No one climbs into a car anticipating that they won’t arrive at their destination, yet there were 42,514 car accident deaths in the U.S. in a single recent year, 1,797 of which occurred in Georgia. Fortunately, not all car accidents end in fatalities, but car accident injury victims may suffer temporary or permanent disability with impacts on all aspects of their lives.
If you’ve suffered injuries in a car accident in Duluth, you don’t have to add the burden of a complex legal process to your distress. Instead, call the Duluth injury lawyers at González Torres Law to learn your legal rights and options for financial recovery.
Why Hire the Duluth Car Accident Lawyers at Gonzalez Torrez Law?
At González Torres Law, we’ve amassed over two decades of combined legal experience with a deep knowledge of Georgia’s traffic laws, civil courts, and comparative negligence insurance system. When you hire an attorney from our firm, you can expect the following:
- A free case consultation
- Contingency-based payment so you pay us nothing until we’ve recovered your compensation through a settlement or in court
- A policy of open communication and bilingual services so every client is informed and involved throughout every step of their case
- Access to the best accident reconstruction specialists and medical experts to strengthen your claim
We are ready to put our years of experience, skilled staff, and dedicated injury victim advocacy methods behind your Georgia car accident claim.
What Types of Car Accidents Happen in Duluth?
Duluth’s residents lead busy lives, which commonly results in crowded community traffic and busy highways. Unfortunately, others on the road sometimes fail to follow traffic laws or engage in dangerous behaviors such as texting and driving, speeding, and aggressive driving. Common types of car accidents include the following:
- T-bone accidents or broadside collisions
- Rear-end collisions
- Head-on collisions
- Sideswipes
- Car vs. Commercial truck accidents
- Tire blowouts
- Roadway departures
- Collisions with obstacles, like guardrails or construction equipment
- Multi-car pileups
Under Georgia’s comparative negligence car accident laws, a car accident injury victim must present compelling evidence of another driver’s liability in an accident claim to recover full compensation for their damages.
Understanding the Comparative Negligence Car Accident Laws In Georgia
Georgia operates under a pure comparative negligence car accident system. Under this fault-based accident law, the insurance company has an incentive to assign a portion of liability to car accident victims to protect their own profits. For example, if the insurance adjuster finds you 25% at fault for the accident they could reduce a $100,000 claim to $75,000.
The following example explains how this system works:
Suppose another driver runs a red light and hits your car in an intersection. It appears that they are 100% responsible for the accident, but what if the insurance company determines that you were traveling six miles per hour over the speed limit? They could determine that you would not have been in the intersection at the time of the collision had you been following the traffic law.
Under Georgia law, you may still recover a portion of your damages after a car accident as long as you are less than 50% at fault. This system benefits those who contribute to the cause of an accident, but it can be used against injury victims by an insurance company that shifts liability to an injured car accident survivor to minimize the payout on a claim.
What to Do After a Car Accident In Duluth
The immediate aftermath of a car accident is chaotic and overwhelming for injury victims. If an accident leaves an injury victim incapacitated, they have to rely on others for help. In some cases, however, an injury victim can use their phone without moving or causing further injury. Accident victims can also ask an uninjured companion or bystander to help by doing the following:
- Call 911 to report the accident
- Use the phone’s camera to quickly preserve evidence by photographing the accident scene before emergency services move the vehicles out of their resting positions
- Take photos of the damaged vehicles and anything relevant to the accident, such as traffic signals or signs
- Take photos of any visible injuries
- Add the contact information of the other driver or drivers
- Add the contact information of any eyewitnesses to the accident
- Record a brief statement about what you remember about the moments leading up to the accident and the cause of the crash
It’s crucial to seek medical treatment as soon as possible after an accident or to go directly from the scene in an ambulance. After the doctor treats your emergency injuries, ask for a complete evaluation to diagnose injuries that may have delayed symptoms, such as whiplash, traumatic brain injuries, and internal bleeding.
A detailed medical report and your car accident report become key evidence in a Georgia car accident claim. Having eyewitnesses’ contact information is invaluable when accidents happen in places without traffic cameras.
What Can I Recover In a Car Accident Claim in Duluth?
When a car accident is more than a simple fender bender and causes serious injuries, the results can be disruptive or even life-altering, with impacts on earning ability and all aspects of daily life. A successful car accident claim doesn’t erase the injury, but it brings compensation for economic losses and a sense of justice for the pain and suffering. If another driver caused the accident, a successful claim recovers damages such as the following:
- Property damage
- Medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Lost wages
- Future income loss
- Diminished future earning ability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
If a Georgia car accident causes catastrophic injuries, additional compensation may be available, such as compensation for diminished quality of life, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, disfigurement, or loss of limb. After a car accident fatality in Georgia, family members can recover compensation through a wrongful death claim.
Call the Georgia Car Accident Lawyers In Duluth at González Torres Law
Without experienced representation behind your car accident claim, the insurance company could try to shift liability to you in order to protect their profits. Instead of leaving your Georgia car accident claim in the hands of an insurance adjuster, call our Duluth car accident law office for a free consultation to learn about your rights (770) 475-8186.