Car wrecks are sometimes unavoidable, no matter how carefully you follow the rules of the road. Drunk, distracted, or otherwise negligent drivers are responsible for deadly traffic crashes every day. If you have suffered a personal injury in a car accident that was someone else’s fault, contact Bross, McAllister & Williams, LLC in Suwanee, GA today. Our Gwinnett County car accident lawyers are here for you, to help you pursue the financial relief you need to get your life back on track.
Why Choose Our Firm?
- We focus our practice on personal injuries in Gwinnett County and have staff certified in medical coding, billing, counseling, and assistance.
- Our personal injury law firm has a proven record of success. We have recovered millions of dollars in settlements and awards for our clients.
- We will fight for your right to fair compensation, even if it means going to trial. We prepare our cases thoroughly and are not intimidated by large companies in a courtroom.
How Can an Attorney Help with Your Car Accident Claim
Insurance companies can be difficult to contend with after auto accidents. The other driver’s insurance provider may try to limit its liability by disputing fault or unfairly denying your claim. Hiring an accident lawyer can level the playing field and prevent an insurance company from using these tactics to limit your recovery. An Atlanta car crash lawyer can handle all communications and negotiations with the insurance provider while you go through medical treatments and start to heal. Trusting your motor vehicle accident case to an attorney can allow you total peace of mind to focus on the future.
Common Causes of Car Accidents in Gwinnett County
There are many contributing factors to car wrecks, and many of them involve driver error or negligence. Possible causes of car wrecks include:
- Distracted driving: This dangerous driving behavior is becoming more of a threat to motorists every year. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts the driver’s attention away from operating the vehicle.
- Drunk driving: Driving while alcohol-impaired (Drunk Driving) is against the law in Georgia and throughout the nation. Still, every day intoxicated people get behind the wheel of a car and cause accidents and injuries.
- Speeding: As stated by NHTSA, speeding killed 9,717 people in a recent year, accounting for 26% of all traffic fatalities. The faster a vehicle is traveling, the more distance it needs to stop, and the greater the impact upon collision.
- Aggressive driving: This is a combination of dangerous driving behaviors that includes tailgating, speeding, weaving in and out of traffic, running red lights and stop signs, and failing to yield the right-of-way to other motorists, bicyclists, or pedestrians.
- Driving under the influence of drugs: It is not only alcohol that impairs driving. Driving while impaired by marijuana, illegal drugs, prescription medications, and even over-the-counter drugs puts others sharing the roadways at risk.
If you were involved in a car crash, it is in your best interest to seek help from an experienced Gwinnett County car accident attorney.
Who is at Fault in a Car Accident
Georgia uses tort-based car crash laws. The party guilty of a tort, or wrongdoing, that caused the auto accident will be financially responsible for your damages. Although you may assume the other driver is the only party that could bear fault, third parties not directly involved in the collision may also play a role. An automaker could be indirectly responsible, for example, for creating a vehicle with a dangerous defect. You may need help from an attorney to determine liability for your car accident in Georgia.
- The other driver
- A third-party driver
- A trucking company
- A part manufacturer
- A property owner
- The government
Our Gwinnett County car accident lawyer can fully investigate your motor vehicle accident by interviewing witnesses, returning to the scene of the accident, reconstructing the collision, gathering photographs or video footage, getting copies of police reports, and taking other steps to answer questions as to crash causation and liability. Once we identify the correct party or parties at fault for your accident, we can help you build a strong case against that party in the pursuit of fair financial compensation.
What is the Time Limit to Sue after a Car Accident?
Your window of opportunity to file a claim against a negligent driver after a car crash is not unlimited in Georgia. Lawmakers in Georgia have created statutes of limitations to pressure claimants into bringing their lawsuits as quickly and efficiently as possible, to keep the integrity of the justice system intact. In general, you will only have two years from the date your car accident happened to file a claim against a negligent or reckless driver. This statute of limitations will hold true regardless of the circumstances or cause of your car accident.
You might have a shorter deadline, however, if the at fault driver was a government employee performing job-related tasks at the time of your accident, or if your case involves a government vehicle such as a public school bus. Before you file a lawsuit against a government entity, you must submit a written Notice of Intent to Sue within one year of the date of your accident. Your time limit may vary if you discovered your damages after the date of your car accident or if you are bringing a claim for a loved one’s wrongful death. Speak to an attorney at Bross, McAllister & Williams, LLC for more information about your exact deadline.
What to Do After a Car Crash
At Bross, McAllister & Williams, LLC, we understand how traumatic a collision can be, particularly if you are injured. We created a Roadmap to Restoration to help you understand the legal process of a car accident claim so you can see your way forward. The basic steps of our Roadmap are:
- An accident happens and it’s someone else’s fault.
- Get emergency care immediately.
- Represent yourself… or hire a car accident lawyer?
- Hire Bross, McAllister & Williams, LLC.
- File the claim.
- Continue medical treatment.
- Contact insurance companies to verify coverage is available.
- Request and organize medical records.
- Treatment phase with Bross, McAllister & Williams, LLC case manager
- Post-treatment phase
- Demand letter sent to the insurance provider
- Insurance company response
- Negotiations
- Litigation (if necessary)
- Restoration for the long haul
Georgia Car Insurance Laws
Every driver in the state of Georgia must carry car insurance. Car insurance proves a driver’s financial responsibility, or the ability of the driver to afford payments to repair another driver’s damaged vehicle or medical bills after an at-fault accident. The minimum required car insurance amounts in Georgia are $25,000 per person in bodily injury insurance, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 per accident in property damage liability. Additional forms of insurance are available but not required.
Driving without car insurance could lead to a temporary loss of the driving privilege until the driver obtains the required insurance. If you get into a motor vehicle accident with an uninsured driver, your insurance may cover your damages if you purchased uninsured/underinsured or comprehensive coverage. If not, you may have to file a lawsuit against a third party, if possible, for compensation, or a lawsuit directly against the at-fault driver. Third parties involved in your wreck could include auto manufacturers or the government. A car accident attorney in Gwinnett County can help you with these types of cases.
Car Accident Statistics
As reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- 37,133 people were killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. in a recent year.
- 24,973 of these fatalities were occupants of cars and other vehicles.
- Nearly 12.5 percent of all fatal crashes involve a teen driver.
- 2,746,000 people were injured in traffic crashes.
- 2,524,000 of these injured people were vehicle occupants.
- The fatality rate per 100,000 population was 11.40.
- The injury rate per 100,000 population was 843.
Contact Our Car Accident Lawyer Today
At Bross, McAllister & Williams, LLC, we are dedicated advocates for car accident victims, and take our duty to our clients very seriously. Call our Gwinnett County car accident attorneys as soon as possible for a free consultation in Peachtree Corners, Lawrenceville, Duluth, and throughout the Gwinnett County area.