Lawrenceville
Uninsured Motorist Accident Lawyer

By law, motorists in Lawrenceville must have automobile insurance for their vehicles. Unfortunately about 12 percent of Georgia’s car owners go without it. When one of these uninsured motorists causes an accident, there’s no insurance policy to pay for injuries and damage to other vehicles.

This happens in about 1 in 9 accidents in the state, and many more accident victims learn that there’s not enough coverage to fully pay for their losses. If you are in an accident with an uninsured or under-insured driver, you can still recover the full cost of your injuries and damage, but you will need assistance from an experienced Lawrenceville car accident attorney.

The lawyers at John Foy & Associates are ready to help. We’ve spent the past 20 years assisting accident victims, and we have a strong track record of getting money for people who have been in accidents with uninsured motorists.

The other driver chose to drive without insurance, but you should not have to pay for it. Call John Foy & Associates for a free consultation to go over your case and review your options.

How Much Money Can I Get from an Uninsured Motorist in Lawrenceville?

Georgia is what is known as a “fault state.” This means that the person who caused the accident is responsible for paying all the costs of everyone who was injured or suffered vehicle damage.

This is true even if the driver has no insurance. In the City of Lawrenceville, you can recover 100% of your costs from an uninsured motorist, and you may also be entitled to additional damages.  We commonly see these types of costs in uninsured motorist cases:

• Doctor and hospital bills
• Prescription drugs
• Physical or rehabilitative therapy
• Auto repairs or replacement
• Lost wages, if you missed work days because of the accident

In some cases, a court will award additional damages for serious conditions such as a disability or ongoing pain.  Judges know that money can’t erase the accident or return you to health.  But money awarded as damages has helped many of our clients regain their footing financially and finance care and treatment that will allow them to rebuild their lives.

What Should I Do If I’m in an Accident and the Other Driver doesn’t Have Insurance?

In any accident, your first priority is to get medical help for yourself and anyone else who needs it. If you don’t need to get to the emergency room immediately, we suggest you do a few things to protect yourself legally.

Uninsured drivers are notorious for trying to avoid responsibility or blame the accident on someone else. Here’s what we suggest:

• Call the police. If the uninsured driver says they don’t want to get the police involved, tell them that you’re just following Georgia law, which requires you to report an accident to the police if there are injuries or significant vehicle damage. The police report will help verify what happened and will also show that you did what you were legally required to do.
• Stay calm. The other driver may blame you or yell at you, but don’t take the bait. Be as even-tempered as possible and don’t argue or try to explain yourself. Act calm and reasonable when talking with the police, and don’t ever apologize for an accident that wasn’t your fault—it might be used against you later.
• Get photos. Photos can be important evidence in your claim. Use your cell phone camera to snap some shots of the vehicle damage, the accident scene, and anything else you think could be important.
• Talk to witnesses. Often there’s someone around who saw what happened, either immediately before or during the accident. Find out what they saw and get their contact information.
• See a doctor. Many auto accident injuries seem minor at first but grow worse over time. Even if you think you’re ok, get checked out by a doctor as soon as possible after the accident.

We also recommend you speak with a lawyer as soon as you can. It can be next to impossible to get money from an uninsured motorist without legal help, and the sooner you talk to a lawyer, the greater your chances of financial recovery.

If There’s No Insurance, How do I Recover Money from an Uninsured Motorist?

The methods we use to collect money from an uninsured driver depend on the circumstances of each individual case. Car owners in Lawrenceville are legally required to maintain at least a minimum amount of insurance coverage:

• At least $25,000 in bodily injury insurance, per victim
• At least $50,000 total bodily injury insurance
• At least $25,000 in property insurance

As you can imagine, the damages in a serious car wreck can be far greater than these minimum insurance amounts. The local courts often see cases where a vehicle owner had the minimum amount of insurance, but not nearly enough to pay the victims’ expenses. When this happens, the court can order the money paid in another way, such as:

• Through the uninsured/underinsured motorist protection in your own insurance policy
• Through other insurance policies that might apply
• Though a court order requiring the other driver to pay you out of pocket
• By placing a lien on the other driver’s home, car or other assets

To increase your chance of recovering money, it’s important to seek legal help as soon as possible after your accident. The attorney will help you get the money you need, while keeping the legal process as stress-free as possible.

Talk to a Lawrenceville Uninsured Motorist Accident Lawyer for Free

At John Foy & Associates, we are committed to giving accident victims the legal help they need. We offer a free consultation, and we charge you nothing for your case unless we can win you money. Just because the uninsured driver made a bad choice doesn’t mean you have to bear the cost.