Car Accident Claim Process in Atlanta, GA
You will not jump immediately to a lawsuit after you suffer a car accident injury in Atlanta, GA. Instead, your first step will usually be filing an injury claim with the at-fault driver’s auto insurance company.
This process is unfamiliar to injured claimants but is routine for injury attorneys. These lawyers work within the claim process to fight adjusters for the maximum compensation for their clients.
How Hasner Law, PC Can Help After a Car Accident in Atlanta
Hasner Law PC was formed in 2011 to provide compassionate legal representation to Georgia accident victims. Our Atlanta car accident attorneys have over 80 years of combined legal experience and have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. We can help after a car crash in Atlanta, Georgia, by:
- Internally investigating your accident to strengthen your claim as much as possible
- Working with experts if needed to further analyze and evaluate your claim
- Demand and negotiate fair compensation on your behalf
- If the at-fault party refuses to settle your car accident claim, we can file a lawsuit and take your case to court
A car accident lawyer will guide you through the insurance claim process and how car insurance works the so that the insurer does not take advantage of your lack of experience. contact Hasner Law, PC, for a free consultation at (678) 888-4878 to discuss any type of car accident claim and the compensation you can receive.
How Many Car Accident Claims Are Filed in Atlanta?
A query on the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Crash Dashboard shows that Atlanta had 344 pedestrian accidents, 64 bicycle accidents, and 3,849 single-vehicle accidents in 2021. The city had just under 35,350 collisions where two or more motor vehicles, including motorcycles, cars, and trucks, ran into each other.
Of these collisions, 79 caused at least one fatality, and 9,852 caused at least one nonfatal injury. In total, 80 people died, and 15,468 people suffered an injury.
Not all of these people filed a car accident claim. Some of the injuries were too minor to justify filing a claim. In other situations, the person who got injured was responsible for causing the accident and, thus, had no one else to blame for their injuries.
Using the statistics from the GDOT Crash Dashboard, you can assume that car accident victims filed somewhere between 9,900 and 15,500 car accident claims in 2021.
How the Car Accident Claim Process Works in Atlanta, GA
Every car owner in Georgia must buy liability insurance. This insurance coverage pays victims for common injuries caused by anyone driving the car.
Generally, you start a car accident claim by notifying the at-fault driver’s insurer of your accident. You might call your insurance carrier and have it notify the other driver’s insurer. But your insurer will not help you after the notification.
The at-fault driver’s insurer will send you proof of loss forms. Your lawyer uses these forms to describe your accident and document your losses. The claim will often include:
- Accident report and how to obtain a car accident report.
- Medical records
- Hospital and doctor bills
- Wage statements
The insurer assigns a claims adjuster to your case. The adjuster investigates your crash using these documents. They may also look at witness statements from the policyholder and ask you for a recorded statement.
In most cases, your lawyer will advise against giving a recorded statement. The adjuster can use the recorded statement to find inconsistencies in your claim to use against you.
The insurer will either accept or deny your claim. If the insurer denies the claim, you and your lawyer will work to overcome the claim denial. An adjuster can deny a claim for many reasons, including:
- The policyholder did not cause the crash
- You contributed to the cause of your crash
- The crash did not cause your injuries
- Your injuries were preexisting conditions
- You received unnecessary or unreasonably expensive treatment
If you and your lawyer cannot settle your claim, you may need to file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver and have a jury resolve the disputed factual issues.
Proving Liability in Your Atlanta Car Accident Claim
Your lawyer must prove there was liability the other driver acted negligently in causing the car accident. Negligence means the driver failed to exercise reasonable care while driving. In many situations, this means the other driver broke traffic and red light laws. But you can still prove negligence even if the other driver did not receive a traffic ticket.
If the other driver did something that was objectively dangerous, they were negligent. Examples might include taking their eyes off the road while they tuned the radio or removing their hands from the steering wheel while they ate a sandwich.
Compensation You Can Receive for Your Car Accident Claim in Atlanta, GA
Georgia law allows you to seek compensation for economic and non-economic losses. Economic losses include the money you spend on medical bills, therapy, and medication. They also include the income you lost by not going to work.
Non-economic losses cover the ways your quality of life diminished after your crash. Pain, suffering, and loss of consortium all qualify as non-economic losses.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Auto Accident Lawyer in Atlanta
A successful car accident claim can settle your case for fair compensation without filing a lawsuit. Contact Hasner Law, PC, for a free consultation to discuss how an experienced Atlanta car accident attorney can help you resolve your case.
If you don’t want help, you can see how to get money from a car accident without a lawyer in Atlanta, GA.
