Savannah Car Accident Lawyer

If you have been injured in a car accident in Savannah, you are not alone. But you don’t have to bear the full cost of your accident. Let a Savannah car accident lawyer help you fight for compensation.

At John Foy & Associates, we have a 20-year track record of getting accident victims the money they need to pursue recovery and keep their financial lives on track. When you put us on your team, you get the full resources of one of the largest and most well-respected law firms in Georgia. We’d like to give you a free consultation to talk about your case and explain what we can do, so give us a call at 912-574-2287 to get started.

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 will need to:

• Call the police to report the accident and tell responding officers what happened
• Take pictures of the accident scene, your injuries, and vehicle damage to your car
• Avoid admitting any blame or apologizing to the other driver until you have all the facts
• 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’ve left the scene, see a doctor as soon as you can to have your injuries checked out. Some car accident injuries take time to fully show up, 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.

Also, keep track of all medical bills, doctor notes, and other records of your injuries and medical expenses.

Taking Notes on the Accident

Keep a record of what happened before, during, and after the car accident. Write down how the accident made you feel and how your injuries have impacted your day-to-day life. Also, record any names and contact information of people you’ve communicated with about your accident.

Getting a Car Inspection

Assess how much your vehicle damage will cost to repair (or replace, if your car was totaled). You might see a few different inspectors for an average estimate of how much your vehicle damage is worth before the other driver’s insurance company steps in.

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 records
• Quotes for vehicle damage repairs
• Full names, phone numbers, and addresses for all relevant contacts

Calling a Car Accident Lawyer

Schedule a consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer 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 can also help fight for the fair settlement you deserve.

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

Basically, be cautious in everything you do or say after a car accident. Avoid admitting blame, apologizing, or downplaying your damages—and get a trusted lawyer on your side who can help you take the right actions for your case. The goal is to protect your legal rights to full compensation for all the damages you face because of the other driver’s negligence that led to your accident.

Getting Your Injuries Checked Out

After you’ve left the scene, see a doctor as soon as you can to have your injuries checked out. Some car accident injuries take time to fully show up, 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.

Also, keep track of all medical bills, doctor notes, and other records of your injuries and medical expenses.

How Can a Lawyer Help With Your Savannah Car Accident?

When the other driver has insurance, most people expect the insurance company to take care of them and pay a fair settlement. But the insurance company does not have your best interest at heart. They want to make a profit and to do this, they will try to pay you less than your claim is really worth.  

Tricks the Insurance Company Might Try to Pull

The insurance company in your case might do any of the following:

• Call and act concerned, asking you such things as how you’re feeling. They may then use your answers against you when they process your claim.
• Offer you “fast cash” in hopes that you’ll take it and sign away your rights before you find out the true extent of your injuries and how much your treatment will cost.
• Offer you nothing for months. When they finally do make an offer, they hope you’ll be financially stressed enough to accept it right away
• Challenge the way your accident happened or the extent of your injuries in order to minimize the amount they pay.

Most people find it hard to recognize and fight against these tactics—especially when they’re already overwhelmed by the effects of the accident. Insurance companies have plenty of lawyers on their side, so it only makes sense to level the playing field by getting a lawyer of your own.  Sometimes, an insurance company offers more money just because you’ve put a lawyer on your case.

How Much Money Can You Recover in a Car Accident Claim?

The amount of money you receive depends on a variety of factors, including the way your accident happened and the type of injuries you have.  But generally, you are entitled to recover all your costs for the following:

• Medical bills
• Medications
• Car repair bills, or a replacement car if your car was totaled
• The money you lost by missing time from work

Some accident victims recover additional large amounts of money, usually for a serious loss like a permanent disability, severe pain, a permanent injury or the death of a close relative. We realize that money can’t ever compensate you for a life-altering accident, but we hope it can help you maintain your home and support your family while you focus on your healing process.

How Can You Tell If You Have a Valid Car Accident Claim?

It’s hard to objectively assess your own accident. Accident victims tend to second-guess themselves, and most people don’t know the laws that apply to car accidents in Georgia. In general, you have a valid claim if someone else was “negligent,” meaning that they could have prevented the accident by being more careful, paying better attention, or following the law.

Types of Valid Car Accident Claims

Many types of car accidents lead to valid claims, including these:

• Head-on collisions
• Rear-end accidents
• “T-bone” collisions
• Rain, ice, fog, and other road hazards
• Distracted driving, including texting while driving
• Drunk driving
• Defective tires or brakes
• Accidents causing whiplash injuries

You may have a valid claim even if you think it’s impossible to recover any money, such as when the other driver was uninsured or fled the scene of the accident.

Will You Have to Sue Somebody?

You never have to sue anybody, but occasionally it is your best option. We resolve most claims with the insurance company without ever filing a court case. But once in a while, the insurance company flatly refuses to negotiate. If that happens to you, we will explain the pros and cons of filing a case in the local courts—but it is always up to you to decide what you want to do. If you do file a lawsuit, rest assured that our experienced litigation team is ready and willing to handle your case.

In a more typical case, we never set foot inside a courtroom. Our first order of business is always to conduct our own investigation into the accident—how it happened and what kinds of injuries you suffered. We use hard evidence like police reports, witness accounts, and expert medical opinions to build our case and present it to the insurance company. That’s often all we need to do to get them to make you a fair offer.

How Much does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost in Savannah?

We don’t think it’s fair to ask you to pay up-front for an accident lawyer. At John Foy & Associates, we give you top-notch representation without asking you to take on a financial risk:

• Your consultation with us is free
• We won’t ask you to pay anything upfront while we handle your case
• We won’t charge you at all if we don’t win money for you

If we succeed in getting you money, we will take a percentage of the recovery as our fee. We think this is the best way to ensure you can afford legal help when you need it most.

Is There a Time Limit for Filing Car Accident Claims?

Both state and federal deadlines, or “statutes of limitations” apply to car accident claims in the City of Savannah. The exact deadline in your case will depend on your particular circumstances. For example:

• You may have two years to file your claim
• Your deadline may only be months away

These deadlines are important because if you miss them, you will not be allowed to recover money for your injuries. For this reason, it is important that you get advice from a lawyer right away.

Talk to a Savannah Car Accident Lawyer Today for Free

You shouldn’t be stuck paying for a car accident that you didn’t cause.  John Foy & Associates has been helping car accident victims get the money they need for more than 20 years.  We’d like to give you a free consultation to discuss your case and explain your options.  Call us at 912-574-2287 or fill out the form to your right for help.