many in Atlanta insist on engaging in highly risky and reckless driving activities. One such activity that has become disturbingly popular in Atlanta is a “street takeover,” where a mob effectively closes off an entire intersection while vehicles take turns doing burnouts, starting drag races, or performing other dangerous maneuvers.
Worse, groups of individuals make plans to engage in racing on Atlanta’s interstates and other busy roads.
Statewide crackdowns on the activity have led to the signing of new laws that up the penalties for “reckless stunt driving” to a $5,000 fine. Many would like to see even harsher penalties, including Atlanta City Council Member Keisha Waites, who introduced a proposed law that would suspend a driver’s license for up to five years for a first offense.
Dubbed “Erica’s Law,” the proposal was named after a victim of an accident who lost her ability to walk.
Despite all of these efforts, idiotic drivers still choose to put others on the road at risk. When they do, Ali Awad and his team can step in to aggressively represent your rights as an injury victim.
Our goal is to help you recover as much as possible from your damages from all responsible parties. We can assist you with investigating the accident, tracking down all perpetrators, and holding them accountable for the costs of medical bills and other damages they inflict.
Reach out to our experienced attorneys for assistance with documenting your damages and pursuing the appropriate parties for full compensation. We can even help you file a lawsuit and prepare for a possible trial if that’s what it takes to bring others to justice after you have been seriously hurt in a street racing accident.
How Can I Prove Fault After a Street Racing Accident?
Fault, in most personal injury cases, involves sufficiently demonstrating that one or more parties were negligent and that their negligence directly led to your injury costs.
Since street racing itself is a dangerous activity, identifying the person who hit you and proving that they were engaging in reckless driving can be all that is required to demonstrate fault. However, other individuals may also be considered partially at fault, including anyone who also participated in an organized racing or stunt driving event.
Ali Awad and his team will investigate your car accident and all causal factors to accurately determine how and why your collision occurred. We will work with your medical team, too, to fully diagnose your injuries and connect them to the accident you were in.
Our goal is to conclusively prove that the dangerous acts of one or more drivers directly led to the damages you have incurred. We can then move to aggressively pursue any and all available forms of compensation.
What Damages Can I Claim After I Have Been Hurt in a Street Racing Accident?
Your accident may have led to damages in the following categories.
Medical Bills
Your injury claim can compensate you for the costs of all medical treatment, including ambulance transport, ER fees, diagnostic services, hospitalization, surgery, specialist treatment, testing, imaging, medications, devices, and more. Your claim can also include compensation for the projected future costs of your care, paying for the costs of any long-term physical rehabilitation and follow-up appointments, as needed.
Lost Wages
“Lost wages” refers to all differences in income and benefits when comparing the period after the accident to the prior 6 – 12 months before. It can, therefore, incorporate losses not just from reduced work hours or extended medical leave but also losses stemming from the need to use work benefits.
If you would typically earn tips, commissions, bonuses, or other forms of compensation, you can also claim a reduction in these forms of performance-based pay.
In cases where you sustain a permanent disability or missed out on key opportunities to advance because of your injury, you may be eligible for long-term compensation as well as funding to help you gain new skills needed to adapt to new work or enter a new industry.
Out of Out-Of-Pocket Expenses
This category is a catch-all for other costs inflicted as a result of your street racing accident. Common examples include the costs of transportation after your vehicle has been damaged or the costs of home modifications to fit hospital beds or accommodate wheelchairs.
Pain and Suffering
Your pain and suffering do not have a set dollar amount associated with them, but they nevertheless take their toll on your experience and your ability to enjoy life. This category of damages also compensates you for the intangible losses you have endured, including your inability to participate in normal activities or spend time bonding with your family.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages may only be awarded by a jury at the conclusion of a trial, but they may be worth seeking if your injuries were severe and your case involved extremely dangerous, reckless, or grossly negligent behaviors.
Important Steps to Take After You Have Been Involved in a Street Racing Accident
Taking the following steps can increase your chances of receiving a settlement for compensation.
Always Report the Accident
Immediately call 911 once you have been hurt or once you have moved to a safe location. Provide a statement that is as accurate as possible, and avoid apologizing or making admissions that would seem like a partial acceptance of fault.
Get Medical Attention ASAP
After you have been hurt in a street racing accident, be sure to report to a nearby hospital or other care provider as soon as possible. You will want all injuries diagnosed and to begin treatment immediately.
You also want a record of your injuries connected closely to the date of your accident.
Save all discharge papers and follow doctors’ orders to the letter. Do not return to work or engage in regular activities until you have been cleared.
Preserve All Evidence Possible
Evidence can be crucial for identifying the true cause of your accident and documenting other key aspects of your wreck.
If you are safely able to do so, take photos of the damage to your vehicle and of the accident scene in general. Also, take photos of your injuries over the course of the next few days or weeks in order to track how they develop.
Try to obtain contact information for any eyewitnesses, as well. Their input can often be a deciding factor in proving conclusively that someone was racing or otherwise being reckless in the events leading up to the accident.
Watch What You Say to Insurers
Insurers are always angling to reduce payouts and deny claims whenever possible. They may be on the lookout for statements that seem to admit guilt or that downplay the severity of your injuries.
Always decline to make a recorded statement and only release medical records that are directly relevant to your recent injuries.
In fact, you can be the most cautious by avoiding speaking with insurers entirely. Instead, you can defer communications to your attorney.
Since they have experience handling claims as well as negotiating settlements, they can save you both time and money when you are trying to recover in the wake of your accident.
Call an Atlanta Street Racing Accident Law Firm That’s Ready to Fight for You
Street racers put everyone on the road in the path of harm, and they deserve to pay the price for their shortsightedness. When you have been hurt in a major wreck caused by reckless driving shenanigans, turn to the attorney team that has a proven track record of winning claims for its clients.
Schedule your free, confidential case review with no obligation today when you reach out to our law firm by calling (404) 777-8800 or by using our convenient form to contact us online.
