Alpharetta Car Accident Lawyer

Alpharetta Car Accident Lawyers

Alpharetta is one of the most important cities in Georgia. It is known for its affluent community, excellent schools, and booming technology industry, but despite being a relatively “safe” city, Alpharetta still saw 1,288 car accidents in 2020.

While the state of Georgia is beautiful to drive through, its roads are a different story. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, motor vehicle crashes were the second leading cause of injury deaths, and second leading cause of hospitalizations and ER visits in the entire state.

An Alpharetta Car Accident Lawyer Can Help

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident, you might be wondering how you’ll cover the medical bills and lost earnings linked to your injuries, not only now but into the future. When the accident that led to your injuries was due to the negligence or other fault of a third-party, you may be able to recover compensation to cover all the damages linked to the accident.

Proving when another party’s fault caused the accident that led to your injuries requires the careful application of the law and the outcome of other cases to the unique facts and circumstances of your case. Anything you claim must be supported by evidence that would be admissible in court, and this is where your local Alpharetta car accident attorney from Spaulding Injury Law is of value.

Your initial case review is free, and we encourage you to read the information below beforehand so that you know what information to bring and what questions to ask. This helps to ensure that we can make the most of your free case review.

Common Injuries in Car Accidents

Regardless of their severity, car accidents can lead to a range of injuries, some of which may not be immediately apparent but can have lasting effects.

At Spaulding Injury Law, our Alpharetta team of experienced car accident attorneys is well-versed in handling cases involving various types of injuries sustained in car accidents. We believe in empowering our clients and the community with knowledge about these injuries, their potential impact, and the legal avenues for pursuing compensation.

1. Whiplash and Other Soft Tissue Injuries

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries in car accidents, particularly in rear-end collisions. It happens when the sudden impact causes the head and neck to jerk forward and backward, straining the muscles and ligaments.

Symptoms of whiplash may include neck pain, stiffness, and loss of range of motion. Other soft tissue injuries can affect muscles, tendons, and ligaments throughout the body.

2. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)

Traumatic brain injuries can be particularly devastating. These injuries occur when the brain is injured by an external force, such as when the head hits the steering wheel, dashboard, or windows. TBIs can range from mild (concussions) to severe, leading to permanent cognitive or physical impairment.

For victims of these devastating injuries, significant compensation may be available, and contacting Spaulding Injury Law as soon as possible is of the utmost importance.

TBIs are unique among personal injuries because their impacts can be far-reaching and long-lasting. They can lead to immediate medical needs, such as emergency care, surgery, and hospitalization. However, the real cost often comes from the long-term consequences.

Victims of TBIs may require extensive physical and cognitive rehabilitation, long-term medication, adaptive equipment, and modifications to their homes for accessibility. They may also require ongoing care and support, and in severe cases, they may never be able to work or live independently again.

TBIs can also have significant emotional and psychological effects. Victims may suffer from depression, anxiety, personality changes, and difficulties with memory and concentration. These emotional impacts can disrupt relationships and reduce the overall quality of life.

Considering these severe consequences, the damages that you can recover for a TBI could be substantial.

3. Broken Bones

Car accidents often result in broken or fractured bones. The impact can cause breaks in arms, legs, ribs, and other parts of the body. Severe fractures may require surgical intervention and lengthy rehabilitation.

4. Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis

Spinal cord injuries are among the most severe and life-altering injuries that can result from car accidents. The spinal cord is the main pathway for transmitting signals between the brain and the rest of the body. When it gets damaged, these signals get disrupted, leading to a loss of sensory, motor, and autonomic function below the level of the injury. The exact effects depend on the location and severity of the injury, but they can range from chronic pain and mobility issues to full or partial paralysis.

Paralysis can be categorized as either paraplegia, which affects the lower limbs and often parts of the trunk, or quadriplegia (also known as tetraplegia), which affects both the upper and lower limbs and possibly the entire area from the neck down. These conditions can necessitate lifelong care, dramatically altering your daily routine and ability to perform even the most basic tasks independently.

Beyond the physical challenges, spinal cord injuries can also lead to substantial financial burdens due to the cost of medical treatment, rehabilitation, adaptive equipment, and home modifications. They can also significantly impact your earning capacity, especially if you’re unable to return to your previous work.

5. Internal Injuries

The force of a car accident can cause internal injuries, including damage to organs, internal bleeding, or punctured lungs. These injuries are particularly serious because they are not immediately visible and can be life-threatening if not promptly treated.

6. Psychological Injuries

Not all injuries are physical. Car accidents can lead to psychological injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. These conditions can significantly impact your daily life and overall well-being.

Psychological injuries can manifest as flashbacks of the accident, anxiety when driving or riding in a vehicle, insomnia, mood swings, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, and social withdrawal. These symptoms can interfere with your ability to work, maintain relationships, and enjoy life. In severe cases, they can lead to disability.

At Spaulding Injury Law, we are committed to ensuring you receive compensation for these invisible yet very real injuries. Damages can include the cost of treatment by psychologists or psychiatrists, medication, and counseling. You may also be compensated for pain and suffering, which covers the emotional distress caused by the accident and your injuries.

Psychological injuries can manifest as flashbacks of the accident, anxiety when driving or riding in a vehicle, insomnia, mood swings, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, and social withdrawal. These symptoms can interfere with your ability to work, maintain relationships, and enjoy life. In severe cases, they can lead to disability.

At Spaulding Injury Law, we recognize the profound impact psychological injuries can have on your life. We are committed to ensuring you receive compensation for these invisible yet very real injuries. Damages can include the cost of treatment by psychologists or psychiatrists, medication, and counseling. You may also be compensated for pain and suffering, which covers the emotional distress caused by the accident and your injuries.

Proving psychological injuries can be challenging as they don’t have visible signs like physical injuries. However, our experienced attorneys know how to effectively demonstrate the existence and impact of these injuries. This typically involves medical records from mental health professionals, testimony from these professionals regarding your condition, and sometimes psychological tests.

We also work with you to document how your life has changed after the accident. This can involve keeping a journal of your daily activities and symptoms, statements from family and friends about changes in your behavior, and evidence of any work or activities you’ve had to give up due to your psychological injuries.

7. Cuts and Abrasions

Cuts and abrasions from broken glass or metal shards can range from minor to severe. In extreme cases, these injuries can lead to significant blood loss or even disfigurement.

Motor Vehicle Crashes in Alpharetta, Georgia

In 2020, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of deaths of persons aged 5-14 years in Georgia, and the second leading cause of death among adults aged 25-65+. During that same year Georgia was 4th of the 50 states when it came to the number of traffic fatalities.

The road of Georgia can be dangerous, and crashes here are caused by similar reasons as elsewhere, including:

• Distracted driving – GDOT singles out distracted driving, engaging in any activity while driving that takes attention away from driving, eyes off the road, or hands off the wheel, as a leading cause of crashes in GA
• Speeding and aggressive driving – any time a driver is breaking the law while driving and causes an accident, they will be liable for the damages that result
• Drowsy driving
• Drunk or intoxicated driving

Identifying the cause of your motor vehicle collision requires a careful assessment of the evidence, which you can start collecting by reaching out to the police as soon as you can after the accident.

Contacting the Police and Seeking Emergency Medical Care is Essential

The following steps are a helpful list to consider in terms of essential steps to take following your accident, with Spaulding Injury Law ensuring that any additional steps in support of your case are covered at the appropriate time:

• Call 911
• Collect contact and insurance information from the other driver/s involved
• If possible, take photographs and videos of the accident scene and surrounding area, including traffic signs, before the vehicles are moved
• Get medical attention
• Connect with an Alpharetta car accident lawyer from Spaulding Injury Law

In the moments following your car accident, your natural first concern is the health of yourself and your passengers. It is best to allow emergency medical personnel to assess your condition, as the adrenaline and excitement of the crash can lead to injuries being overlooked.

It is also helpful to call the police to the scene of the accident to assist in the gathering of evidence, assessment of the sobriety of the parties involved, and the contact information of other drivers involved and witnesses. If you require immediate emergency medical attention and are unable to contact the police, your Alpharetta car accident lawyer can reach out to the police for any related reports and evidence.

Notify Your Own Insurance Company

When you are involved in an accident, it is best to contact your own insurance company as soon as possible, regardless of whether you think another party may have caused the accident. Failing to notify your insurance company in the time that your policy requires could lead to a denial of your claim for PIP benefits, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, or your collision coverage.

It is important to understand that the insurance company does not work for you, and with Spaulding Injury Law on your claim we’ll handle all negotiations with the insurance company on your behalf. The insurance company does not work for you, they are a for-profit business, and their profits decrease when they pay more on claims to injured parties like yourself. To ensure that your insurance company does not work against you and seek to minimize your compensation, speak with one of the experienced car accident attorneys with Spaulding for a free consultation on your case to see how we can help.

Better Evidence is Supported by Connecting with a Lawyer as Soon as Possible

After receiving emergency medical attention, it is time to connect with a local Alpharetta car accident attorney. If we are contacted soon enough, we’ll also collect evidence that might otherwise be unavailable with the passage of time. This can include invaluable evidence like crash-site photographs and the most accurate witness statements possible, given how recent the events are in their memory.

Collecting Compensation You May be Entitled To Requires Evidence

To collect compensation for a car accident that you should be entitled to compensation for, you must complete the following steps:

• Gathering evidence to prove that another party involved in the accident was at fault
• Collecting evidence to accurately and completely measure the costs linked to your injuries and any damages you might be entitled to
• Drafting your evidence into a claim that you submit to the appropriate party, usually the insurance company of the at-fault party
• Filing your claim in the time allowed, known as the statute of limitations
• Negotiating a settlement that covers your present and future costs to ensure that you and your family are not left paying for them out-of-pocket
• If negotiations fail, then a lawsuit will need to be filed in the appropriate court following the appropriate procedure, in the time allowed

Handling the process of recovering compensation for your injuries is time-consuming, and requires an in-depth knowledge of the court procedures and rules in your area.

Lawsuits and Claims Must be Filed Before the Expiration Date

Through Georgia Code Sec. 9-3-33, the “statute of limitations” for most personal injuries is set at 2 years. The statute of limitations is basically an expiration date for your right to file a claim or lawsuit for a given accident or incident. If you miss the deadline, you lose the right to ever bring a related claim for compensation related to that incident. At Spaulding Injury Law our team of dedicated Alpharetta car accident attorneys make sure that your case proceeds in line with the deadlines and rules of the court to ensure you achieve the best possible outcome in your case.

Identifying Who is Liable for the Damages Linked to Your Accident Requires Careful Analysis

After an accident, it can be difficult to adapt to life while handling medical bills, procedures to treat your injuries, while trying to figure out how to return to work. This natural need to focus on other areas in life can lead to the failure to collect essential information that is needed to support your. Waiting too long can result in the statute of limitations barring your right to bring a claim, but waiting too long to file can also cripple your ability to collect the compensation that you deserve.

Determining fault in a car accident is accomplished through a thorough review of the evidence, and how the law applies to that evidence. Key aspects of your claim will include:

• Vehicle damage reports produced by expert crash analysts
• Police accident reports and related information
• Photos or videos documenting the scene of the accident
• Documentation and photos of related injuries
• Surveilling and dashcam video collected through the use of legal instruments like depositions or requests for production
• Statements from eyewitnesses
• Reconstruction reports by accident specialists

In some instances, your own insurance company may provide you with coverage for the damages linked to the accident. For example, you may have coverage for uninsured motorists, which provides coverage if you get into an accident with a driver who is not insured. This type of coverage however often has a limit, which means you could still be left covering part of the bill.

Your Attorney from Spaulding Injury Law Steps Into Your Shoes and Takes Over

It can be difficult enough to recover from the injuries following your car crash without having to worry about learning how to put together your claim or case. We step into your shoes, handling the gathering of evidence, drafting of your claim, and negotiating a settlement or filing a lawsuit on your behalf. The insurance company doesn’t profit by paying you more, and their claim analysts and lawyers do whatever they can to reduce and deny claims, but are more reasonable when they know you have the help of a dedicated Alpharetta car accident attorney from Spaulding Injury Law. All of the steps throughout the process are at our cost, and we only get paid if we win.

Our potential new clients often ask the following the questions, and keep in mind that we are happy to answer any others you might have during your free initial case review:

• How much is my car accident worth?
• How do I prove what my accident is worth and how do I collect it?
• How much will my Alpharetta car accident lawyer cost?

The Amount of Damages for Your Car Accident Will Vary Depending upon Injuries and Circumstances

The damages that you might be entitled to collect for your car accident are meant to provide you with financial compensation for the present and future costs linked to your injuries, including:

• Short-term medical bills like the emergency room, surgeries, treatments, and medication
• Long-term medical costs like rehabilitation, pain management, and psychological counseling
• Lost wages and work benefits while you are recovering from your injuries, and lost earnings potential if your injuries impact your ability to earn as much as before the accident
• Pain and suffering damages are an amount paid to provide compensation for a negative change in the quality of your life brought on by your injuries, like ongoing pain, decreased mobility, or a change in your ability to enjoy the same activities are before the accident

Determining the long-term implications and monetary costs of your injuries on your health and ability to work requires follow-up opinions, and your lawyer ensures that you meet with experts whose opinions can be submitted in court to support your claim or case.

A Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me

Were you injured in a car accident? Attorneys near your location are your best option. They will be familiar with the common accident risks and causes in Alpharetta, GA which can make it easier for them to identify liability for your injuries and losses.

Our firm is conveniently located near you. We have an office in Alpharetta at 44 Milton Ave #132, Alpharetta, GA 30009.