Pain After a Car Accident Can Last a Long Time

When you run out to pick up the kids from school or travel to and from work, you expect to run your errand and make your trip safely. Unfortunately, that does not always happen. People may quickly find themselves in an unenviable position, suffering injuries from a car accident that was not their fault.

The streets are jam-packed every day with cars. The more cars on the road, the more accidents that happen. Of course, not every accident will total a car. But even fender benders can cause injuries and result in weeks or months of pain and suffering. Even in the smallest of accidents, physical soreness can stick with you for a long time.

To help you recover from your pain and soreness, you should work with a skilled and experienced car accident attorney. An experienced Duluth car accident lawyer can work with you to create a path for your physical and financial recovery. The last thing we want to see is for you to pay out of pocket for your medical bills resulting from a car accident you did not cause.

Common Car Accident Injuries

The number of fatal car accidents in Georgia has consistently fallen over the past few years. That is great news. But not every car accident results in death. In fact, most leave car accident victims suffering from pain for a long time. Some victims never fully recover, and deal with pain for the rest of their lives.

Common injuries include:

While most pain and suffering after a car accident is physical, do not discount any mental anguish. Mental and emotional injuries are often the most difficult to diagnose but can have life altering consequences. What were once normal everyday tasks for you might become harder or even impossible. This type of injury can take years to appear.

Causes of Car Accidents

Most car accidents result from some form of human error. The good news is that cars are getting safer every year. With technological advancements from car manufacturers, the vehicles we drive provide us with more safety features than ever before. This helps to keep us safe and reduce the likelihood of severe injuries, but it does not eliminate them. Life altering injuries still happen every day.

Common car accident causes include:

The results of these and other actions by negligent drivers can cause others to suffer serious injuries and suffer from pain and soreness for a long time. Even in seemingly minor car accidents at slow speeds, injuries can linger for weeks or months. These injuries, while not usually life threatening, may still require extra rest and time out of work in addition to multiple doctor visits and prescription medication.

None of this is easy or cheap. In fact, medical expenses are consistently rising to astronomical levels. Even if you were involved in a minor car accident, your medical expenses could quickly become out of control. As a trusted car accident injury attorney, our goal is to hold the at fault driver accountable so you do not have to pay a dime out of your own pocket for these medical expenses. If you did not cause the injury, you should not bear any of the responsibility associated with your recovery.

Six Steps to Take After a Car Accident

The steps you take immediately after your car accident can play an important role in your ability to recover damages for your injuries.

Following these steps could help you maximize your recovery.

1. Call 911. This is an obvious step but one many people do not consider, especially in minor accidents. When you call the authorities, you ensure the police arrive at the scene of the accident and create a report. While the police accident report may not assign fault, they will collect evidence for their report which will help us show the other driver was at fault in your accident. Calling 911 will also send emergency medical personnel to evaluate you. Right after a car accident, your adrenaline is pumping and could mask certain injuries. Let the medical professionals look you over to ensure you are healthy and well.
2. Take pictures. Taking pictures is one of the best ways to preserve evidence of your car accident. You want to get images of the entire accident scene, the vehicles involved, and your injuries. These pictures can help us with your personal injury claim when car our accident experts examine your accident.
3. Talk to witnesses. Witnesses often provide much needed perspective on the seconds leading up to your accident and can help to show the other driver was at fault. The police will speak with witnesses when they create their police accident report. But many witnesses will not wait around for the police to arrive. So it’s good if you can at least collect their contact information so that we can speak with them later and take their statement.
4. Seek additional medical care. Your health and well being are exactly where you need to focus your attention. Seeing your doctor after the car accident is important because your doctor can quickly tell what is different from your last visit. Together, you can chart a path for your recovery. Your doctor will also keep meticulous records. These medical records may become important to show your suffering and help to maximize your financial recovery against the at fault driver.
5. Keep a personal injury journal. This might sound unnecessary, but we find that it can provide great perspective about your recovery and can help to ensure you maximize your compensation. In your journal, you should keep daily notes about your level of pain and soreness, as well as any setbacks or roadblocks you encountered in your recovery.
6. Contact a trusted car accident lawyer. The car accident lawyer you choose can make a difference in your car accident case. The goal is to empower you with information and advice to take control of your case. Consultations are always free.

Collecting Damages

Almost two-thirds of Americans who file for bankruptcy do so because of medical bills. Do not let yourself become part of this statistic. When you work with a trusted car accident lawyer, you can release some of the stress and worry off your shoulders, and let your lawyer take control of the legal complexities by helping you collect damages for your injuries.

Compensation might include damages for:

Many car accident victims do not account for their future needs. They see the bills piling up on the kitchen table but are not aware of how much they might need in the future. That’s where the experience of a car accident lawyer can help you. You can work together with your lawyer to create an accurate estimate of your future needs based on your medical prognosis.

You and your attorney can look at things like:

By understanding these items, we get a better look at what you need to recover so you do not have to pay out of your own pocket for these expenses. The goal is to maximize your recovery so you do not have to worry anymore about how you will pay your bills.

Low Ball Settlement Offers

Look for a law firm with experience representing victims against insurance companies and the tactics they play—someone who brings that insider knowledge and experience to your car accident injury case. Working with such a lawyer gives you the benefit of his or her knowledge, experience, and determination.

Soon after your car accident, you might receive a phone call from the insurance company of the at fault driver. They may offer you a quick settlement. This excites you because you want to put this part of your life behind you as quickly as possible. We get it and we want what is best for you. But we urge caution with these quick offers.

Many times, the insurance company contacts you quickly because they want to catch you before you have hired a lawyer who can review the terms of the settlement offer. The insurance company does not want you to have a lawyer review the settlement offer because a lawyer may tell you the offer is a low ball offer and much too low for your claim.

This is why your lawyer will create an accurate estimate of your future needs. With the knowledge of what you need in the future, you can quickly see the insurance company’s offer as a low ball settlement. Their goal is to make you go away for as little money as possible and their best chance of doing that is when you do not have a lawyer looking out for your best interests. What’s more, if you sign the low ball settlement offer, you may waive your right to bring any future claims against the insurance company for this car accident injury. That means you could find later that your settlement funds were not enough to cover all of your expenses.

Unfortunately, at that point, it will be too late. Tragically, you may end up having to pay out of your own pocket for these medical expenses – expenses you only have because someone else was negligent. Do not let this happen to you. If you have not hired a lawyer by the time you receive a settlement offer, that is the time to call an attorney to help you and make sure the insurance company is not taking advantage of you.

We want to help you maximize your compensation by negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf. When we take over, the insurance company knows you are not messing around. The insurance might also try to stall and force a trial. They know trials are expensive and time consuming so that might make you settle for less than what your claim is worth. Do not fall for these tactics. If the insurance company not only wants to play lowball but hardball, you want a law firm with the skills and resources necessary to take your case to trial, if that is what you need to do to maximize your compensation.

Speak With a Lawyer Today

In Georgia, you only have two years after your injury to file a personal injury claim. Two years might seem like a long time, but when you are dealing with your physical recovery and the stress of being out of work, two years can fly by. Missing this deadline could mean you miss out on the compensation you are entitled to recover from the at-fault driver.

Suffering injuries in a car accident is traumatic. Deciding what to do next can create massive amounts of stress, on top of the stress of not knowing how long your recovery will take. Personal injury attorneys focus on providing you with the resources and guidance you need to help you make the right decisions and move past this awful period in your life. Maximizing your compensation is our goal. We want you to focus on your physical recovery, while we deal with the legal complexities and settlement negotiations.

Your car accident injuries have changed your life. Contact an experienced car accident lawyer who can help you earn the compensation you need to adapt to those changes.