Top 5 Car Accident Myths

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Common Car Accident Myths

As a car accident attorney, I hear a lot of things about car accidents and what to do after them—some true, but many more that are completely false. This is a list of the top 5 car accident myths that I routinely hear and what the actual truth is:

These are just some of the common myths I hear on a regular basis, but there are certainly more—lots more. We are experts at car accident cases—just like you are an expert in your job. When you are hurt in an accident, leave it to a legal expert to make sure that your case is handled properly.

Many injuries take hours, days, weeks, or in the case of many brain injuries, even months or years to manifest. Just because you told the police officer at the scene of the crash that you did not need an ambulance, that does not prevent you from making an injury claim. Also, many people choose not to have an ambulance come and take them to the hospital because they are worried about the cost. As you later experience true pain from the wreck, you may still be able to bring a successful lawsuit.

You do not have to give a detailed statement to the other driver’s insurance company or yours. Giving a statement to an insurance company is very, very rarely in your best interest; instead, the insurance company hopes to prematurely lock you into a story, and then use it against you later. For example, after a car accident, if you give a statement from the scene and tell the insurance company you are not injured, then a few days later experience severe pain and make a claim, the insurance company will use your words against you. Don’t give the insurance company the chance to do that—remember, insurance companies lose money by paying claims. Typically, you only need to report to your insurance company that an accident happened and provide the when and where.

If you are in a car accident, you should call police so they can help anyone who is injured and create an accident report. The police officer may say who is to blame and give that driver a ticket, but many times juries in civil trials are not allowed to hear about tickets or who the police think is at fault. The rules of evidence only allow certain information to get to the jury, and that is one reason hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer is important.

Georgia is a “comparative negligence” state, which means that you may recover in a car wreck, even if you are partly to blame. You must, however, be less than 50% at fault to win your case. So, if you get into an accident with another driver, so long as the other driver is more at fault than you (maybe because he failed to yield), then you win. When a jury awards an amount, let’s say $100,000 but you are 25% at fault, then your recovery is reduced by that percentage—in this example, your award would be reduced by $25,000, so you would receive $75,000.

Your insurance rates will not go up just because you file a claim with your insurance company. In fact, Georgia car insurance laws prevent an insurance company from canceling your policy, refusing to renew your policy, or raising your rates if you are not at fault in the accident and filed a claim.

Case Results

Our mission is to help you get the full compensation you deserve. Some of Mike Rafi’s recent cases include
$3,900,000
Settlement as co-counsel for client shot at Gwinnett hotel
$3,013,000
Jury verdict as part of trial team in wrongful death tractor-trailer crash on I-285
$2,000,000
Settlement (policy limits) for client who injured hand in defective machine
$1,850,000
1,700,000.00 jury verdict against gas station operator
$1,600,000
Settlement (policy limits) for client hit by car while walking his dog
$1,250,000
Settlement for client injured at convenience store
$1,100,000
Settlement (policy limits) for client injured at factory
$1,100,000
Settlement (policy limits) for client shot at Brookhaven apartment complex
$1,100,000
Settlement for client injured at gas station in Tucker
$1,000,000
Settlement (policy limits) for client shot at Brookhaven apartment
$1,000,000
Settlement (policy limits) for client hit while driving motorcycle
$800,000
Settlement in medical malpractice case
$637,500
Settlement ($100,000.00 policy limits) for client injured while passenger in car
$700,000
Settlement for client injured at construction site
$575,000
Settlement for client shot at Decatur apartment complex
$500,000
Settlement for client injured at Decatur apartment complex
$500,000
Settlement ($25,000.00 policy limits) for client in car crash
$475,000
Settlement for client who crashed in unmarked section of road work
$475,000
Settlement for client injured at Atlanta apartment complex
$460,000
Settlement for client rear-ended on I-285
$450,000
Settlement for client who fell from 2nd floor balcony due to defective railing
$450,000
Settlement for client injured in head-on crash
$450,000
Settlement before closing arguments in dog bite case
$414,000
Settlement for client injured in backseat of police car
$400,000.00
Settlement for client injured in car wreck
$400,000
Settlement for client injured near Lenox Mall
$375,000
Settlement for client injured in truck crash on I-285
$375,000
Settlement for client shot at Lithonia apartment complex
$350,000
Settlement for client shot at College Park apartment complex
$350,000
Settlement for client rear-ended by 18-wheeler
$333,333
Settlement for client injured at trailer park
$325,000
Settlement for client injured at Atlanta apartment complex
$315,000
Settlement for client injured in car crash
$300,000
Settlement as co-counsel for client injured in car crash on I-20
$300,000
Settlement for client shot at College Park apartment complex
$300,000
Settlement (policy limits) for client injured in head-on crash
$300,000
Settlement for client injured by police officer who ran red light
$300,000
Settlement for client injured when tire flew off his car after faulty tire installation
$300,000
Settlement for client who fell because of greasy floor mat at big box store
$275,000
Settlement for client who fell at restaurant
$260,000
Settlement (policy limits) for client injured in 3-car crash
$250,000
Settlement for client shot at College Park shopping center
$210,000
Jury verdict for clients hit by car while walking on sidewalk (highest offer by defense was $62,500.00)