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Were you injured in Lawrenceville, GA or its surroundings? Our lawyers can help you recover from your losses. We have decades of combined experience handling local personal injury cases.
Having a local personal injury lawyer with experience with and knowledge of the actual value of your case is vital to ensuring you receive the most compensation possible for your injuries.
Our award-winning personal injury lawyers know the best way to go up against insurance companies because we used to work with them and use that experience to help you win.
Voted Among the Best Personal Injury Firms in Gwinnett County 6 Years in a Row by Gwinnett Magazine
The grief of losing a loved one unexpectedly can be overwhelming, especially when their death was due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness. It’s in such times that you might seek justice against those at fault. At Spaulding Injury Law, our Braselton team stands ready to fight tirelessly for you and your family.
Under the leadership of Theodore Spaulding, a Georgia attorney renowned for his top-tier 10/10 Avvo rating, we provide dedicated legal support, allowing you to focus on personal healing and remembering your loved one. With a perfect 5.0/5.0-star rating reflecting our commitment to client success, we have positioned ourselves as one of the leading law firms serving Braselton.
Car accidents can be stressful and overwhelming, especially when it comes to defending your rights. At Spaulding Injury Law, we’re a trusted legal firm serving Braselton, Georgia, and we’re here to help you win this challenging situation.
Understanding the Car Accident Claim Process in Braselton, Georgia
The injury claim process after a car accident can be confusing. At Spaulding Injury Law, our Braselton car accident lawyers can guide you through every step.
Here are the steps in the process and how we can help:
- Report the Accident and Gather Evidence: After the accident, call the police immediately and document as much as possible at the scene. This includes photos of the scene, injuries, and damage to vehicles, as well as gathering witness statements.
- Medical Attention: Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you think your injuries are minor. This is not only crucial for your health, but medical records also serve as evidence in your claim. Our team can ensure that all medical documents related to the accident are accurately collected and organized for your case.
- Notify Your Insurance Company: Inform your insurance company about the accident promptly. We can help communicate with your insurance company to ensure that all necessary information is relayed correctly and timely.
- Obtain the Police Report: Once the police report is available, get a copy. We can assist in retrieving this report, which is a critical piece of evidence for your claim.
- Manage Your Property Damage Claim: If your car is repairable, you might have two claims – one for the repair costs and another for the diminished value of your vehicle post-accident. We can help you understand and manage these claims to ensure you receive fair compensation.
- Investigation: We will conduct a thorough investigation into the accident to gather additional evidence, determine liability, and identify all potential sources of compensation.
- Claim Negotiation: Once we fully understand the accident and your damages, we will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to seek a fair settlement.
- Filing a Lawsuit: If a fair settlement cannot be reached, we are prepared to file a lawsuit and take your case to court. We will represent you passionately and competently, presenting the strongest case possible.
Throughout this process, we keep open and regular communication with you, ensuring you are informed at every stage. At Spaulding Injury Law, we’re committed to supporting you and fighting for the compensation you deserve.
Notifying Your Insurance Company
When involved in an accident, it’s best to report the incident to your insurance company as soon as possible, regardless of who is at fault. This step is crucial due to a provision in many auto insurance policies called a “notification clause.” This clause often stipulates that policyholders must report any accidents to the insurance company within a reasonable time frame.
In Georgia, while there is no defined time limit set by state law to report an accident to your insurance company, legal precedents have established that waiting as long as 45 days could be considered unreasonable and result in a denial of your claim. Reporting the accident as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours, is recommended to avoid any potential issues.
Failing to notify your insurance company promptly could lead to several negative consequences:
- Claim Denial: The insurance company might deny your claim if they feel the delay in notification has hindered their ability to investigate the accident thoroughly.
- Coverage Revocation: In some extreme cases, the insurer might even void your coverage entirely, leaving you personally liable for any damages or medical expenses related to the accident.
- Legal Issues: If you’re sued by the other party involved in the accident, a delay in reporting might complicate your defense.
Even if the other driver is at fault, there are cases where you might need to rely on your own insurance. For instance, the other driver might be uninsured or underinsured, or there may be disagreements about the details of the accident that delay compensation. In such circumstances, your own insurance policy can provide coverage under uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage or collision coverage, depending on your policy.
What Are the Long-Term Impacts of a Car Accident?
A car accident can have long-term, even life-altering consequences. When pursuing a car accident claim, our team considers these potential impacts. At Spaulding Injury Law, we factor in the long-term implications when calculating the compensation you deserve.
This could include:
- Chronic Pain: Some injuries may cause ongoing pain and discomfort, requiring long-term medical treatment or pain management techniques.
- Permanent Disability: Serious accidents can lead to disabilities, affecting your ability to work or live life as you did before the accident.
- Career Impacts: If your injury prevents you from returning to your job or if you’re no longer able to perform at the same level, this potential loss of earnings is factored into your claim.
- Quality of Life: Injuries can interfere with your hobbies, relationships, and general enjoyment of life. We consider this when calculating non-economic damages.
Our goal is to ensure your settlement considers all potential future costs and impacts, not just the immediate aftermath of the accident.
Understanding Damages in a Braselton Car Accident Claim
You can pursue several types of damages in a car accident, including economic damages for lost wages and medical expenses, non-economic damages for pain and suffering, and punitive damages to penalize the at-fault driver.
Here’s a detailed look at the different types of damages.
Economic Damages
These are tangible costs that can be calculated and verified with bills, receipts, or wage statements. They include:
- Medical Expenses: This can cover the cost of ambulance rides, emergency room visits, hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, prescription medications, and any future medical costs related to your accident. For instance, if you suffered a severe spinal cord injury, your economic damages could include the cost of ongoing rehabilitation and the installation of accessibility equipment in your home.
- Lost Wages: If your injuries force you to miss work or reduce your ability to work, you can be compensated for lost wages. For example, if a broken leg from the accident requires you to be out of work for three months, you can claim the wages you would have earned during that time.
- Property Damage: This covers the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and any other personal property damaged in the accident.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages are intangible and more subjective. They relate to the physical and emotional distress you’ve experienced as a result of the accident.
- Pain and Suffering: This encompasses both the physical pain and discomfort caused by your injuries and the emotional distress from your accident and the subsequent recovery process. For example, if you suffered a severe burn in the accident, the immense pain and the emotional trauma associated with the scar could constitute pain and suffering.
- Emotional Distress: Serious accidents can lead to psychological impacts such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD. If your sleep pattern is disrupted due to nightmares about the accident, this could be a part of your emotional distress damages.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life: If your injuries prevent you from participating in activities you used to enjoy, you could claim damages for loss of enjoyment. For example, if you used to be an avid cyclist, but your accident resulted in a permanent disability that prevents you from cycling, you could claim these damages.
Punitive Damages
These are not awarded to compensate for a loss but rather to punish the at-fault party for particularly reckless or negligent behavior and deter similar conduct in the future. For example, if the driver who hit you was excessively speeding while under the influence of alcohol, the court may award you punitive damages to punish the driver and discourage such dangerous behavior.
Handling Pre-existing Conditions in a Car Accident Claim
A pre-existing medical condition can complicate your car accident claim. However, at Spaulding Injury Law, we understand how to ensure your compensation isn’t unfairly reduced.
Insurance companies may try to use your pre-existing condition against you, arguing that your injuries were not a result of the accident. This is often referred to as the “eggshell plaintiff” or “eggshell skull” principle, which essentially states that at-fault parties are responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries, even if they are more severe because of a pre-existing condition.
Our legal team is skilled at distinguishing the accident’s impact from your pre-existing condition. We work with medical professionals to show that the accident either worsened your condition or caused a new injury altogether. We aim to ensure you receive full compensation for any harm caused by the accident.
How Long Will a Car Accident Claim Take?
Factors such as the severity of your injuries, the clarity of fault, the cooperation of the insurance company, and whether your case goes to court can all impact how long the process will take.
At Spaulding Injury Law, we understand that lengthy legal proceedings can add to your stress during this challenging time. We strive to resolve your claim as efficiently as possible while ensuring you receive full and fair compensation.
If necessary, we’re prepared to take your case to court to fight for the compensation you deserve. While this can extend the case duration, it may also increase your final settlement.
Choose Spaulding Injury Law’s Braselton Accident Team
At Spaulding Injury Law, we provide tailored legal support to our clients in Braselton. We’re committed to ensuring you get the compensation you deserve. We offer a free consultation to assess the merits of your case before you commit to our services. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Braselton, reach out to us today.
Practice Areas We Serve
Inadequate Security Lawyer
Back And Neck Injury
Motorcycle Accident
Car Accident Lawyer
Drunk Driving Accident
MARTA Accident
Dog bite Accident
Pedestrian Injury Lawyer
Personal Injury
Product Liability
Truck Accidents
Uber & Lyft Accident
Wrongful Death Lawyer
Find A Car Accident Lawyer Near You:
Accidents happen when we least expect them. If you’ve been in a car accident and need legal help, look no further. Find a car accident lawyer near you who will fight for your rights and ensure you get the compensation you deserve. Don’t wait – get the support you need today.
Lawrenceville car accident lawyer
Visit Our Car Accident Lawyer Office in Braselton
We help victims inside the Gwinnett County Area and our firm is conveniently located near Braselton. We have an office in Lawrenceville at 223 Scenic Hwy S #202 Lawrenceville, GA