After a Georgia car accident, there are several steps you should always take to protect your well-being and your legal right to seek compensation for your injuries. Even if you feel unhurt after the accident, you should seek medical attention. The full extent of some injuries, such as concussions, may not be immediately apparent.
If you were in an Atlanta car accident, contact a knowledgeable car accident lawyer for a free consultation. An experienced car accident attorney can explain what to do after a car accident in Georgia and discuss your legal options for pursuing an automobile accident claim.
What Should You Do Immediately After a Georgia Car Accident?
Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may take several important steps immediately after a car crash:
- Check for injuries — The first thing to do is check yourself and your passengers for injuries. If you or your passengers have suffered injuries, the injured parties should seek attention from a doctor as soon as possible.
- Call 911 — After any accident resulting in injuries or property damage of $500 or more, you must report the accident to the police immediately. The local police department or the state patrol should respond and generate a police report documenting the crash. You should also request an ambulance if anyone needs emergency medical attention.
- Document the scene — Taking photographs and videos of the accident scene before the motor vehicles involved are moved or towed away can provide helpful evidence if you go through the claim process. Make sure to capture the damage to the vehicles, relevant traffic signs or signals, and skid marks on the road.
- Gather witness information — If there are eyewitnesses, ask for their names and contact information. Your car accident lawyer will follow up with the witnesses to collect their statements.
- Notify your insurance provider — You should share your driver’s license and insurance information with other parties involved in the collision. Even if you don’t believe you are at fault for the accident, you also should report the accident to your insurance agent. Most auto insurance policies require policyholders to notify their insurers of accidents. If the at-fault driver was uninsured or underinsured, you may need to file a claim, such as an uninsured motorist claim, against your own auto insurance coverage.
If your injuries are severe, you may be unable to take the steps above. In that case, it’s most important to focus on seeking the medical attention you need. Your lawyer can gather evidence to develop your claim against the at-fault driver.
Should a Vehicle Be Moved After an Accident?
Whether a vehicle should be moved after an accident depends on several factors, such as the extent of the injuries and the vehicle damage.
If a car accident occurs on a multi-lane highway or expressway and there are no apparent serious injuries, the drivers should move the vehicles involved from the road to a safe location, such as the road shoulder. This will prevent traffic from being blocked, allowing police and emergency responders to reach the accident scene faster. It also reduces the risk of another vehicle colliding with the wreckage.
If your vehicle must be towed away, make sure that photos and videos of the vehicle are taken at the crash scene before the vehicles are moved. These pictures can establish the damage caused by the incident and may point toward liability in an Atlanta car accident claim.
What Should You Do After a Car Accident Injury?
There are additional actions you should take in the following days, weeks, and months to protect your right to pursue a car accident injury claim and seek maximum compensation:
- Continue medical treatment – Always follow up with your medical treatment until your doctor releases you from treatment. This will prevent the insurance company from claiming you didn’t take your injuries seriously.
- Track medical bills – Keep all medical records and bills for expenses related to the accident. Your lawyer will use these bills when calculating your present and future medical expenses.
- Describe the accident in writing – Write down everything you remember about the car accident. Your notes can be helpful when you need to recall details later.
- Document your recovery – Take photos of your visible injuries as you recover. This can help prove the necessity of your medical treatments.
- Keep a pain journal – Write down your daily pain levels and how your injuries affect your daily routine. This can help support your car accident claim.
- Contact a car accident lawyer – The most effective way to protect your rights is to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer who can handle your claim and deal with the insurance company on your behalf.
Should I Give a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company?
You should consult with an attorney before giving a recorded statement to the insurance company. Georgia’s modified comparative negligence rule (Ga. Code § 51-12-33) states that injury victims cannot recover compensation for the percentage of an accident deemed to be their fault. Moreover, they cannot recover any compensation if they are more than 50 percent at fault for the accident.
An insurance adjuster’s job is to get you to say something they can use against you to deny or reduce the value of your claim. An experienced car accident attorney can protect you from attempts by insurance companies to shift the blame to you. If an adjuster contacts you, direct them to your attorney.
Is There a Deadline for Filing a Car Accident Claim in Georgia?
The deadline for filing a car accident lawsuit in Georgia is typically two years from the date of the car accident. This is because Ga. Code § 9-3-33 gives personal injury victims two years to file lawsuits against the at-fault party. Once this filing deadline passes, the court may dismiss your claim.
Contact a Georgia Car Accident Lawyer
If you have been injured in an Atlanta car accident, contact Bayuk Pratt for legal assistance. Our attorneys have more than 50 years of combined legal experience. We’ve recovered more than $300 million for our clients thanks to the insider knowledge our founding partners bring as former senior partners for two of the world’s largest defense law firms. We use that knowledge to help injured people.
Our Atlanta personal injury and civil litigation lawyers have extensive experience going up against big insurance companies and are prepared to help you seek the maximum compensation available.
