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Collect What You Deserve with a Decatur Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer

While you never expect a trip to the store or commute home from work to include a motor vehicle crash and resulting injury, accidents happen. The Georgia Department of Public Health reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury deaths and the second leading cause of ER visits and hospitalizations in the state.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident that was caused by someone or something else, a Decatur car accident lawyer can help you recover the compensation you are entitled to through an insurance claim to cover all damages and costs linked to your injuries.

Damages for your motor vehicle accident may include:

  • Short-term medical costs like emergency room bills and medications
  • Long-term medical costs like surgeries, treatments, rehabilitation, and other medical needs
  • Lost wages, work benefits, and earnings potential from the time of your injury through the rest of your working life
  • Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment of life

Motor vehicle injury claims and cases can be complex and often require negotiating with insurance companies and attorneys. To support the best outcome in your case, work with a Decatur motor vehicle accident lawyer at Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC.

Georgia Traffic Accident Statistics

The roads in Georgia are the site of a great many accidents and fatalities each year. The Georgia Department of Public Health tracks motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) which include traffic and non-traffic cases. In 2017, traffic deaths were the leading cause of injury deaths for Georgians aged 5-24 years of age and those aged 55-64. Georgia had the 4th highest rate of traffic fatalities at 1,540 of the 50 United States in 2017, even though the state holds the 8th largest population in the US.

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Pedestrian Accidents Cause Significant Injuries and Deaths

When a motor vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the potential for serious bodily injury or death is substantial. According to data compiled by Georgia healthcare provider Shepherd Center, there were 236 pedestrians fatally injured in traffic crashes in 2019, an increase of 22% from the 194 experienced in 2015. While pedestrian accidents account for just .4% of all motor vehicle crashes in Georgia, they account for 17% of all traffic fatalities. Motor vehicle pedestrian-related emergency room and hospitalization charges were estimated to be $171,000,000 for Georgia residents in 2019 alone.

If a motorist has struck you or a loved one when you were on foot and caused serious injury or death, you could have a personal injury or wrongful death claim. A personal injury claim, as we’ll discuss, covers compensation for both economic and non-economic damages. If a loved one has been killed in a pedestrian or motor vehicle accident, the surviving family can bring a claim to recover damages for the lost financial and emotional contribution to the household.

When you are injured in a car or pedestrian accident, your attorney will carefully consider how the law and relevant case outcomes apply to the unique facts and circumstances of your accident. Your attorney also considers fault and determines when another party was negligent and owes you damages.

Leading Causes of At-Fault Motor Vehicle Crashes in GA

An injured party may be able to collect compensation for the costs and damages linked to their injuries when the accident was caused by someone or something else, meaning another party was liable. One of the reasons another party can be liable for the outcome of an accident is because they were negligent. Negligence is a complex legal concept that refers to when a party is irresponsible or engages in illegal behavior, which leads to an accident, and another party is injured in that accident. When it comes to the following types of motor vehicle accidents, there are some common causes that will make a driver liable for the damages they cause. These types of accidents are:

Common reasons our dedicated attorneys have seen motor vehicle accidents occur include:

Distracted Driving

Drivers have a responsibility to pay attention to the road when they are driving. Any activity that results in manual, mental, or physical impairment is considered distracted driving. For example, texting while operating a motor vehicle removes your eyes, mind, and hands from the act of driving and onto the act of texting. Texting while driving is illegal under the Hands-Free Georgia Act, and drivers who cause accidents while texting are liable for the damages they cause.

Aggressive Driving and Other Traffic Law Violations

Under Georgia Code 40-6-390, reckless or aggressive driving is illegal. When drivers engage in activities meant to harass, annoy, or intimidate another driver, they have engaged in aggressive driving. Aggressive driving also includes speeding, refusing to allow other drivers sufficient space on the road, unannounced lane changes, and other behaviors that put other drivers at risk on the road.

Collecting facts about the incident and the behavior of the other drivers in the moments leading up to the accident is an important part of gathering evidence. Gathering evidence is essential to the success of your case, and your motor vehicle accident lawyer from Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC will obtain all the evidence possible to help make your case a success.

Drunk Driving

If a driver is found to be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they have violated their duty to drive sober and will be liable for the damages they cause. How do you prove that another driver was intoxicated at the time of your accident? Your knowledgeable attorney will collect evidence using legal instruments like requests for production, depositions, and interrogatories.

When other drivers violate their duty to be safe and responsible on the road and cause accidents, they should be held liable for the damages they cause. Key to recovery is the ability to prove liability through the evidence filed with the insurance claim.

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The Opposing Party Will Try and Blame You to Reduce Damages

Georgia is a state that follows the concept of “contributory negligence,” through which the damages awarded to an injured party are reduced in proportion to their percentage of fault. The court can determine the amount of fault a party has in any accident. Under Georgia Code Sec. 51-12-33 it is clarified that the judge or jury may consider the potential fault of the plaintiff, which is the injured party filing the suit, and reduce their award in proportion to the degree of their responsibility.

The other party and their insurance company may try and argue that you were completely liable for the accident and that you should receive nothing. If the facts do not support completely blaming you, they may still be twisted by the opposing party’s attorneys to assign some fault to you, thereby reducing the amount of compensation you are able to recover. Having your own car accident lawyer helps ensure the facts of the case will be argued in your favor.

If We Take Your Case, You Pay Nothing, Ever

When we take personal injury cases from motor vehicle-related accidents, our clients pay nothing out-of-pocket, ever. Our initial consultation is free of charge, and this is when we will collect some initial information about the accident, the opposing parties, and your injuries. From there, if we determine that your case is a fit with our firm, we’ll discuss how our contingency fee arrangement works and answer any questions you might have before we get started.

Contingency means our payment is contingent, or dependent, on our winning your claim or case. Our payment is a portion of your award that we’ll agree upon before getting started after your free initial case consultation. We only get paid if we win your case, and our payment comes out as a portion of the winnings we generate on your case. The percentage we collect for our fees is something we will discuss and come to an agreement on before getting started.

Connect with a Decatur Car Accident Lawyer

After you have received emergency medical care to address your injuries, the next step after your accident is to reach out to a Decatur motor vehicle accident lawyer. With an experienced attorney on your side, follow-up appointments will be scheduled with medical and occupational experts to gather the evidence you need to accurately measure your damages. From there, our firm will handle your case or claim every step of the way, from drafting the necessary pleadings to collecting your compensation.

For your risk-free, cost-free initial case consultation, reach out to a Decatur motor vehicle accident lawyer at Michael M. Day Law, LLC by calling (404) 480-4284, or you can visit our website.