Snellville Personal Injury Lawyer

Snellville, Georgia is a suburb of Atlanta with a population of around 20,000. It boasts the annual Snellville Days festival, which was deemed one of the Top 20 tourism events in May by the Southeastern Tourism Society. The New London Theater Group and the Gwinnett Ballet Theater also call Snellville home.

Even in a place with the small-town charm of Snellville, sometimes serious car wrecks can happen, and they can introduce turmoil to your life. When this happens, you may feel overwhelmed and frustrated, but attorney Ali Awad, the CEO Lawyer, is here to protect your legal rights. He won’t accept lowball offers and will negotiate with insurers to get you an appropriate amount of compensation. Arm yourself with the legal representation you need to ensure the settlement you deserve.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, now is the time to call Ali Awad for a no-obligation consultation of your case. The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm injury and accident attorneys operate on a contingency basis, which means they don’t get paid unless you do. You have nothing to lose by calling (833) 254-2923 to learn more about what you can do to receive compensation for your injuries.

Car Accidents in Snellville

In 2019, Snellville saw 6 fatal accidents, none of which involved pedestrians. One was on SR-24, one was on Knollwood Drive, one on Oak Road, one on County Road 5329, one on Ronald Reagan Parkway, and one at the intersection of US-SR-10 and Rosebud Road.

Car crashes can happen for all sorts of reasons. Often, one driver is negligent in some way, and this can cause problems for the other driver if they’re seriously hurt. Here are some common situations that can lead to a serious accident:

• Distracted driving. Texting or doing anything with a phone, eating, drinking, fiddling with the radio or other dashboard controls, doing hair or other grooming activities – these things can all take your eyes off the road and your attention off driving safely. In 2019, 3,142 people were killed due to distracted driving. If you really need to look at something, find a safe place to pull over first.
• Speeding. Going too fast raises the amount of time it takes you to come to a complete stop when needed, increases the risk of collisions, and increases the odds you’ll be injured if an accident happens. In fact, the NHTSA reports that speeding led to 9,478 traffic deaths in 2019, and proved to be a contributing factor in about 26 percent of all traffic fatalities.
• Driving under the influence. In 2016 alone, more than 10,000 people in the US died from alcohol-related crashes, making up about 28% of all traffic fatalities. Today there are many good alternatives to driving yourself home if you’ve had a bit too much, including rideshare apps, designated drivers, or an old-fashioned taxi.
• Drowsy driving. Driving while tired or sleepy can be as dangerous as driving while drunk.
• Tailgating. Even if you’re still obeying the speed limit, following too closely is a hazard. Drivers can stop suddenly for many reasons, and if you’re too close, you can hit the vehicle in front of you. If the other driver is going too slowly, find a safe place to pass them instead.
• Poor weather conditions and night driving. Ice and snow are particularly problematic in the south, where they don’t happen very often. As a result, many drivers aren’t very experienced in driving on ice or snow, and may not know what to do. Rain or fog can also cause issues as the road may become slippery or visibility may be reduced. Night driving also leads to diminished visibility. Motorists are advised to slow down and proceed with extra caution in any bad weather situation.
• Running red lights and stop signs. These actions lead to a lot of intersection crashes. Even if you don’t see anyone coming, you should still stop at red lights and stop signs. Disobeying or coasting through yield signs is another common problem. Always yield to vehicles that have the right-of-way.
• Vehicle malfunctions. Sometimes your car just stops running in the middle of the road. While proper vehicle maintenance can help reduce the risk, sometimes cars still break down. When they do, you can be left in the middle of the street, which is a dangerous situation. If this happens, turn your blinkers on immediately to warn other drivers. Although normal wear and tear can lead to car components failing, sometimes a vehicle or part may be defective when you get it. If this leads to an accident, you may have a claim against the vehicle manufacturer.

Negligence in Car Accidents

In many situations, car accidents are caused by the negligence of one or both drivers. Under Georgia’s comparative negligence laws, the court will assign a percentage of fault to each driver. It may be “0” and “100” percent if it’s clear one person was completely at fault. However, there are some cases where one party will be mostly at fault, but the other driver is found to have contributed to the crash by 10 or 20 percent.

Why is this important? Comparative negligence statutes base damages from a car crash on these percentages. If one driver is more than 49 percent at fault, the other driver is not responsible for any damages. A driver who is less than 49 percent at fault can still collect damages, but these will be cut by the amount they are at fault.

How Can You Prove Negligence in a Car Accident Case?

This depends on the specific situation. Generally, you need to demonstrate that you suffered harm in the crash and that the other party caused it. You may rely on witness statements, pictures or video of the crash, and any other evidence you can gather. Your Snellville personal injury lawyer may assign an investigator to look into the case further in the hopes of finding more evidence.

Sometimes people end up arguing with the other driver or their insurance company. It’s frustrating when they insist that you were at fault and you know that isn’t true. But arguing with the other party or worse, an insurance adjuster, is not a good idea. The insurance adjuster is likely to try to use anything you say against you.

In fact, it’s best if you don’t interact with the other driver’s insurance company at all. This surprises people sometimes, as they may want to file a claim. It’s true that most car accident claims start with the at-fault driver’s insurance. However, it’s best to speak with a Snellville personal injury attorney before filing a claim. They can advise you on what to say, or handle dealing with the insurance company for you.

Aside from the fact that the insurer may try to blame you to avoid paying the claim, there’s another potential issue: The insurance company may make you an offer right away. Now, you may be wondering how that could be a problem. The answer is that getting an offer right away is often a sign that the insurer wants to get rid of you for as small a payout as possible.

This is especially important to understand if you’ve been injured. Do you know how much your medical bills will be? You may have an initial bill, but what if you need follow-up care? What if you don’t heal as expected and need further treatment? What if you develop chronic pain and need continuing treatment? Will the offer even cover the medical bills you have now and any damage to your car?

A lot of these questions are hard to answer on your own. You can’t predict the course of your treatment plan or if you’ll still be in pain three months from now. Nor can you predict if your insurance company will decide to deny your claim for some reason, leaving you to pay the entire bill instead of a copay or deductible. What you can do is talk to a personal injury lawyer in Snellville before making any decisions about accepting an offer. Your attorney will go over your case and current medical bills, and let you know if the offer is fair. If it isn’t, they can negotiate with the insurer so you can concentrate on getting better.

Remember that you do not have to take calls from the other party’s insurance company, and are under no legal obligation to answer their questions. You can let their calls go to voicemail, and if you’ve already answered the phone, it’s perfectly fine to say that this isn’t a good time and hang up. If an adjuster says they want to make an offer, ask them to send it to you in writing so you can review it, then hang up.

FAQ: Can I Collect Damages for the Time I Missed At Work After My Accident?

Yes, you can. Lost wages are considered damages in personal injury cases. In addition, you can collect damages for medical costs, travel costs to and from medical treatments, both physical and mental pain and suffering, property damage (to your vehicle or property in the vehicle that was damaged), lost opportunities (such as being unable to start a new job due to your injuries), loss of enjoyment of life, loss of companionship if a loved one died from the accident, and in less common cases, punitive damages. Punitive damages are extra damages intended to punish the defendant. Occasionally these may be awarded in cases of intoxicated drivers, but in most personal injury cases they do not come up.

What If the Other Driver Only Had Minimum Insurance Coverage, Am I Out of Luck?

Not necessarily. A good attorney may be able to find other options for collecting compensation. You might sue the other driver directly if they have enough assets to make this endeavor worthwhile. In some situations, you may have a claim against various third parties – the driver’s employer (only if they were working at the time they hit you), a person or entity who knowingly provided a drunk driver with alcohol while aware they would drive soon, your own insurance if you had underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage, a manufacturer who caused some defect in your car that led to the crash, etc. Whether any of these options will work for you depends entirely on the details of your case, so you’ll need to speak with an attorney to learn more about how you can proceed.

When you’re ready to fight for the financial restitution you deserve, you need an attorney who’s ready to fight with you. The CEO Lawyer and his team are always on your side and have the knowledge and experience to handle big insurance companies. Call us at (833) 254-2923 or contact us online today for a free consultation.