A motor vehicle accident can change your life instantly. If you sustained injuries in an auto accident in Albany, Georgia, coping with painful injuries, lost wages, medical expenses, and other challenges can lead to heavy financial and personal burdens. Understanding your legal rights is critical in these circumstances.
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Types of Auto Accidents We Handle
Our firm handles cases involving various types of auto accidents in Albany. We provide legal representation to victims of crashes involving:
- Cars
- Buses
- Trucks
- Motorcycles
Common types of Albany motor vehicle accidents include:
- Rear-end collisions
- Head-on collisions
- Sideswipe accidents
- T-bone crashes
- Angle collisions
- Fixed-object collisions
- Rollover collisions
- Override/underride accidents
- Hit-and-run accidents
If you suffered injuries in any type of motor vehicle crash, an Albany auto accident attorney can help you by:
- Evaluating your case – Learning your legal options in the aftermath of a collision is crucial. After reviewing your case and Georgia personal injury laws, an Albany car accident attorney will determine whether you have a valid legal claim. Then, your attorney can explain your next steps, which usually means filing an insurance claim. While most motor vehicle accident cases settle with the liable party’s insurance company, your lawyer can also discuss whether a lawsuit might be appropriate.
- Investigating your accident – An auto accident injury attorney will identify who is liable for the harm you suffered through a detailed investigation of the crash. Evidence may show that one party or multiple parties owe you financial compensation.
- Preparing and handling your claim – A car accident lawyer can complete and submit the legal paperwork with the insurance company while you focus on your recovery. Insurance adjusters frequently offer lowball settlements to claimants, but your auto accident attorney can advise you on whether the offer is fair. An attorney can also represent you in settlement negotiations with the insurer to improve your chances of receiving maximum compensation.
If you lost a loved one in a motor vehicle crash, a skilled attorney can also help you seek compensation through a wrongful death claim.
Common Causes of Car Accidents in Albany
An auto collision can have numerous causes. Common causes of crashes include:
- Distracted driving – The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that accidents resulting from driver distraction are a significant cause of motor vehicle crashes in the U.S., mainly due to the use of smartphones.
- Breaking traffic laws – Traffic laws exist to keep everyone safe. Crashes may occur when drivers exceed the speed limit, ignore traffic signs, or fail to yield the right-of-way.
- Inexperience – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), less experienced teen drivers are more likely than others to make mistakes that result in car accidents.
- Intoxication – The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety reported nearly 370 deaths due to drunk-driving accidents in the Peach State in a recent year.
- Failure to maintain the vehicle – Motor vehicles require regular maintenance to perform safely. Drivers who fail to perform routine maintenance on their vehicles risk tire blowouts, brake failures, and other equipment failures that can lead to sudden collisions.
- Product liability or auto manufacturing defect – A motorist isn’t always the liable party in a collision. When crashes result from defective auto parts, the manufacturer could be responsible.
What is Driver Negligence?
Most vehicle accidents result from driver errors, such as unsafe lane changes, following too closely, or running red lights. Many of these errors are examples of driver negligence.
Negligence means the failure of one party to exercise reasonable caution to avoid harming others. All motorists must obey traffic laws. If a driver breaches that duty and causes a car crash, they may be liable for any injuries and related costs under Georgia law.
The success of your motor vehicle accident claim will hinge on proving negligence. Your attorney must provide evidence that the responsible party owed you a duty of care, breached it, and you suffered harm as a result.
Examples of evidence an Albany car accident lawyer might use to prove negligence include:
- Medical records
- Photos showing vehicle damage, property damage, skid marks on the road, or traffic signs
- Video footage from traffic cameras, dashcams, or nearby surveillance cameras showing how the crash occurred
- Police accident report
- Eyewitness statements
- Expert testimony from accident reconstruction specialists, doctors, vocational specialists, and other professionals
- Black box data, if the accident involved a commercial truck
- Auto maintenance records
What Makes Truck and Bus Accidents Unique?
Bus and truck accidents are unique compared to other motor vehicle accidents for several reasons, which makes hiring a lawyer for auto accidents vital. Here’s what makes commercial vehicle crashes different:
- The injuries are often more severe – Large vehicles typically cause serious injuries or death in collisions due to their massive size and weight. That means victims may require extensive and expensive medical treatment, which drives up the value of a personal injury claim. These accident victims may also be entitled to compensation for future medical bills, such as long-term care, if catastrophic injuries result in disability or permanent impairment.
- Multiple parties may be liable – The trucking industry is made up of multiple parties, such as truck drivers, trucking companies, cargo loaders, mechanics, and more. Any or all of these parties could bear a portion of responsibility for a crash. Similarly, bus accidents may involve drivers, corporations, and government entities. Large organizations often have multiple insurance policies and can afford to hire aggressive legal counsel to deny liability.
- Additional laws apply to trucks and buses – Federal and state laws govern the trucking industry and vehicles like buses. For this reason, auto accident claims involving these vehicles are more complex and require extensive knowledge of how the statutes apply.
Experienced Albany Auto Accident Attorneys Who Get Results
At The Law Offices of William F. Underwood, III, P.C., we understand the challenges clients face after a motor vehicle collision. We can guide you through the complex legal process. You should not bear the financial burden of a car accident caused by someone else. We can help you seek the compensation you need and deserve for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses.
Let our experienced attorneys handle your car accident case and fight for maximum compensation while you heal. Contact our office today for a free case evaluation with an auto accidents lawyer in Albany.
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