A car wreck can often cause you significant injuries, resulting in loss of money, medical bills, and pain and suffering. In Georgia, a person injured in a car wreck can recover money damages against the person (or company) that caused the car wreck. The money damages recoverable can include payment for your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, property damage, and other damages. Furthermore, your husband or wife may also be entitled to recover damages through what is called "loss of consortium."
Who pays your claim?
In Georgia, all vehicles are required by law to be insured with a minimum of $25,000.00 in liability insurance per person, $50,000.00 per accident. When you are in a car wreck that was the fault of another driver, their insurance will be primarily responsible for payment of your damages. If these limits are not enough to pay your claim in full, you may be able to pursue the balance of your claim against your vehicle insurer, or the insurer for one of your family members who lives with you. This type of insurance is called Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage. Lawyers will use the acronym UM coverage to describe this type of insurance. There also other types of insurance that may apply to cover damages that are in excess of the negligent driver's liability limits.
Should I Hire a Lawyer?
Needless to say, the insurance company has an interest to pay you the least amount that they can. They make money by charging insurance premiums to vehicle owners, and by reducing as much as they can the amounts that are paid on claims made against those policies. Once the insurance company is aware of your claim, they will immediately start an investigation. Frequently, they insurance company will attempt to reach a quick settlement with people injured by their customers before you may even know the full extent of your injuries, and before you have a chance to hire a lawyer. These quick settlements often do not fully compensate you for your damages. Don't fall for this trick. Make sure you consult with an attorney prior to agreeing to any settlement.
How Much Does a Lawyer Cost?
We use a fee arrangement called a Contingency Fee. In this fee setup, you do not pay your lawyer unless your lawyer actually recovers money for you. In short, we don't get paid until you get paid. Furthermore, we will pay for all costs of investigating and litigating your claim until we recover money from your case. If nothing is recovered, then we eat those costs. Our contingency fee is typically thirty three and one third percent (33 1/3%) of the total recovery, but may be higher depending on the complexity of your case. The rest of the money recovered, after the payment of costs and medical bills, goes to you.
If you have been injured in a car wreck in Savannah or the surrounding area, call our office today at 912-335-3640 to schedule a free consultation.
