Car Accident

If you have been injured in a car accident in Atlanta, you need to speak to a lawyer right away in order to protect your rights. Attorney Minkah Merritt is the Georgia accident lawyer who can help. “I have assisted clients with wrongful death cases and serious injury cases ranging from broken backs to fractured collar bones, to whiplash.” Do not let the insurance company take advantage of you because they will attempt too! You can always count on us to negotiate with the insurance adjuster to make sure you get a fair settlement or verdict. Our office handles all automobile accident cases on a contingency fee basis which means you pay us nothing unless you win! Call the Merritt & Merritt Law Firm at 1-800-738-WE-WIN for a free consultation to find out how much your case is worth.

It is highly recommended that you hire an attorney immediately after a car accident if any of the following apply to you:

• 1 or more persons were injured or killed
• Accident involving a 18-wheeler truck
• Multiple vehicle accident
• 1 or more parties were uninsured
• Police report is inaccurate

Things you should do if you have been involved in an accident:

• Call 911
• Turn hazard lights on
• Do not discuss accident with anyone near the scene
• Take photos of accident scene
• Collect all witness information including name, address, and phone number
• Make a written description of each car involved including year, make, model, and color
• File police report
• Do not speak with insurance adjusters
• Do not sign any paperwork

After accident jot down how the accident occurred providing as much detail as possible.

Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in Atlanta

Excessive Speeding, Driver Inattention, Failure to Yield Right of Way, Failure to Maintain Lane, Running a Stop Sign

Many motor vehicle crashes can be attributed to driver negligence in one way or another. Whether their action is getting behind the wheel after drinking – or something as simple as not properly using a turn signal. In Georgia, the person who causes the accident must pay damages to the person they caused harm to. The most frequent causes of car accidents in Georgia are:

• Distracted driving – Being distracted while driving has many categories: Eating, drinking, talking, applying makeup, changing radio or looking for something in the back seat.
• Drunk driving – The legal limit in Georgia is 0.08 and penalties for a DUI are strict.
• Reckless driving and making unsafe lane changes
• Traveling too fast for conditions
• Ignoring stop signs, traffic signal
• Failure to properly maintain vehicle in a safe operational condition

Types of Injuries We Have Handled

These are some of the many types of injuries that often occur in Georgia motor vehicle crashes:

• Brain trauma –These can take months or even years to recover from
• Internal bleeding
• Torn and damaged tendons and ligaments
• Fractures/Breaks
• Spinal Cord Injury–This can be from bruising to a fracture causing paralysis.
• Paralysis– Spinal cord injury is the second-leading cause of paralysis
• Whiplash– Whiplash is a common occurrence in a car accident, ranging from your neck, shoulders, and back
• Burns
• Amputations
• Facial Scarring
• Chronic pain
• Anxiety, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other psychological damage
• Fatalities- There were 1,550 fatal accidents in Georgia last year

You Deserve Justice!

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury in a car wreck that was caused by someone else, you can’t help feeling the unfairness of your having to suffer when you did nothing wrong. It offends your sense of justice! You are suffering—physically, mentally, and financially, for someone else’s carelessness. Although no amount of money is ever adequate compensation for limited mobility, poor health, or loss of a loved one, making a claim against the “at fault” party is important:

1. It can provide you with an avenue to pay mounting medical bills.
2. It can ease the financial burden on you and your family.
3. It can provide a sense fairness and closure.
4. It can restore your sense of justice.

Why Hire an Atlanta Accident Lawyer?

You may think that you can handle the insurance claim yourself but we would strongly advise against it.  Adjusters have experience in dealing with injury and accident claims. If you are not adequately represented, the insurance company may very well try to take advantage of you and make a low offer. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers will handle all paperwork and navigate you through the process.

We can help you recover missed time from work or with injuries that may leave you permanently disabled. Medical bills and loss wages can be easily calculated, but your inability to provide for your family, accomplish tasks or any strain on your relationship maybe difficult.

How do I File a Police Report in Georgia?

Georgia requires that a police report be filed in the event of injuries or a fatality involving an accident, or if there is more than $500 in property damage. You can file a report by simply calling the police to the accident scene. If a police officer does not show up to the scene for whatever reason, you can go to the police department and file the report. You want to file the police report as soon as possible; however, it can be filed within a reasonable time after the accident.

Insurance Claims in Georgia

Never contact an insurance company without the assist of an attorney

The minimum coverage allowed for car insurance in Georgia is $25,000 per injury, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 to account for property damage. After an accident, it’s crucial to file an insurance claim as soon as possible. You’ll need:

• Your full name and policy number
• Date and time of the accident
• Names, addresses and phone numbers of all other drivers
• Details of how the accident happen
• Having the police report is helpful

Collect witness statements if possible, and document the scene as much as you can. Take pictures of the vehicles, note any signage and what the other driver said to you.

Before all else, the first thing you need to do after an accident is seek medical attention at your local emergency room, even if you feel the accident is minor. If you wait an extended period before getting treatment, the other driver’s insurance company may try to say your injuries were not that bad and you, therefore, don’t need compensation. Never admit fault and stay relaxed.

Georgia Statute of Limitations

In Georgia, the statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit is two years after the accident which caused the injury. However, if those injuries cause the person’s death, the two year statute starts from the time of the death.

Are there any Up-Front Cost?

Merritt & Merritt Law Firm charges clients no up-front fee, instead we work on a contingency fee basis. That means if the firm fails to settle a case in your favor, you pay nothing. And when we doe settle a case, the firm is paid only from a part of the total recovery.  The client never pays anything out of pocket, our fee is taken from the recovery or settlement.

What is a Contingency Fee?

A contingency fee is a fee that is conditioned upon a certain result. Simply put, if we recover money for you, we are paid from the monies we recover. If we do not recover monies for you from the insurance company, you owe us nothing. Our fee ranges from 33% depending on the case.

Free Case Consultations

At the Merritt & Merritt Law Firm, we offer free no obligation consultations in which we will examine the facts of your case and advise you on how to proceed. With 40 years of experience, thousands of clients, millions recovered, we strongly believe we have what it takes to get you the best results. You will incur no attorney fees, court, or legal expenses unless you win. Time to file is limited by Georgia law, so call our Atlanta car wreck attorneys today at 1-800-738-WE-WIN.