Best Car Accident Lawyers in Alpharetta, GA

Yes! Be 100% forthright and honest with your attorney. First, make sure you vet your attorney before hiring them. But once you are working with them, it is their job to help assess everything about your case and do their best job to represent you. If there is information that comes out during a case (or trial) that they could have known before, it could undermine your entire case. You are better off telling your attorney something you think may hurt your case so they can prepare for it, instead of letting them be caught by surprise later.

The number one thing you can do to be prepared for a personal injury is to be healthy beforehand. Complete your physical every year (even better, every six months), get your bloodwork done, and take care of yourself. If an accident occurs, you can show definitive proof of the negative effects the accident had on you.

This is a common answer for questions regarding personal injury cases: it depends. It can take around 12-18 months, or sometimes longer. That is where your patience comes in. In general, personal injury cases should never be settled until you are fully recovered from your injuries, or your future medical treatment is well documented and affirmed to by your doctors. Because you have been injured by the fault of someone else, you should be paid for all of those injuries now, including any potential future surgery and treatments. Sometimes, we are able to settle a case much faster than the average 12-18 months, but this strictly depends on the amount of insurance coverage that is available. For example, the at-fault party may only have $25,000 of coverage and does not have any assets to recover from. If your injuries far exceed that coverage within a few months following the incident, we may be able to resolve the case more quickly. However, the legal system is slow. There are a number of hoops to jump through and time limits are set by statutes and judges. We will keep you informed of the status of your case, and whether we advise moving quickly or slowing the case down while you recover, all depending on your circumstances.

A personal injury case should not cost you anything out-of-pocket, just time and patience. Typically, personal injury attorneys work on a contingent fee basis, which means they are paid a percentage of the gross recovery from the case. That percentage ranges from 25% statutory for workers comp, up to 40% other personal injury cases. Personal injury attorneys should also front the cost to prosecute the case, such as cost to obtain medical records, filing fees, and expert testimony. Those costs are recouped by the law firm at the end of the case. The fee charged should handle negotiation of the cost to repair or replace your car (property damage), gross settlement for your bodily and personal injuries, and negotiation of any and all liens related to the claim (such as health insurance liens). If an attorney seeks to charge you separately for each of these, or adds on additional fees (beyond the costs listed above), that is a red flag.

Yes! If you need to go to the Emergency Room, then please do so! What is important is that you visit a doctor as soon as possible after the accident. Your primary care provider or an orthopedic doctor are viable options, as long as they can fully examine you and document your injuries. If you are covered by medical insurance, try to see an in-network doctor. This will help keep your upfront out-of-pocket costs down.