Albany Car Accident Lawyer

What Can I Do to Protect My Rights After a Car Accident?

To legally protect yourself after a car accident, you will need to document the accident, gather evidence, get your injuries treated as soon as possible, and seek legal help.

Documenting the Scene

After the accident happens, you must:

• Alert the local authorities to report the accident and tell responding officers what happened.
• Take pictures of the accident scene, your injuries, and vehicle damage to your car.
• Refrain from acknowledging any fault or expressing remorse towards the other driver until you have fully gathered all relevant information.
• Talk to witnesses and get their names and contact information.

Each of these steps can help create a record of the car accident, which is crucial for your insurance claim.

Getting Your Injuries Checked Out

After you leave the accident scene, get medical attention as soon as you can to have your injuries checked out. Some common car accident injuries aren’t immediately apparent, so you should see a doctor even if your pain is minor. The sooner you can get treatment and create a record that you saw someone for your injuries, the better it is for your case.

Some common car accident injuries include:

• Whiplash
• Spinal cord injuries
• Broken bones
• Head injuries
• Internal injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Memory loss
• Loss of limbs
• Crush injuries
• Loss of body function
• Fatal injuries

Also, keep track of all medical care bills, doctor notes, and other records of your severe injuries and medical expenses. This can help get you maximum compensation for your damages.

Taking Notes on the Accident

Document the events leading up to, during, and following the car accident. Note your emotions and the effect of your injuries on your daily activities. Additionally, jot down the names and contact details of anyone you’ve spoken with regarding the incident.

Getting a Car Inspection

Evaluate the approximate expense for repairing your vehicle damages or, if it is beyond repair, the cost for a replacement. You can consult multiple assessors to obtain an overall estimate of the value of the damages caused to your vehicle prior to involving the other party’s insurance provider.

Documenting Your Damages

Keep track of all costs associated with your car accident. Use a file or folder to save documents and notes in one place. This should include:

• Your claim number
• The insurance adjuster’s name
• All medical bills and medical records
• Quotes for vehicle damage repairs
• Full names, phone numbers, and addresses for all relevant contacts

Calling a Car Accident Lawyer in Albany, GA

Schedule a consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer in Albany, GA, who can make sure you are doing everything to protect your rights after the accident. It’s easy to get taken advantage of if you don’t know how to handle the insurance company, so a lawyer can make sure that doesn’t happen. They’ll also work hard to help you get the fair settlement you deserve.

If the other driver or the insurance company tries fighting against your claim, your lawyer will be there every step of the way—even if you need to take the driver to trial.

After a car accident, it is crucial to be vigilant in your actions and words. Refrain from accepting blame, offering apologies, or diminishing your losses. Your best bet is to secure the services of a dependable lawyer who can advise you on the appropriate measures to take for your case. Remember, you aim to safeguard your legal entitlement to complete reimbursement for all the harm inflicted on you due to the other driver’s carelessness that caused the mishap.

Do I Really Need a Car Accident Attorney in Albany, GA?

Yes. Many accident victims are reluctant to hire a lawyer because they think it’s not worth it. They believe the insurance company will offer a fair settlement and that lawyers will charge high fees without getting them more money. This is not true.

Insurance companies aren’t interested in being fair to you. They want to make a profit, and one of the ways they stay profitable is to pay as little as possible to accident victims. They have several ways of tricking you into accepting a low settlement:

• They sound friendly and concerned and then use whatever you say against you.
• They encourage you to take a settlement right away. They know you haven’t had a chance to find out what your injuries will really cost, and they also know that if you take the “quick cash,” you’ll sign away your right to ask for more money later.
• They don’t do anything. They wait for months, letting your medical bills pile up before they offer you any money at all. The insurance companies hope that you’ll be under so much financial pressure that you’ll take anything you can get.
• They say the accident is your fault to avoid paying anything, or they question your injuries so they won’t have to pay as much.

Often, insurance companies will deny or devalue your claim. But a good personal injury lawyer has seen these tactics many times and knows how to deal with them. But most accident victims alone are no match for an insurance company with teams of lawyers on its side.

When you hire a car accident attorney in Albany, GA, you get an experienced advocate who will fight for you. Most times, insurance companies offer substantially more money just because there’s a lawyer on your case.

What Costs and Expenses Can I Get in a Car Accident Claim?

The City of Albany and Dougherty County follow Georgia law, which allows accident victims to recover all their costs and damages. We routinely recover these types of costs for our clients:

• Medical expenses such as doctor and hospital bills
• Prescriptions
• Vehicle repairs, including body shops and replacing a totaled car (personal property damage)
• The cost of missed time from work because of the accident
• Emotional distress
• Punitive damages

Suppose you were seriously injured in your accident. In that case, you may be able to recover even more money for a permanent injury, disability, ongoing pain, or even the loss of a loved one. 

Of course, money cannot reverse these tragic losses, but it can give you financial security to make it easier to get treatment and cope with life after the accident.

How do I Know If My Car Accident Claim Is Valid?

Many people second-guess themselves after accidents, questioning whether they did something wrong or minimizing the effects of the accident. Don’t fall into this trap. Your accident happened for a reason, and you are doing yourself and your family a disservice if you don’t get a professional opinion on whether you have a claim.

Most car accidents happen because someone is “negligent,” meaning they were careless or didn’t follow the law. If someone else was negligent, you have a valid claim. We have successfully handled claims in many kinds of motor vehicle accidents, including:

• Head-on accidents
• Rear-end accidents
• “T-bone” accidents
• Minor fender-bender
• Multi-vehicle pileup
• Hit-and-run accident
• Rollover accidents
• Reckless driving
• Truck accidents
• Accidents caused by rain, dense fog, or hazardous roads
• Texting and distracted driving
• Driving under the influence (drugged driving, drunk driving, etc.)
• Defective tires and other parts
• Faulty brakes

Our personal injury attorneys have recovered money even when the fault party fled the scene or didn’t have insurance.

How Will You Prove Damages and Negligence in My Claim?

First, we will help you gather evidence. The steps we outlined above protect you and help us get the evidence we need to start building your case. We will also interview witnesses and hire experts, if necessary, to reconstruct what happened.

We will also help you document all the costs related to the case, things like current and future medical bills and lost wages, to help you get a fair amount for your claim. Then, we will approach the insurance company for an automobile accident settlement.

To prove your claim, we will need to show that the other driver was negligent and caused your injuries to the insurance company. Our experienced Albany, GA, car accident attorneys know what the insurance companies are looking for and can likely get you a fair settlement without going to trial.

Will I Have to File a Car Accident Case in Court?

The majority of auto accident claims are resolved before anyone files a lawsuit or goes to court. In rare cases, an insurance company won’t negotiate at all, and it may make sense to take the case to the local courts. If this happens to you, we will advise you on your options and your chances of winning at trial.

If you decide you want to go to court, we have experienced litigators who will take care of everything. Most of the time, however, we present a strong case to the insurance company, and they then offer a fair settlement.

We investigate every case and build the strongest possible claim through police reports, witness statements, expert evidence, and medical assessments of the extent of your injuries and what you will need to recover. Many times, our evidence alone prompts the insurance company to make a substantially higher offer.

How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Case in Georgia?

If you plan to sue, you need to know how long you can wait before your claim is no longer valid. This is called the statute of limitations. In Georgia, per Ga. Code § 9-3-33, you have two years to sue for any injuries and four years to sue for any property damage. However, there are exceptions.

For instance, if your child was injured in an accident, their statute of limitations clock does not start until they turn 18. Another thing that could shorten the clock is if the other vehicle was a vehicle operated by the government.

If you wait too long, the courts will refuse to hear your case, and you may also lose the right to a settlement from the insurance company. Thus, it is in your best interest to start the process as soon as possible after your accident by contacting a lawyer.

How do I Find the Best Albany Car Accident Lawyer Near Me?

There are lots of lawyers out there, and it can be hard to know which one to choose. Here are some suggestions:

• Choose a personal injury lawyer who represents accident victims. Lawyers have areas of expertise, and you want a lawyer who is familiar with personal injury claims. A lawyer who represents accident victims exclusively will have your best interests at heart and will not be sympathetic to the insurance company.
• Choose an experienced lawyer. An experienced lawyer knows how to deal with insurance company tricks, has experience working with experts to build your case, and will give you a good assessment of what your case is worth and how you should proceed.
• Choose a lawyer who won’t charge you up-front. You should never pay fees upfront in a personal injury case. Choose a law firm that only charges a fee if it wins money for you.

Above all, get in touch with an Albany car accident lawyer as soon as you can after your accident. The sooner your lawyer begins working on your case, the better your position will be with the insurance company.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Albany, GA Now

At John Foy & Associates, our Albany, GA, car accident lawyers help accident victims get the maximum financial award possible. In fact, that’s all we do. We began as a small local law office, and over the past 20 years, we have grown into one of the biggest and most highly regarded law firms in the state.

Our Albany car accident lawyers have seen the devastating effects of car accidents firsthand, and we want you to get the money you need to stay on the road to recovery. We will meet with you for free, with no obligation, to talk about your case and help you decide what to do next. Contact us or fill out the form to get your FREE consultation today.