Victims of Drunk Drivers | Atlanta, Georgia Auto Accident Attorney
In Georgia, a driver is legally
intoxicated if their blood alcohol content (BAC) is .08% or higher or if the
driver does not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason
of the introduction of alcohol. Despite the common knowledge that a drunk driver’s
reaction time is decreased by consuming alcohol, drunk driver’s continue to put
their lives and others at great risk.
My
Atlanta Auto Accident
Law Firm has extensive experience handling claims for all types
of motor vehicle accidents due to intoxicated drivers, including but not
limited to motorcycle, car, truck, moped, and bicycle accidents. As an
experienced Atlanta Accident Lawyer I
will promptly and thoroughly investigate your case to assess damages and
determine fault. Once hired, I will communicate with the insurance company on
your behalf. I will give them only the
information they need to evaluate your claim and protect your privacy. If the insurance company refuses to recognize
the true value of your case, I will not hesitate to file suit and present your
case before a jury so that you can be awarded the compensation you
deserve.
Innocent victims harmed by
drunk drivers are entitled to compensation for their injuries, including but
not limited to medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and mental
anguish, physical impairment and disability, and most importantly, punitive
damages to deter future conduct.
Those who have lost a loved
one because of a drunk driver will want a Atlanta Drunk Driver Accident Lawyer to
bring a wrongful death action against the drunk driver.
An
auto accident due to a drunk driver can dramatically alter a person’s life,
especially when the injuries are catastrophic, like severe like brain damage,
broken bones, spinal cord injuries, torn rotator cuffs, torn tendons or torn
ligaments. Often times, even minor and moderate auto accidents can also cause
painful injuries, such as whiplash, concussions, bruising, lacerations, and
scarring. Because many injuries caused by vehicle accidents require expensive
and extensive medical care, physical therapy, and possibly even surgery, you
will likely need the help of an Atlanta
Drunk Driver Victims Attorney.
Why
Should you hire an Atlanta Car Accident
Attorney?
The
insurance company for the drunk driver whose fault caused the auto accident
will start an investigation immediately. It is the insurance company's
responsibility to try to limit the compensation of the injured person to the
lowest possible amount in order to protect their profits. Insurance companies
have established very specific and elaborate policies on handling auto accident
claims, especially in the early stages. Insurance company will take recorded
statements from the persons involved in the car accident, have the vehicles
examined, have photographs taken, obtain the police report and try to establish
the extent of the injuries suffered in the auto collision. The insurance
company is usually completes these tasks within the first week after the auto
collision and many of them within the first 24 to 48 hours after the auto
collision.
Insurance
companies try to reach a quick settlement with an injured person. They often do this before the true extent of
you injuries are known. Their purpose is
to avoid responsibility for future medical expenses, lost wages and other
damages that are likely to develop. This is a situation that an experienced Atlanta Auto Injury Attorney can help
you avoid. When a person is injured in
an auto accident, it very often takes months to completely assess the person's
injuries. At that point, the person may need surgery, physical therapy or other
extensive treatment. The injuries may even leave the person permanently
disabled. Therefore, the true value of a claim can only be assessed after most
of the medical treatment has been completed. The State of Georgia provides in
most, but not all, cases a two-year period of time in which to file a lawsuit
on a claim. Accordingly, there is no need to rush to a settlement with an
insurance company.
Other
areas where an experienced Georgia Auto
Accident Attorney can help you.
There
are other significant issues that develop for persons injured in a car
accident. For instance, if your health insurance company pays for your medical
bills they will very often seek reimbursement from your settlement with the
other driver's insurance company. There are several legal limitations on these
rights to reimbursement. An experienced Atlanta Auto Injury Attorney can use
the various laws in Georgia to maximize the amount of recovery that you, the
injured individual, gets to keep.
If
you were on the job when injured, the worker's compensation insurance company
will try to obtain reimbursement of their payments for medical expenses and
lost wages. There are several legal limitations on these rights to
reimbursement as well. An experienced Atlanta
Auto Injury Attorney can use the various laws in Georgia to maximize the
amount of recovery that you, the injured individual, gets to keep. These are important issues that you need to
understand prior to agreeing to any settlement.
An
experienced Atlanta Auto Injury Attorney
can often find additional insurance coverage to help you be completely
compensated.
Georgia
law requires individuals to maintain liability insurance coverage for their
automobiles. The minimum requirements for bodily injury liability insurance
coverage in Georgia are $25,000.00 per person and $50,000.00 per accident.
Since these insurance limits may be insufficient to completely compensate you,
very often an experienced Georgia Car
Injury Attorney must explore what other insurance is available to the
responsible driver or the extent of the driver's personal assets. The
responsible driver may have the right to coverage from insurance policies of
family members, an employer, a rental car company or from an
"umbrella" policy.
In
addition, other unknown persons or entities may also have liability for the
auto collision. For instance, if the road or a light was defective, a
government agency may share responsibility for the collision. In addition, your
own insurance policy may provide you with coverage for your injuries.
An
experienced Atlanta Auto Injury Attorney
can also determine whether or not your “uninsured” or “underinsured
motorist” insurance coverage can be utilized to help completely compensate you.
Since
insurance companies have vast experience in evaluating car accidents, they
often will pay the lowest compensation possible. It is important to have an attorney on your
side with considerable experience dealing with these insurance companies. It is
always best to have an attorney who will not settle your case for anything less
than its full value. If the insurance
companies are not being reasonable in their valuation of your case, you need an
attorney who will fight for you, who will file a lawsuit, take your case to
trail and prove why you deserve to be compensated. My law firm will do that for you.