College Park Car Accident Lawyer

If your car is driveable, move it to the side or shoulder of the roadway. This will protect you against the possibility of being in a pile-up crash, which is common when two or more vehicles have already collided and blocked the road.

If the accident occurred at night, turn on your hazards. If the accident occurred in the day, it’s not a bad idea to turn on your hazards, either.

If you can’t move your vehicle, get yourself, your passenger(s), and anyone else involved in the accident to a safer location.

If you or your passenger(s) are in pain or visibly injured, call 911 or ask someone else to do so. If you’re seriously injured, try not to move until someone can get to you.

If you are injured and need to go to the hospital, don’t try and wait around for the police to show up so you can tell them about the accident. Your health is the priority, and you can always obtain the police report later.

Keep in mind that our bodies release adrenaline when we’re involved in traumatic events like car accidents. Adrenaline can dull or numb pain, so even if you don’t feel injured at the scene, you may still need medical attention. It’s never a bad idea to visit the doctor and receive a check-up; in fact, doing so is a good way to support your claim.

If you didn’t visit the doctor after your accident, the other party’s insurance company will likely bring this up in an effort to devalue your claim.

Latent injuries (injuries that appear later) are also common in car accidents. If you have a latent injury, such as an internal injury that doesn’t present symptoms right away, and you agree to a settlement from the other party, you may be selling your claim far short of what it’s worth. If there’s any chance that you may have been injured in the accident, be proactive and visit the doctor.

Even if the crash doesn’t appear serious, it’s a good idea to call the police to the scene. The responding officer will create an accident report that is an invaluable piece of evidence for the insurance company. Police reports aren’t admissible as evidence in court, but insurance companies place great value in them as they conduct their own investigation and determine the value of an injury claim.

The police officer can also function as a mediator if the other driver is being aggressive or noncompliant.

Before leaving the scene of the crash, the reporting officer will hand you a receipt with the identification number of the report. That document will likely have the phone number of the office from which the officer reported. Call the number and ask for your report with the identification number. You might have to pay a small fee (usually $5 or less), but that’s a small price to pay for an extremely helpful piece of evidence.

You’ve probably heard this before, but you must exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver(s) involved in the accident. You should also try and obtain:

• The other driver’s name and address
• Their contact information (phone number, email address)
• The make and model of the other driver’s vehicle
• The name and contact information of any witnesses to the crash
• The name, badge number, and contact information of the reporting police officer

An unfortunate but common problem in Georgia is the prevalence of uninsured drivers. Auto insurance is mandatory in Georgia, but many people don’t comply with the rules and end up driving illegally.

You have several options if you were injured in a crash with an uninsured driver. You may be able to obtain payment from uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage; medical payments “med pay” coverage; health insurance, or collision insurance.

Even if you aren’t planning to file a claim at the moment, you can prepare yourself and be proactive in protecting your legal rights by gathering certain types of evidence at the scene of the crash. Valuable evidence is often destroyed or lost in the hours and days after a crash, so try your best to take pictures of the following as soon as you can (if it’s safe to do so):

• Accident scene from various angles
• Stop signs, traffic signals, and other traffic control devices
• Your and the other driver’s vehicles, including any damage
• Your or your passenger’s injuries

It would also be extremely helpful to obtain witness testimony from anyone who was nearby at the time of the crash. Other drivers are great, but also consider patrons in nearby restaurants, people walking on the street, or anyone else who would have been in the proximity of the crash.

If you have any questions about obtaining evidence and how it can be used in your case, contact a College Park car accident lawyer at (404) 800-1156.

Soft tissue injuries include strains, sprains, bruises, and/or tears in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. These injuries are extremely common in car accidents due to the unnatural, rapid movements that take a toll on the body.

These are perhaps the most serious type of injury that can occur in a car crash. The force of impact can cause different types of head injuries.

Closed head injuries occur when there is a sudden, violent jolt or blow to the head without penetration of the skull. Open head injuries occur when an object pierces through the skull and enters the brain.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious condition caused by an open or closed head injury. TBIs can cause a range of symptoms varying in severity, from a mild concussion to death.

Whiplash is the most common car accident-related neck injury. It occurs when the head jerks rapidly back and forth, causing tendons and ligaments in the neck to stretch beyond their normal range and tear.

Car accidents can also cause several different types of back injuries, the most common being herniated discs and spinal compression fractures. Herniated discs occur when the enormous amount of force generated in a car accident is absorbed by the body, causing discs in the back to slip and shift, pinching nerves in the process and causing incredible pain.

A spinal compression fracture occurs when the bone that makes up the spine collapses. These fractures can occur when a large impact and force, such as that of a car accident, is transferred to the back, putting it under more pressure than it can stand.

Spinal cord injuries are extremely serious and can have a lasting impact on victims. Even a small tear or perforation of the spinal cord can cause permanent disability, including paralysis, or even death.

There are few treatments for victims of spinal cord injuries, making them even more debilitating. Patients often require prolonged treatment, and full recovery is rarely guaranteed.

Some injuries cannot be seen. These are known as internal injuries, and they often occur in the torso and rib cage. These injuries can occur when the impact of a car crash slams the driver or passenger forward into their seatbelt or the dashboard, not breaking the skin but causing deep bruises that can lead to internal bleeding.

Internal bleeding is extremely serious and can be deadly, so if you were in a car accident, you should receive immediate medical care even if you aren’t in pain or experiencing symptoms.