Car accident costs can easily total hundreds of thousands of dollars, and even seemingly minor injuries can rack up additional bills over time. If you were injured in a car accident you didn’t cause, you’re entitled to a full financial recovery for your damages.
For the best chance at recovering all your costs, we recommend contacting a Mableton car accident lawyer as soon as you can after the wreck. John Foy & Associates can help.
Our Mableton personal injury lawyers have more than 350 years of combined experience helping car accident victims recover for all of their damages.
Should I Wait to Get All My Bills Before I File My Accident Claim?
Don’t wait to seek legal representation after an incident. Sometimes people want to wait to get all the bills, or are afraid that calling a lawyer early will mean paying more later.
Our Mableton car accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t have to pay us a cent until you win your case. If you lose, then you owe us nothing. If you win, then you pay us an agreed-upon percentage of the total settlement or judgment.
By working with a lawyer early on, you can get money much faster. Insurance companies often try to drag out settlements so your bills pile up. That makes their offer more attractive. With a personal injury attorney, you can quickly get an increased settlement offer in most cases.
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If I Don’t Feel Hurt, Do I Need to Go to the Doctor?
Yes! It’s quite common to feel fine after an accident, then feel terrible a few hours or days later. The reason for this is that your body is full of adrenaline and cortisol. You could also be in shock.
This will keep you awake and alert as a survival mechanism, but once these endorphins flush from your system, the pain starts. This is really common with whiplash injuries. People with whiplash can feel just fine right after the accident, then get overwhelmed a few hours afterward.
For these reasons, it’s best to see a doctor right away after a car accident, no matter how you feel. You could have injuries that aren’t fully revealed. An early doctor’s report will also increase your chance of significant compensation for your medical bills.
What if I Was Partly to Blame for the Car Accident?
It is possible for more than one driver to be at fault for a car accident. However, we find that many accident victims are inclined to blame themselves even if, in reality, they bear no fault at all. This isn’t helped by the fact that insurance companies are skilled at making accident victims think they played a part in the accident, even when they didn’t.
Before you apologize or accept any responsibility for the accident, contact a car accident lawyer in Mableton who can look at the details of the accident. They will help you determine the best course of action for your case.
In many situations, there is clearly a person to blame, such as in drunk driving accidents or if the driver ran a red light or was distracted. But even if you are partly to blame, your lawyer still can help you seek recovery.
What Damages Can I Recover After a Mableton Car Accident?
One of the most common questions car accident victims ask is: what am I actually entitled to? The answer depends on the facts of your case, but Georgia law allows you to pursue two broad categories of compensation.
Economic damages cover the financial losses you can document with bills, receipts, and pay stubs. These include:
- Medical expenses: Emergency room visits, surgeries, hospital stays, prescription medications, and follow-up appointments
- Future medical treatment: Ongoing care like physical therapy, specialist visits, or long-term rehabilitation
- Lost wages: Income you missed while recovering from your injuries, including future earning capacity if your injuries affect your ability to work
- Property damage: Repair or replacement costs for your vehicle and any other personal property damaged in the crash
Non-economic damages cover losses that don’t come with a receipt but are just as real. These include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and the impact the injuries have had on your relationships and daily routine. These damages can be significant, especially in serious auto accidents, but they’re also the ones insurance companies fight hardest to minimize.
In cases involving reckless or intentional conduct, Georgia courts may also award punitive damages on top of economic and non-economic damages.
A Mableton car accident attorney can review your situation and help you understand the full value of your personal injury claim, not just what the insurance company is willing to offer.
How Is Fault Determined in Mableton?
In Mableton and the whole state of Georgia, the person who caused the accident (in other words, the person who was at fault) is responsible for covering all costs. This means if you had no fault in the car collision, you can submit an insurance claim to the other driver’s insurance company to pay for your damages.
Fault is based on evidence that the driver’s actions (or lack of action) led to the accident. This includes:
- The police report from the car accident
- Information about the accident scene
- Statements from you, the other driver, and anyone who witnessed the accident
- Personal injuries and damage to the involved vehicles
The Role of Insurance for Finding Fault
When you file a claim with the other driver’s insurance company, an adjuster will be assigned to review the case. They will use the facts and evidence above to determine who was at fault for the accident.
However, keep in mind this person will be biased because they are looking for ways to reduce the insurance company’s costs. That means they will likely look for reasons to put some blame on you or undermine your actual expenses.
To make sure you are treated fairly, you’ll want to hire a Mableton car accident attorney who can hold the insurer responsible. They can point out inconsistencies in their assignment of fault, present additional evidence that supports your claim, and negotiate a settlement that is actually fair for you.
You Must File Your Claim Before the Deadline
There’s another good reason to have a Mableton auto accident lawyer on your side as soon as possible after your accident. There is a deadline to sue in personal injury cases called the statute of limitations. In Georgia, for most accidents, this is two years from your injury.
If you try to file a lawsuit after this deadline has passed, the court will not allow it. Quite likely, the insurer will also refuse to settle with you if you wait too long to make a claim. With a lawyer on your side, you can stop this clock so you don’t miss out on compensation.
Talk to a Mableton Car Accident Law Firm for a Free Consultation
Car crashes are stressful enough. Don’t get left paying for costs from an accident you didn’t even cause. At John Foy & Associates, we can help you seek full financial recovery for all of your damages. We don’t back down to insurance companies, and we know how to build a solid case that presents the real facts.
We’d love to give you a free consultation to get started today. Call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or fill out the form on this page for your free consultation now.
(404) 400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form