Car Accident Lawyer
Serving Athens

If you’ve been hurt in a car accident in Athens, GA, it’s important for you to get legal counsel.  The medical costs for even a minor car accident can easily run over $10,000, and in many cases, we see hospital bills that run $100,000 or higher.  Faced with these costs, the insurance company will do everything possible to pay less than its share and you can be left holding the bill – which is why you need to speak to a lawyer. 

At John Foy & Associates, we have built a reputation as one of the most effective, most experienced car accident law firms serving Athens-Clarke County. We believe you have a right to recover as fully as possible from your injury and that your insurance company has a duty to help you during this painful time. Call our personal injury attorneys at 706-400-4000 today for a free consultation. 

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 car accident lawyer handling cases in Athens help you?

A lawyer can help you by taking over the more complicated and confusing aspects of your case to ensure that everything is handled smoothly and on time. Our car accident attorneys serving Athens will help you by:

• Gathering evidence to prove the other party’s liability
• Hiring accident reconstruction experts to recreate the accident and help prove fault
• Calculating your damages to negotiate the fairest settlement amount possible and reviewing any offers you receive
• Filing a demand letter with the other driver’s insurance company
• Litigating your case, if it comes to that

The insurance company is not your friend

You pay your insurance company to protect you.  According to your policy, they are supposed to step in and cover medical costs in the event of a car accident.  But no insurance company wants to pay a penny more than they have to—and they have an army of lawyers helping them find ways out of their contract with you. 

We have seen insurance companies use every trick in the book, including:

• Accuse you of lying or exaggerating your injury
• Call to see “how you’re doing” only to use anything positive you said against you
• Steer you toward a doctor who will claim your injury is not severe
• Offer you quick cash today, to fool you into signing away the rest of what you’re owed
• Record conversations on the phone with you
• Pressure you to sign papers before you know how serious your injury is
• Delay payments for weeks or months so that you face financial pressure to sign

The reason insurers can get away with this is because they know that most people won’t get a lawyer.  They assume that you will get frustrated and sign whatever they want, even if it means you’re left with medical bills or a lifelong injury. The one thing they don’t want you to do is to talk to a lawyer because good accident lawyers know how to get you the full amount you deserve.

Types of damages you can claim

The total amount of your lawsuit can include, but is not limited, to the following:

• All of your current medical expenses related to the injury
• The estimated total of all future medical care the injury will still need
• The cost of seeing a specialist
• Physical therapy or other rehabilitative therapy
• Medicine costs
• The total amount of all wages you lost because you couldn’t go to work
• Payment to offset any disability or life-altering injury
• The cost of repairing your car or getting a new car

It is highly unlikely that your insurance company will offer to cover all of these expenses for you. Never settle for less than the true amount you’re owed. Contact an attorney for help.

How do you know if you have a case?

Car accident cases are complex.  The best way to get a definitive answer is to talk to a car accident attorney serving Athens. You should be able to sit down, explain what happened, and discuss your case for free, with no obligation.  All it takes is 30-60 minutes to get a professional opinion on whether you might have a case.

Broadly speaking, anyone injured in a car accident in Athens, GA may have a case.  It doesn’t matter how the accident happened or whether the injury seems major or minor.  The bottom line is, if you need medical attention after an accident, there’s a good chance you will have ongoing problems that will cost far more than the insurance company offers. 

Types of car accident injury claims our clients have won

We have seen defendants win their cases for all kinds of car accident claims, including:

• Slippery/ foggy roads
• Whiplash
• Brain injury
• Distracted driving
• Faulty tires
• Head-on collisions and rear-end collisions
• Hit and run accidents
• Hit by an uninsured motorist

Will you have to go to court?

No, in many cases a car accident claim can be resolved with no lawsuit and no trial.  The first thing we will do when you contact us is to gather as much information about your accident as possible.  We will send an investigator to interview you, we will look at the scene of the accident, and we will help you see a doctor who specializes in your type of injury so you can get a realistic sense of how much treatment is needed.  All of this helps us build the strongest possible case when we speak to the insurance company.  Often, this is all it takes to get them to change their position and pay you a fair amount. 

In other cases, the insurance company may hold out.  We are known as the “Strong Arm” law firm of Georgia and we will put hard pressure on the insurer during negotiation.  As a last resort, you have the option of filing a lawsuit with the local courts.  This is always your choice.  If your case does go to court, we will handle everything for you from start to finish. 

How much does a car accident lawyer serving Athens cost?

At John Foy & Associates we keep to a simple promise:

• You pay nothing for your initial consultation or any consultation
• You pay nothing upfront
• You pay nothing if we don’t win you money

The only way we take a fee at all is if we get you a financial recovery.  Our fee comes out of the money you’ve won, so you never spend a cent out of pocket.  We structure our fees this way to ensure that you face no risk in hiring us. 

Talk to a greater Athens area personal injury lawyer today for free

Car accident cases have tight deadlines.  If you wait too long to file your claim, you could lose your right forever.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.  Call John Foy & Associates and let us help you.  Contact us at 706-400-4000 or fill out the form to your right and get your FREE consultation today.