Car Accident Attorneys in Douglasville

Don’t see your specific collision type listed here? That’s okay. Our car accident lawyers are highly experienced and capable of handling just about any type of injury claim in Georgia. If you believe someone else is responsible for causing your injuries, or if you lost a loved one due to someone else’s carelessness, talk to us to find out how we can help.

Contact Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., today, and speak to an accident attorney free of charge to get real advice and start your path to recovery

What Steps Should You Take to Protect Your Rights After a Car Wreck?

After a car accident, here are some simple and straightforward steps you should take to protect yourself and your case:

Secure the Scene of the accident

If vehicles are blocking traffic and creating a hazard, you should attempt to get to a shoulder and off the main roadway if possible. You don’t want to be involved in a secondary collision, where a passerby strikes your vehicle. If you are too badly injured, the vehicles are inoperable, or it is unsafe to do so, then stay in your vehicle and wait for help to arrive. Turn on the vehicle’s hazard flashers to make it more noticeable to traffic.

Call 911 after the collision

Call for help. You should do this in any case of a motor vehicle crash where there’s damage to the vehicles or injuries. Not only is it helpful for preserving evidence and protecting your rights, but it is also a legal requirement in Georgia. Accidents must be reported to the police. Never let someone convince you to “just work it out without police.” The police can help to make the scene safer, and they can diffuse tensions and keep aggressive or upset individuals from becoming violent.

Take Photos of the car crash scene

If safe to do so and you feel comfortable, take photos of everything you can. Take pictures of:

• Vehicle damage to your car and the other cars
• The scene (up close and from a distance)
• Traffic lights and the intersection (if applicable)
• License plate numbers
• Skid marks
• Anything else you think could be helpful

Get Emergency Medical Treatment for your car accident injuries

Some injuries can take weeks to fully manifest, but if you wait that long to get seen by a doctor, an insurance company might argue that your injuries were not due to the accident. Moreover, you will have lost crucial treatment time trying to fix the problem, thus leading to extended pain and a longer recovery. Early treatment and diagnosis are key.

Follow Physician Recommendations

When getting care for your injuries, your doctors will put together a treatment plan. This may include getting x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, physical therapy, injections, medications, or other treatments. In general, you should try to make all of your appointments and stick to your treatment plan. Of course, if you have concerns about your doctor’s plan or need a second opinion, that’s fine too. But missing appointments and doing things your doctor has instructed you to avoid could jeopardize your case.

Stay Away From Social Media

Plenty of great cases have been destroyed because of careless posts on the Internet. Insurance companies often take pictures and statements out of context and twist social media posts in an attempt to reduce what they have to pay out. Our best recommendation is to simply stay off social media sites until your case is resolved.

Call Sherrod & Bernard, P.C.

Don’t assume all lawyers are the same. Many large national firms delegate auto accident cases to a virtual mill of paralegals and staff, with one attorney often handling hundreds – sometimes thousands – of files. These car accident attorneys are often so overworked they may not even know all their clients’ names. With our firm, you can count on local, trusted advisors who will patiently listen and counsel you through the challenges of a personal injury case.

• For more tips, read our in-depth article about avoiding common mistakes after a car accident in Georgia.

How Our Car Accident Attorneys Can Help

Motor vehicle collisions happen every day in and around Douglasville, GA. As a growing suburb of Atlanta, the past three decades have seen enormous expansion, from new construction to an influx of high-paying job opportunities. These factors have led to high traffic volumes and a rapid increase in population. While great for the economy, growth comes at a price – including more wrecks.

Many people have never considered hiring an attorney until they are involved in a serious crash. They find themselves swamped with medical bills, out of work, and struggling to just get by. With dwindling options and mounting costs, it can seem hopeless.

If this describes you, rest assured that there is good news. For more than three decades, attorneys John Sherrod and Ken Bernard and their dedicated team of attorneys and staff have been fighting for the rights of people just like you. When you hire our firm, our auto accident attorneys handle every aspect of your legal case, from gathering crucial evidence such as eyewitness accounts and police reports to negotiating with insurance companies to secure fair compensation.

We will explain your legal options and the process in detail so you understand your rights and what to expect. Proving fault in auto accident cases can be challenging, especially when accidents involve multiple parties, which can complicate liability and the claims process. Insurance companies often present initial settlement offers that are lower than the actual damages incurred, but victims may pursue additional compensation through a personal injury claim if their injuries exceed insurance coverage limits.

Our attorneys help you identify all types of losses you may be eligible to pursue compensation for after an accident, and we work on a contingency fee basis—meaning you pay no fees unless compensation is recovered.

When you hire our firm, here are just some of the ways we get to work for you:

Free Initial Meeting

We know that every case is unique and people suffering after a major injury often lack the funds to pay high upfront lawyer fees. So an initial meeting with one of our car accident lawyers is entirely free. During your free initial meeting, your auto accident attorney will answer any questions you have about your case and the legal process. We don’t set a timer or hurry the process. We take the time to get to know you and the facts that led you to our office. Be sure to ask about our track record of successful settlements or verdicts, as well as the resources we have available for investigating and building your case. If we can’t help, we’ll let you know and you won’t pay a thing. If we can help, we will put together a plan of action to start helping you. What’s more, we’ll only take a fee from the funds we recover, meaning you’ll never have to pay us directly out of your pocket.

Skillful and Meticulous Attention to Your Accident Case

From intake to trial, our car accident lawyers look for creative ways to maximize your financial recovery. We also realize that there’s more to a case than just the dollars and cents. We can help you find good medical care, assist with medical collections and government liens, and handle all of the tedious negotiations and settlement discussion on your behalf.

Aggressive Car Accident Trial Lawyers

Sometimes there’s no settling. Whether it’s a drunk driver or a major trucking company that was grossly negligent and isn’t willing to pay, our injury attorneys don’t back down. If a trial is necessary, we’ll fight to make sure a jury hears your story.

How Long Do You Have to File an Accident Claim in Georgia?

When you are injured, the law gives you a specific and limited amount of time to protect your rights by filing a lawsuit. If you do not act on those rights in time, then you are forever barred from pursuing compensation.

This is known as a statute of limitations, and such laws are in place to give victims time to take action, while protecting defendants from being brought to justice long after the events transpired.

These rules are very strict and have only very narrow exceptions. The earlier you speak to an experienced Douglasville car accident attorney, the sooner you can make an informed decision about how to proceed.

In Georgia, the standard statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit against a negligent driver who injures you is just two years from the date of the accident. However, there are some situations that may actually shorten the time available.

Sometimes government employees or local city or county agencies are involved in a car accident case. For instance, perhaps a local zoning inspector runs a red light or a local water department’s driver disregards a stop sign, causing a serious collision with injuries. In these situations, you must provide notice to the government or municipal agency very early on in order to protect your right to file suit.

If a city is involved, you have 6 months to file a notice of claim, while if a county is involved, you have 12 months to file your notice of claim.

The problem is you may not always know whether the government is involved. Don’t take chances. Talk to a car accident attorney from Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., today. Our Douglasville personal injury lawyers can help.