Have you suffered a serious injury in an Atlanta auto accident? You shouldn’t be left to pick up the pieces alone after being injured due to the carelessness of others. To get the full and fair compensation you need to mount a full recovery, you need a dedicated and caring attorney looking out for your interests. Contact our Atlanta car accident lawyers for a free case consultation.
We have been helping people get results for over 35 years. After a serious accident, we believe that your energy is better focused on recovering from your injuries than arguing with shifty insurance agents. While you are healing, we will be battling the insurance companies who care more about their bottom line than their insureds.
Ultimately, our goal is to do everything we can to make sure that you are compensated for the harm that was done to you. If that means going to court, then you can rest assured knowing that we are experienced trial attorneys with a track record of successful results.
Many auto accident attorneys dabble in handling personal injury claims, but not every law firm has the resources to conduct thorough investigations. Overlooking potential sources of liability could affect the amount of compensation you are able to recover. When your best interests are on the line, work with an experienced attorney committed to devoting the right resources to your case.
At Hilley & Frieder, P.C., we are prepared to advocate for your interest if you are suffering from the following types of auto accident injuries:
If you have been injured in a car accident, you deserve the full amount of compensation you are allowed under the law. Under Georgia law, your car insurance policy should entitle you to compensation even if you do not know who hit you or the motorist responsible for the accident lacks insurance. Regardless of who hit you, you may be able to recover your medical expenses, lost earnings, pain and suffering.
At Hilley & Frieder, P.C., we begin our investigative efforts working with you to understand what you recall from the crash. We will also review any witness statements or police reports to understand potential liability factors.
For highly catastrophic or fatal accident claims, we can consult accident scene reconstructionists. We work with them to review any property damage and try to reconstruct what led to the accident. Our legal team may also review vehicle maintenance reports, truck drivers’ logbooks or cellphone records, if cellphone use was considered a factor. Any previous accident report at the same intersection could also be valuable. Our husband-and-wife team reviews every angle possible when trying to understand the cause of auto accidents such as:
Insurance adjusters have learned to take us seriously, knowing we are prepared to uncover all sources of liability. If more than one party is responsible for causing a car accident, we will aggressively pursue maximum compensation against all negligent parties.
After a car accident, your legal options depend on the answer to one question: does the state you suffered your accident in follow a fault or no-fault car insurance system?
Under a fault-based system, the at-fault party responsible for your accident is also responsible for paying for your injuries and damages. Conversely, a no-fault system requires each party in an accident to pay for their own damages through their personal insurance policies. Only 12 states follow a no-fault system, including Florida, New York, and Kentucky.
Georgia follows a traditional fault-based system. State law requires all drivers to carry certain amounts of liability insurance to uphold this financial responsibility, with minimum amounts of $25,000 for property damage and bodily injury per person, and $50,000 for total injury liability. You can purchase higher amounts of coverage if you wish.
Under Georgia’s fault car insurance system, you have three main options to seek compensation after an auto accident.
In most car accident cases, you will likely file an insurance claim before proceeding to the more intensive lawsuit process if the company denies your claim or refuses to provide an adequate settlement. However, your case may involve certain factors that would require you to file a lawsuit first, such as an unusually high amount of damages and severe, life-altering injuries.
Speak to the Atlanta accident attorneys at Hilley & Frieder, P.C. to determine which pathway is right for your claim.
After catching your breath from a car accident, you may be wondering what you should do to protect your best interests. Car accidents happen out of the blue, so it’s easy to feel unprepared. During a time of uncertainty, make sure you have an experienced Atlanta injury lawyer in your corner.
If you are like most people, the moments leading up to a car accident are now a blur. You may not remember if someone ran a light or was texting and driving just seconds before the collision occurred. Even if you do recall what happened, the other driver will have his or her own version to tell law enforcement.
Any witness report could be a key source in determining the cause of the car accident. Before you leave the scene of the accident, ask any witnesses for their names and phone numbers. We can reach out to any available witness when trying to identify fault. Any witness statement could be invaluable to our investigative efforts.
If possible, we recommend taking photos of the accident scene. Evidence from the accident scene can quickly wash away or start to disappear hours after a collision. Before evidence is lost, try to take photos of the accident scene that can substantiate your claim.
Immediately following your car accident, an insurance adjuster may be at your heels offering you a settlement. Insurance adjusters are often very approachable and may seem genuinely concerned about your well-being.
However, it’s rarely in accident victims’ best interests to accept an insurance adjuster’s initial settlement offer. The job of insurance adjusters is to make money, often at the expense of accident victims. They may try to limit the amount of compensation you can recover, so we can encourage you to work with one of our car accident attorneys in Atlanta as soon as possible. We have extensive experience handling personal injury claims and are effective at negotiating with insurance adjusters to secure the full amount of compensation you are entitled to today and in the long term.
If you were able to walk away from the collision, you may be wondering if it’s really necessary to see a doctor, especially if you feel okay. This can be misleading because whiplash and other neck injuries may not appear for days or weeks after an accident.
If you do not see a doctor shortly after an accident, the insurance adjuster may try claiming your injuries were not related to the collision. At Hilley & Frieder, P.C., we recommend seeing a doctor as soon as possible to document the injuries you have sustained and the type of medical care you will need.
Car accidents can result in catastrophic injury, severe property damage, and debilitating physical, financial, and emotional impacts. After your collision, you may incur thousands of dollars’ worth of damages that can harm your ability to move forward after the crash.
Through a personal injury lawsuit or insurance claim, you have the right to collect compensation for two categories of damages: economic or non-economic. Under certain circumstances, you may also be eligible for punitive damages.
Economic damages involve your out-of-pocket financial losses you can prove with a receipt, invoice, or other documentation. Common economic damages in car accidents may include the following:
On the other hand, non-economic involve your physical and emotional pain and suffering. These damages can be difficult to calculate since they do not leave tangible evidence. However, your auto accident lawyers will work closely with you to help you understand which damages you are eligible for and the estimated value of your settlement.
Common types of non-economic damages may include the following:
Punitive damages are the third type of compensation you can claim, and they are only available under certain circumstances. Georgia courts impose punitive damages to punish the at-fault party, rather than compensate you for your losses.
State law dictates that you may receive punitive damages if the at-fault party showed willful misconduct, fraud, malice, oppression, wantonness, or conscious indifference to you at the time of the accident. Your Atlanta accident lawyer will examine your case to determine whether or not you may qualify for this additional compensation.
Just as you are catching your breath from a car accident, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the number of bills piling up related to the accident. You may be worried about making ends meet, knowing you have hospital bills, surgical expenses, property damages, or possibly physical therapy or chiropractic bills to cover. We understand the emotional and financial toll personal injury accidents can have on an entire family. Our job is to help you secure a full financial recovery against all at-fault parties for the expenses related to the accident.
Our legal team reviews every angle possible to understand if another driver, manufacturer, construction zone hazard, or factor led to the car accident. We conduct thorough investigations in an effort to identify all sources of financial recovery.
We will also work with your doctor in an effort to understand the type of medical expenses you will require in the near future and in the long term. If your injuries have prevented you from working, we may also work with a vocational expert to understand if you will be able to rejoin the workforce. We can also consult life-care planning experts, if, for example, you have sustained catastrophic injuries and may need to make your home handicap-accessible.
We don’t make guesses when handling personal injury claims. Instead, we consult industry-leading experts to identify the type of compensation you are entitled to in the long term for pain and suffering, medical expenses, hospital bills, and lost wages.
At Hilley & Frieder, P.C., we don’t believe you should be left to pay for these expenses out of your own pocket. We are committed to helping you obtain a full financial recovery against all at-fault parties.
If you or your loved one was in a car accident, contact our husband-and-wife team of Atlanta car accident lawyers today for a free consultation. We have handled hundreds of claims over the years and are prepared to identify the cause of the collision. Many firms try to quickly settle cases without taking into account all the factors that may have contributed to the accident.
