Car Accidents
Hi, and welcome to our website. Law Office of Will Smith is your Atlanta car and truck accident, and nursing home neglect law firm.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car or truck accident, picking the attorney that is right for you can be confusing, and even a little scary.
That’s why we’ve made our website as a resource for your case. Have a question about how to order a police report? What kind of treatment options are available? Or even how to pay for those treatments? Then you will want to read our blog articles, or watch our dozens videos for specific information. We cover a lot of common questions people have after being injured in a car accident.
Also, please take a few moments to look at our attorney profiles and get to know us. Find out who we are as people.
And when you are comfortable, please don’t hesitate to call and speak to one of us. Our consultations are always free.
We look forward to speaking with you. Thanks.
WHAT IS “PAIN AND SUFFERING?” HOW IS IT MEASURED?
Following an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to be compensated for the damages that you have suffered.
For example, these damages can include your medical bills, your lost wages, money that you have spent out of pocket for pain medication and prescription drugs, and your pain and suffering.
Pain and suffering is really a function of how the accident injury has affected your daily life. For example, if previously you played with your children when they got out of school, and now you are not able to enjoy this activity. Maybe you went to the gym every day, and now you cannot step foot in that building any longer. Even simple things like, is it easy for you to sit down at work? Is it easy for you to drive in your car? Is it easy for you to sleep at night? However you have been affected by the injury- this is pain and suffering.
One of our jobs as an car accident attorney is to put a number to that pain and suffering. We recently had a client break a rib in a car accident. He and his wife had just had their first baby. Because of his broken rib and that fact that his arm was immobilized, he was unable to pick up his child for several weeks.
Based on previous cases that we have worked, and based on the law of pain and suffering, we put a number to that case, put together a package and sent it to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. This is one of the benefits to having an attorney. The average person is not going to know how to correctly quantify pain and suffering.
AN INITIAL CONSULTATION WITH Law Office of Will Smith: WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
The first thing that you can expect is that you are going to meet an actual attorney. We sit down with you so that we get to know you and you get to know us, and you feel comfortable with us.
Second, we make sure that we go over all the important documents that you are going to need to sign. One of these is our representation agreement. This agreement explains exactly what it is that we are going to do for you and exactly what it will cost you in the future. The other document is going to be the HIPAA document that authorizes our office to request your medical records and bills. We also may ask questions about your employment to help with any future claims of lost wages.
If you need medical treatment and are not already receiving it, we will help point you in the right direction to get proper care.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, please feel free to call and speak to one our experienced trial lawyers today. Thank you.
WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT?
Number one, drivers in the State of Georgia are required to operate their vehicles in a safe manner and obey traffic laws. When a driver fails to do either one of those and causes a car accident, that is considered negligence. So you have the right, if you have been injured by someone else’s negligence, to be compensated for the injuries that you have suffered.
You also have the right not to speak to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Following an accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance company is likely to call you every day, they are likely to request a recorded statement. You don’t have to give any of these things. Aside from cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation, or speaking with your own insurance company, you do not have to do anything to help the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
Most importantly, you have the right to retain an attorney after you have been injured in a car accident. This is a very important right and it goes along with the fact that you do not have to speak directly to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. You can hire a lawyer to speak on your behalf.
If you have been injured by someone else’s negligence, you have the right to be compensated for your injuries. This can include medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, please feel free to call and speak to one our experienced trial lawyers today. Thank you.
WHY HIRE A LAWYER WHEN I CAN NEGOTIATE WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY DIRECTLY?
It’s really quite simple. As soon as an Atlanta car accident occurs, the case is assigned to an insurance adjuster. The insurance adjuster’s main objective is to close that case out with as little money as possible.
If you don’t have an attorney, they may reasonably believe that you will not take the case to trial, and therefore they will not be inclined to provide you full value for the case. So you will more than likely be low balled.
In all honesty, sometimes it is a good idea to handle the case on your own. There have been many times that, after a consultation, and reviewing the medical records and bills, I’ve explained to the potential client that the offer will not be any different with or without an attorney.
However, 9 times out of 10 it is worth retaining an attorney because you will more than likely not receive maximum value out of the case.
Another value that attorneys bring is that an injury lawyer handles these cases on a regular basis and values claims on a daily basis. This experience can be brought to your case where you may have been low balled by the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
