With over 35 years of combined legal experience, Athens car accident attorneys Christopher Simon, Harrison Spires, and Tyler Bridgers have handled many hundreds of car accident cases on behalf of both injured victims and those responsible for causing them. Car accident cases in and around Athens-Clarke County happen all too frequently given the configuration of GA-316. The lack of signals at a lot of intersections and erratic and heavy traffic conditions at rush hour lead to a disproportionate number of crashes. Due to the high student population during the school year, we also see a large number of bicycle and pedestrian accidents.
Christopher Simon Attorney at Law understands how much a car accident can have a negative impact on the lives of you and your loved one. We will be there to help protect you and your loved ones and make sure insurance companies don’t try to take advantage of you when you are at your most vulnerable.
The legal team at the Athens law office of Christopher Simon is committed to answering any of your questions involving your Athens car accident and being there for you during this difficult time.
In 2015, Vox used data from the National Highway Traffic Association to report that the I-285 highway that circles around Athens, is the deadliest interstate highway in the United States. In fact, the state of California and Texas had fewer interstate deaths than Georgia. The article by Vox stated that on I-285 in Athens approximately 3.5 car accidents per every 10 miles of highway. In 2013, 26 people died due to an automobile accident on I-285. These statistics are staggering considering there was only 1,120 fatal car accident in all of Georgia.
Some of the most common causes of automobile accidents in Athens and throughout Georgia include:
In Georgia courts, when a driver fails to pay attention to the roads, obey traffic and safety laws, a judge or jury may find them guilty of negligence. Under these conditions, Christopher Simon Attorney at Law may be able to file a lawsuit against the driver that caused you or your loved one to be injured. The lawsuit may be able to give you and your family the compensation you need to pay for medical expenses, loss of wage costs, and more.
If you or a loved one was killed in an Athens car accident that was caused by another driver being reckless and/or negligent, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit on your deceased loved one’s behalf.
Having an experienced Athens car accident lawyer like Christopher Simon Attorney at Law on your side may give you the advantage. Our attorneys will review all the information obtained during an accident investigation and use it to file a lawsuit on your behalf. In your claim, your Athens car accident attorney will outline the driver’s negligent behavior, the damages you are requesting, the compensation for these damages, and the injuries you and/or a loved one suffered.
Christopher Simon Attorney at Law will use your claim in an attempt to negotiate a settlement with the insurance companies on your behalf to settle your claim out of court. We will be a strong advocate for you and handle all the negotiations with the insurance companies involved. If your case isn’t settled, then we will prepare your case for trial in a Georgia court.
You or your loved one may be involved in an Athens car accident with another car, a motorcycle, pedestrian, commercial truck, buses, and/or a pedestrian.
In Athens and throughout Georgia, there are many types of car accidents that occur, and while each one has its own set of unique circumstances, the most common types of car accidents in Athens are listed below:
In an Athens car accident, injuries such as broken bones, cuts, concussions, whiplash, nerve damage, soft-tissue damage, spinal cord injuries, and/or joint dislocation may occur.
Given the harsh penalties that go with the hit-and-run accidents in Athens, you would think they wouldn’t occur very often, but you’d be wrong.
Since 2009, hit and run deaths have increased by approximately 7.2% every year. It’s been estimated that a hit and run occurs somewhere in the United States at the rate of one every minute.
Whether you’re walking, driving, or on a bicycle, your chances of getting injured in a hit-and-run accident are extremely high.
The state of Georgia operates on a fault-based system. It often isn’t easy to track down the driver of the vehicle that caused your Athens car accident. If you aren’t able to locate the driver, your uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist car insurance coverage will be activated.
Most insurance companies in Georgia treat a hit-and-run driver like an at-fault driver with no insurance. This type of coverage may have been optional when you purchased your Georgia car insurance, and many Athens drivers choose to skip this coverage to save money.
Christopher Simon Attorney at Law recommends that you add this coverage to your automobile insurance because Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured motorist insurance is generally very affordable and could save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
In order to have a successful claim in an Athens hit and run accident, you will need to collect all of your medical expenses and records, try to calculate any lost wages, quantify your pain and suffering, and send a demand letter to your Athens car insurance company.
At this point, the negotiations with your Athens car insurance company begin, and most times your car insurance company will not offer you a fair settlement amount. You can choose to go through this process alone, but it is recommended that you have an experienced Athens car accident lawyer assist you in this process.
If you don’t have uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist coverage, you’re going to need to try to find the driver of the motor vehicle that caused you or your loved one’s injuries.
To accomplish this, there are some things you will need to do immediately after the accident:
If you do manage to find the driver that hit you and caused your injuries, they may be facing severe felony charges. Depending on you or your loved one’s injuries, the driver could face a felony conviction, fines, and jail time.
A criminal conviction due to your hit and run accident can be used by your Athens car accident lawyer as evidence in your civil case.
If you or a loved one is involved in a hit-and-run accident, you’re going to need an Athens car accident attorney to help guide you through the often complicated and complex processes to get you the compensation you deserve.
If you’re involved in an Athens car accident, you or a loved one could suffer any number of injuries, and those injuries could result in conditions that affect you or your loved one’s future.
Depending on the severity of your or your loved one’s injuries are, you could be looking at extensive rehabilitation therapy and/or multiple surgeries. Even a minor injury may turn into something more severe days or weeks after the accident.
It’s imperative that if you or a loved one is involved in an Athens car accident, you seek treatment by medical professionals as soon as possible after the accident. It’s also important to go to any follow-up appointments that are provided. This ensures no new injuries show up after the adrenaline of the accident wears off.
Problems arise when car accident victims deal with back and knee issues. The most common defense for these cases is that the pain complaints are all objective (that is they cannot be confirmed on an x-ray or other test) and what does show up on the films is pre-existing. The most common phrase out of the adjuster’s mouth is “that is just a soft tissue injury.” That is the dumbest comment out there because, by definition, anything other than a clear tear or fracture is soft tissue. A brain injury is a soft tissue injury, but it is very serious. If you and your Athens car accident lawyer file a lawsuit against the reckless and/or negligent driver that caused you or your loved one to suffer injuries in an Athens car accident, you could be eligible to receive damages, (financial compensation) that can be used to assist you and your loved one to recover from your injuries. Cases involving fractures, surgery, and scarring have unique values and all tend to be in excess of $100,000. The key is information. Any quality Athens car accident attorney will give you a free consultation so please, take at least three meetings. Get comfortable with the lawyers that you will be working with over the next year.
One of the first things you should do is seek immediate medical attention for you, your loved ones, and any of the other drivers involved in the Athens car accident.
You have a responsibility to assist other drivers and/or passengers who were injured in an Athens car accident. After calling the police department, you should talk to the other drivers, if possible, so you can exchange names, phone numbers, and contact information for the insurance companies.
In order to protect your legal rights after an Athens car accident you should:
If you or a loved one was in an Athens car accident recently, and that accident was caused by another driver’s negligent or careless driving, hiring an experienced Athens car accident lawyer is your best chance of recovering damages for your injuries.
When you are looking to hire an Athens car accident lawyer, there are several things you should look for in order to ensure your case will be handled properly. They include:
In Athens, one of the big problems is Athens Regional has a habit of not sending the car accident billing to the victim’s health insurance company. They instead ship it to a provider called Accelerated Claims. They are getting better about billing health insurance once we send a certified letter, but my question is what about all the unrepresented people out there who don’t know they should be insisting that health insurance pay the bill? When the time does come to consider hiring a lawyer to assist with your claim, several factors should be taken into account. Is your claim large or complicated enough for an experienced attorney to add real value through the attorney/client relationship? If not, you may be able to handle the claim yourself and avoid having to pay attorney fees.
Christopher Simon has written a book to assist people involved in Georgia car crashes whose claims may be suitable for settlement without hiring a lawyer. The Georgia Guide to Buying Car Insurance and Handling Car Accident Claims is available for purchase at Amazon.com and the firm will email it to you for free.
Our firm takes great care in deciding which cases are appropriate to accept. We handle a small number of cases at any one time so that we can give personal attention to our clients and their legal issues. When you are represented by our firm, your primary contact will be one of the lawyers, not a staff person.
Deciding whether to hire a lawyer and which law firm might best suit your needs is not always easy. However, calling for initial free advice certainly is. We appreciate you taking the time to review our website. If you have additional questions, or merely want to make sure you are on the right track in dealing with your auto accident claim, please call our Athens car accident attorneys today.
The types of financial compensation you and/or your loved one may be entitled to include, but may not be limited to: