Car Accident Lawyer

Car Accident Cases in Athens Keep Car Accident Lawyers Busy

Like most other cities in Georgia, Athens also has its fair share of car accidents. These could include head-on collisions, roll-overs, rear-end accidents, runoff collisions, side accidents, etc. According to data obtained from Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, traffic fatalities in Georgia increased significantly in 2015 and 2016. A total of 1554 fatalities from motor vehicle crashes were reported in 2016 alone. There were 15.55 serious traffic injuries reported in Georgia in 2016 for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

The Problem With Insurance Companies

As per the legal requirements in Georgia, every licensed driver with a registered vehicle must carry car insurance to be able to drive legally. The minimum insurance that is required by every car driver in Athens includes coverage of $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, $50,000 for bodily injury to multiple parties and $25,00 for property damage due to the accident. Every driver has the option of carrying additional insurance coverage which could include comprehensive collision coverage and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, but this is not required by the law. It often happens that people get into accidents with drivers who do not have any insurance. In such situations, the underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage can come in quite handy.

The purpose of mandatory insurance coverage is to ensure that in case of a car accident, the drivers involved in the accident are financially protected. This insurance coverage benefits both the driver who caused the accident and the driver who suffered injuries. If there is significant damage and if injuries are serious, the driver who caused the accident does not have to cover the financial losses of the injured parties out-of-their own pocket. Their insurance companies are supposed to take care of the bills. Similarly, the injured party does not have to bear the cost of medical bills and property damage on their own. The insurance company of the at-fault is the one who will be paying for these damages. In theory, this seems sounds, but in reality, insurance companies can cause significant problems for the party trying to recover their losses. That is why it is important to talk to one of our accident attorneys so that they can talk to the insurance companies on your behalf.

Fault System in Car Accidents

There are two main systems in the US that are used to determine fault in car accidents. The fault system functions on the principle that all parties who played a role in causing the accident will be held liable for any damages. The no-fault system functions on the premise that the injured parties will receive compensation no matter who caused the accident.

Athens follows the fault system of determining fault in a car accident. This means that if you are in a car accident, and if the other driver is at fault, that driver is the one responsible for any damages that you incur. However, if more than one party is at fault, the legal system will allocate responsibility accordingly. This is called the comparative negligence rule. For example, if there is a car accident and if the other driver is 80% at fault and you are 20% at fault, you can file a compensation claim, but the amount that you will receive will be reduced by 20%. Talk to an automobile accident attorney to find out more about the comparative negligence rule.

How an Automobile Accident Attorney Establishes the Role of Negligence

Whenever there is a car accident, the injured party has a right to file a compensation claim. This claim can help the victims recover any damages they may have incurred which could include medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, pain and suffering and property damage. However, your car accident lawyer will have to establish negligence so that your compensation claim is approved.

In legal terms, a person is said to be negligent when they fail to demonstrate a duty of care and a sense of responsibility. For example, a person who is speeding while driving even though they are aware that this action could result in harm to another party, they are deemed to be negligent. In most cases, people get away with rash driving practices because they don’t always get into a car accident. But if a driver’s negligence causes an accident, that driver will be held accountable for their negligence. Your car accident attorney must prove this negligence.

When it comes to proving negligence, you have to keep in mind that simply stating that the other driver was at fault is not sufficient. You have to prove that they were negligent by clearly specifying what their negligent behavior entailed and how it caused the accident. A car wreck lawyer is aware of the importance of proving negligence and they can help you in this regard.

Most Common Car Accidents that Take Place

There are many different causes of car accidents, but a large majority of accidents happen because of the negligence of drivers. Some of these negligent behaviors include:

• Distracted driving
• Drunk driving
• Speeding
• Tailgating
• Failure to obey traffic laws
• Road rage, anger and/or aggressive driving

If you claim that the driver was texting while driving and that is why they hit your car as they were not paying attention, and it is the job of our accident lawyers to prove your claim. In order to do so, an auto accident attorney will review the police report, evaluate all the evidence at the scene of the accident that would prove this was the case, talk to witnesses, view any video footage if available, consult the medical reports and conduct a thorough investigation to show that the other driver was negligent. This is the only way a auto accident attorney can prove your claim and get you the compensation you deserve.

There are other factors that can also cause car accidents. These are less related to the driver’s inappropriate driving habits and more related to the vehicle itself. However, the driver may still be held responsible for the accident. For example, if a vehicle was not functioning properly and the driver was still driving it even though they were aware that the car was having mechanical issues, the driver is still deemed to be negligent. In other words, if a driver fails to maintain their vehicle and gets behind the wheel knowing that the car may have serious issues, they are putting people at risk. Similarly, if a driver is aware that a car has defective components and continues to drive the vehicle and if an accident happens, the driver will be held responsible if the cause of the accident was a mechanical fault. Keep in mind that negligence can only be established in such a case if the driver is aware of a problem and chooses to ignore. If the driver has no idea and if the car breaks down and causes an accident, the driver will not be blamed. Talk to a car accident lawyer about what is considered negligence and what is not since that is an important component of a car accident compensation claim.

There are some causes of car accidents that are not the driver’s fault at all. These could include accidents that are the result of a natural disaster, poor road conditions and bad weather. In such cases, compensation claims are generally dealt with based on the type of insurance policies the drivers have. However, in most of these cases, negligence is not a factor since the driver may have left control of the car due to factors beyond their control.