If you were injured in an auto wreck, you need legal counsel from a car accident attorney in Gainesville. Even if your injury seems minor, it can cost you far more than you expect – and the insurance company will do everything possible to minimize the amount of money they pay.
In some cases, car crash victims are left holding hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses when the insurer says their duty is done. At John Foy & Associates, we have spent over 20 years building a reputation as one of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and effective personal injury law firms in the business.
If you have questions after an accident, our Gainesville personal injury lawyer is here to help.
Should You Get a Lawyer for a Car Crash?
If you have any reason to believe that someone else’s negligence caused your accident, then yes, you should contact a lawyer for your car crash. Even if your accident was minor, medical bills and repair costs can quickly mount up and become more than you expect.
Our car accident lawyers in Gainesville don’t charge anything upfront, so you don’t have to worry about sinking money into lawyer fees if you don’t have a good case. In fact, we don’t make anything unless you win compensation. There’s no risk to hiring our attorneys, or at least getting a free consultation.
You might be tempted to forgo a lawyer and try to take on your claim yourself. That’s not advisable. People who try to represent themselves face steep challenges and significantly reduced chances of success.
Having a skilled car crash lawyer by your side could mean the difference between getting the compensation you need and having to pay your bills out of your own pocket. The person at fault for your accident should be responsible for your damages. Our team of attorneys can help to make them accountable.
A car accident graphic from John Foy & Associates. To find out how you can get compensation for your damages, talk to a Gainesville car accident attorney for free.
What Can a Gainesville Car Accident Lawyer Do for You?
The most important thing your lawyer can do for you is to negotiate on your behalf with the insurance company and compel them to pay 100% of your costs. Car insurance companies don’t want to do this – not even for their most loyal customers.
Insurance companies have a team of attorneys waiting to find a loophole, technicality, or mistake they can use to deny or reduce your claim. Without legal counsel, you simply cannot meet them on even footing.
Tricks the Insurance Companies Try to Pull to Get Out of Paying Claims
Some of the tactics we’ve seen insurance companies use include:
- Calling you a liar or claiming you exaggerated your injury
- Giving a “friendly” call to ask if you’re feeling better and then using that information against you
- Recommending a doctor who will diagnose your injury as less severe than it really is
- Giving you quick money today, but requiring that you sign away what you’re owed tomorrow
- Recording your phone conversations and using your words out of context
- Rushing you to sign papers before you have a full diagnosis
- Delaying your claim for months so that you face intense financial pressure to take their first offer.
This is the company you pay to look out for you – and they can get away with it, especially if you don’t have a good lawyer representing you. Insurance companies know that most people won’t talk to a lawyer, and will take the first money they’re offered. A good car accident lawyer in Gainesville is one who can force them to the table and get you the full amount you need.
Evidence We Look for
To make sure the insurance company doesn’t take advantage of you, your attorney will need to build a strong case. To do that, they’ll need convincing evidence that the other party was negligent and that they cause specific damages. Evidence in a car accident case can include:
- Pictures of the scene of the accident
- Video footage of the crash
- Driving and criminal records
- Witness statements
- Expert testimony
- Medical documents
- Repair bills
By gathering thorough evidence, your lawyer will be able to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were the victim of someone else’s negligence. They’ll also show how much you’re owed so the insurance company doesn’t try to short you on your payment.
What Is the Average Settlement for a Car Crash?
Every car accident is different, so every car accident claim is different. Because of that, there’s no one number for a good settlement–if you were in a huge crash and sustained lots of damages, your settlement could be large. If your accident was minor and you have a few medical bills, your settlement will be smaller.
Recent reports from the Insurance Information Institute (III) put the average compensation for bodily injury in a car crash at $18,417. The average compensation for property damage is around $4,525. These are national averages of all car accident compensation, though, and your results will vary.
John Foy & Associates is better than average, though. We’ve been getting results for accident victims for decades. Notable settlements include:
- $2,075,000 for severe injuries caused by a negligent driver
- $2,000,000 for a fatal car accident
- $1,200,000 for multiple injuries sustained in a car crash
- $775,000 for injuries after a driver lost control of their car
- $725,000 for a rear-end car accident
When you meet with one of our car accident attorneys in Gainesville, they will listen to your story and assess your situation. Our team will be able to give you a better understanding of how much your settlement might be.
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What Costs Could You Recover After a Car Accident?
You are entitled to recover 100% of the money you lost because of your injuries. This can include:
- All the medical expenses you have accrued to date – doctors, hospitals, and specialists
- The estimated amount of any future medical expenses related to the injury
- Tests, X-rays, and MRIs
- Physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy related to the accident
- Cost of medication
- The full amount of any wages you lose because your injury prevented you from working
- Money to offset any long-term disability or life-changing injury
- Car repairs or a new car to replace the one that was destroyed
By calculating your damages, your Gainesville personal injury lawyer will be able to show the insurance company exactly how much you’re owed. Our team knows where to look to get the full scope of the damages that the other party’s negligence caused.
How do You Know If You Have a Valid Car Accident Case?
Every car accident is different. The only way to know for sure whether you have a strong case is to speak to a good lawyer.
As a general rule, anyone who was hurt in a car accident may have a case. This is true for minor injuries, major injuries, and no matter how the accident came about. If you need to see a doctor after the accident, you likely have an injury that should be covered by insurance, and there’s a strong chance it will cost you more than you think.
Examples of some of the types of cases we have successfully represented include:
- Accidents in the rain, fog, or dangerous driving conditions
- Faulty tire cases
- Whiplash
- Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries
- Accidents involving distracted driving or drunk driving
- Rear-end accidents
- Head-on collisions
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Accidents involving an uninsured motorist
Your lawyer should be willing to sit down for a free consultation, discuss the specifics of your case, and give you their opinion—with no obligation to hire them. This meeting can take just 30-60 minutes and can help you make an informed choice about your case.
Potentially Liable Parties in Your Car Accident Claim
You may think the other driver is the only person responsible for your crash, but when we investigate your accident more in-depth, it may actually be several people from whom you can pursue compensation.
In addition to the driver of the other car, parties who may be liable for your crash can include:
- Bicyclists
- Motorcyclists
- Pedestrians
- Truck drivers and their employers
- Bus drivers and their employers
- The manufacturer of the other driver’s car
- Rideshare drivers
Contact us to learn more about who may be liable for your accident and how to prove it.
Can You Be Partially at Fault for a Car Accident?
Yes, in Gainesville, sometimes you could be found partially at fault for your car accident. That’s because Georgia is a comparative fault state. “Comparative fault,” also known as contributory negligence, means that your compensation could be reduced if you were also negligent in your accident.
According to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) § 51-12-33, the court can decide to reduce your compensation in proportion to the amount of fault you had in your accident. For example, if you stand to receive $10,000 in damages, but you had 20% of the fault, your compensation is docked by $2,000.
The other party’s representation and the insurance company will try their hardest to prove you were partially negligent so they will have to pay less money. In order to avoid a smaller settlement, it’s important to show that you were totally a victim and had no fault. Our Gainesville car crash lawyers know what to do to prove that you had no contributory negligence.
Do You Have to Go to Court for a Car Accident Claim?
Most car accident cases never go to court. Instead, they’re typically resolved through simple negotiation. Once you have a lawyer on your side, your lawyer will take over all correspondence and contact between you and the insurance company.
Your attorney will shield you from prying questions and misleading phone calls. They will assemble strong evidence of the full extent of your injuries and show your insurance company that you could win in court if it came to that. At this point, most insurance companies will settle and give you the money.
In some cases, the insurer may still refuse to give in. If necessary, we can file a lawsuit and take your case to the Hall County courts—but this is always your choice to make. If your case goes to court we will advise you at every step and make the process as easy as possible.
What does It Cost to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Gainesville?
At John Foy & Associates, we make it as easy for you as possible when hiring a Gainesville car accident attorney:
- You pay us nothing for your consultation
- You pay us nothing out of pocket
- You pay us nothing ever unless we money for you
We want to keep it risk-free for you. We only get paid if we win, and then the money comes out of the financial recovery, not out of your pocket. We understand that the aftermath of a car accident is already expensive enough, so we strive to make good legal representation accessible to everyone.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Car Accidents in Georgia?
Georgia usually puts a two-year statute of limitations on car accident injury claims, according to OCGA § 9-3-33. However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, extenuating circumstances can reduce your window of opportunity to mere weeks.
That’s why it’s important to get in contact with a lawyer as soon as possible. We need to get to work on your case as soon as possible so that we can get the best evidence we can. The faster you act, the better your chances are of getting the compensation you deserve.
Speak to a Gainesville Car Accident Attorney Today for Free
Our clients know that we put their needs first – that we believe you have the right to seek compensation for your losses, and that the insurance company is the one who should pay the cost. Car accident cases move quickly, and there is a deadline to file your claim. Don’t miss your chance to get the money you deserve.
The Gainesville car accident lawyers at John Foy & Associates will give you a free consultation and help you decide if you have a case. Call us or fill out the form to your right and get your FREE consultation today.
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