Car Accident Lawyer In Alpharetta

Call an Alpharetta Car Accident Lawyer Today

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you have legal rights. One such right is to seek compensation for your injuries. Don’t let the other driver or their insurance company talk you out of exercising your rights. They’re not looking out for you, and the insurance company wants to pay you as little as possible.

At Rafi, Brown and Stokes – Injury Lawyers, we’ve helped recover millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. We know what it takes to get you the compensation you deserve.

To speak with an Alpharetta car accident lawyer, call us at 404-948-3311 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Car Accident Statistics for Fulton County

One of the northernmost cities within crowded and busy Fulton County, Alpharetta is no stranger to car accidents. According to data from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in Georgia, there were 45,944 crashes in Fulton County in 2018 alone. Of those, 656 involved serious injuries, and 131 involved a fatality.

In 2018, 27 people died as a result of speeding and 37 people died from being hit or causing an accident due to alcohol impairment. Those were valuable lives that were lost due to someone else’s recklessness, and their families deserve justice.

If you were injured or a family member killed in a car accident for which they were not at fault, you can seek compensation from the other party’s insurance.

An Alpharetta car accident lawyer at Rafi, Brown and Stokes will work toward getting you the closure and compensation you deserve. Call today for a free, no-obligation case consultation.

What Should I Do After a Car Crash in Alpharetta?

We get it – accidents are scary, and you’ll likely be overwhelmed at the scene. After all, if your car is in bad shape, you will have to figure out how to get around without a vehicle. If you’re injured, you’ll have to figure out where to go for treatment and how you’ll pay for it.

There’s plenty to think about, but try to keep these tips at the forefront of your mind. They’ll help protect your legal rights and prevent you from saying or doing something that could compromise your claim.

Here’s what you should do after being in a car crash:

1. Move your vehicle to a safe location.

If it’s safe to do so, move your vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway, away from other cars that increase the risk of a pileup crash. If the accident caused serious damage and you are unable to move your vehicle, shift to park and turn on your hazard lights.

2. Check yourself and your passenger(s) for injuries, then seek medical care.

As soon as your vehicle is in a safe location, check yourself and your passenger(s) for visible injuries. If you or the passenger are in pain or sustained a visible injury, call an ambulance. You never know how an injury will evolve, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Even minor accidents can cause injury, and many times, an injured person isn’t even aware they were hurt until after the fact. This is because our bodies respond to high-intensity situations such as car accidents by releasing adrenaline, a chemical that makes us alert and masks significant pain for hours.

Even if you feel fine and don’t have visible injuries, it’s still a good idea to visit your doctor for a check-up, especially if you have any plans to file a claim against the other driver. Some injuries are latent, meaning symptoms develop over subsequent weeks or even months. If you have a latent injury, your doctor will likely discover it before dangerous symptoms appear.

3. Call the police.

You should call the police after being in an accident, even if the damage appears to be minor. The reporting officer will write a police report containing valuable information about the crash and the officer’s opinion as to who caused the wreck. While a police report cannot be used as evidence in court, insurance companies consider these documents invaluable in their investigation. You should try and remember to get the officer’s name and badge number, too.

4. Collect the other driver’s information.

When it’s safe, walk over to the other driver(s) and obtain the following information:

• Their name and physical address
• Their contact information (phone number, email address)
• The make, model, and license plate number of their vehicle
• Their driver’s license number
• The name of their insurance company and policy number

5. Gather evidence from the scene.

Other than hiring an Alpharetta car accident lawyer, the best thing you can do for your case is to gather evidence at the scene of the crash. When you file a claim, the other party will try and refute what you say – they might even try and put the blame on you.

If you have sound evidence, their claims won’t hold up, and you’re much more likely to receive maximum compensation for your injuries and property damage.

Here’s the photographic evidence you should gather from the scene:

• All vehicles involved, including any damage
• Any traffic lights, stop signs, etc.
• Weather conditions – water on the road, storm clouds, etc.
• Skid marks, glass, and other debris on the road, etc.

6. Call your insurance provider.

Most states require you to notify your insurance if you were in a crash where someone was seriously injured or if the cost of damages totals more than a certain amount. To be safe, you should notify your insurance company even if the wreck was minor.

If you’re worried about your options, contact an Alpharetta car accident lawyer who can help you navigate conversations with your and the other driver’s insurance company.

How We Can Help Auto Accident Victims in Alpharetta

Rafi, Brown and Stokes is passionate about getting our clients the compensation they deserve after being injured in a crash. We’ll work tirelessly on your behalf to protect your legal rights and fight for your best interests.

Here’s how we stand out from other law firms (we like it that way).

Maximum Compensation for Your Car Accident Injuries

Every case is different, so while we can’t tell you now exactly how much your claim may be worth, we won’t settle for anything less than what you deserve. Other law firms just want more cases, so they’ll settle for a low amount just to get you out the door.

We think that’s a waste of time, and we’ll work towards obtaining maximum compensation for you.

If someone else was at fault for your collision, you may be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries, property damage, and more. This compensation, or damages, is divided into two general categories: economic and noneconomic. Economic damages are intended to compensate you for the financial losses you’ve suffered due to your wreck.

These can include:

• Past and future medical and rehabilitation bills
• Property damage
• Lost wages due to missing work
• Out of pocket expenses

Noneconomic damages, on the other hand, compensate you for the non-monetary losses you suffered. This includes mental anguish, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment in life, and more. Economic damages are objective since you can produce invoices and receipts to show your monetary loss, but noneconomic damages are very subjective.

Your Alpharetta car accident lawyer will work with a variety of experts to create a strong claim for compensation on your behalf. This amount of compensation will be presented to the defendant’s lawyer during negotiations.

If a satisfactory settlement isn’t reached, your car accident attorney will fight for the full compensation you deserve in court.

The Difference Between a Settlement and a Verdict

A settlement is reached between disputing parties – you and your lawyer against the other driver and their lawyer – outside of the courtroom. A verdict is usually decided by a jury at trial.

By definition, a settlement is a contractual agreement between disputing parties. Negotiations between the individuals and their lawyers can take weeks or months, but they rarely last as long as it would take to reach a decision in court.

Sometimes, the only way for you to obtain maximum compensation is by taking the other party to court. Preparing for trial can be intense and requires a lot of work, which is why many attorneys will try and convince you to settle for something less than what you need.

Unlike those attorneys, the Alpharetta car accident lawyers at Rafi, Brown and Stokes prepare every case for trial. If the other party refuses to make an equitable settlement, we’ll be ready to take them to court.

How Does Negligence in a Car Accident Affect Your Compensation?

One of the most critical aspects of your car accident claim is negligence. Legally speaking, a person is negligent when they act in a way that a reasonable person wouldn’t, and therefore cause injury.

Four general elements of negligence must be proven for you to seek compensation:

Duty of Care

Each person on the road has a duty of care to avoid causing injury to others who are sharing the road. This includes following all traffic laws, paying attention to other drivers, and more.

Breach of Duty of Care

If a driver causes injuries by breaching their duty of care, they may be negligent. However, if they cause injury due to an unforeseeable event, they may not be held liable. For instance, if a lightning strike hits a tree and causes it to fall on the road, and a driver hits another while trying to avoid the tree, they may not be negligent.

Causation

The other driver’s negligent actions must have directly caused your injury. This includes new injuries, as well as making pre-existing conditions worse.

Real Damages

Finally, there must be real monetary damages that can be paid. For instance, if you are in a minor fender bender, and there are no injuries or property damage, you likely won’t be able to seek compensation.

It’s also important to note that, even if you are partially responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, you can still seek compensation. Georgia follows a comparative negligence statute that says you can seek compensation as long as you are found less than 50% at fault for your wreck. However, the compensation you receive will be reduced by the amount you are found at fault.

For example, say you are stopped at a red light at the intersection of Windward and Westside Parkways. It’s dark, and one of your brake lights is out. Suddenly, you’re rear-ended, and you suffer a concussion and broken ribs. The court finds you are owed $10,000, but because one of your brake lights wasn’t working, you’re found 20% at fault. In this case, you would receive $8,000 in total compensation.

Understanding negligence and how it plays a role in your collision can be difficult. That’s why it’s important to speak to a Alpharetta car accident lawyer as soon as possible.

Rafi, Brown and Stokes has the experience needed to fight for your rights after a wreck. Call us at 404-948-3311 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation.

What are the Common Causes of Car Accidents in Alpharetta?

Car accidents can happen for many reasons. Some of the most common reasons include:

• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Drunk driving
• Not obeying traffic control devices
• Drowsy driving
• Driving aggressively
• Following too closely
• Inappropriate lane changes

The cause of the accident will be listed on the report made by the police when they arrive at the accident scene. You can get a copy of this report for yourself and your lawyer to serve as evidence for your case on the Alpharetta police website.

Don’t Accept the Settlement Offer from Your Insurer (Yet)

After your accident, your insurance company will probably send you a settlement offer, especially if you weren’t at fault. Accepting that offer may be incredibly enticing, especially since you probably have a stack of medical bills, car repair invoices, and other expenses. Insurance companies know about your predicament, so they will likely offer you much less money than you deserve.

At Rafi, Brown and Stokes, we know insurance companies’ tactics to get you to take their lowball offer. They may include language saying you will not receive more money or must accept by a certain date. They do this because you cannot sue them for greater compensation later when you accept their settlement offer.

Before you accept the settlement offer, call us for a free evaluation. Our Alpharetta car accident attorneys can evaluate your case and help you decide if we can get you greater compensation.

Car Accident Questions and Answers

What should I tell insurance after an accident?

You need to tell your own insurance company about the crash, but you have no obligation to speak to the other driver’s insurance company.

In fact, you should be wary of their insurance and tell them to call you back when your lawyer is present. Insurance companies think they’re clever and will try to get you to say something that will put you at fault for the accident. If they call you, you don’t have to answer any of their questions, and you don’t have to provide any information. If you feel like you must, you can tell them your name, address, and contact information, but nothing else.

Avoid saying things like “I’m sorry,” “I didn’t mean to,” “I didn’t see them,” or “I’m not in a lot of pain.” Any of these statements could be used as an admission of guilt or a reason to lessen the value of your claim. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to say as little as possible to the other party’s insurance company. Remember, they’re not looking out for you.

I don’t feel injured. Should I still seek medical attention?

Yes, you should absolutely seek medical attention after being in a car accident, even if you don’t feel injured. Latent injuries are a real and common threat in car accidents, and you may not get all the money you need if you file a claim before you know the extent of your injuries.

Many latent injuries, such as internal bleeding, are serious and even life-threatening. Your doctor will treat you for these and be in communication with your lawyer, who will keep a record of all your injuries. Of course, even if nothing ends up being wrong, you’ll have still received a check-up, which is never a bad idea.

If you’re new to the area or don’t have medical insurance, contact an Alpharetta car accident lawyer with Rafi, Brown and Stokes. We’ll refer you to a doctor or medical professional who can help. Call (404) 800-1156 today.