So, let’s get back to the heart of the matter. The first thing you should do is call the police and make an accident report. If you are injured, go seek medical treatment. Even without health insurance, any emergency room is required under federal law to give medical treatment if you were in an accident.

OK, now about insurance settlements?

This is where things can get tricky.  The next thing to do after the accident report and emergency medical treatment is to contact an accident attorney immediately.  Why?  Because you are in a very precarious situation.  Most likely the driver that took off will not be found unless there are witnesses with valuable information.  This may be more likely the case in a small town.  I represented a client in the small town of Jackson last year that was involved in a hit and run accident.  Luckily, a general description of what the guy looked like and what his car looked like helped track down the hit and run driver.  This was a true benefit of being in a small town.  Everyone knows everyone and what they drive.

Back to the issue at hand which is what to do when the other driver got away. I hope you are sitting down for this one.  If you do not have uninsured motorist coverage, you will have no recovery at all.  But, why?  The other driver fled the scene so he and his insurance company are unknown.  That means that you can’t sue who you don’t know.  Therefore, we must look to your uninsured motorist coverage for settlements.

Therefore, ALWAYS have uninsured motorist coverage is great advice.

So, can you even settle a case with your own insurance company?  Yes, you can.  You paid for the car insurance for this exact reason if you bought uninsured motorist coverage.

But will it be more difficult?  Yes, in my experience these cases are slightly more difficult.  These types of cases are nearly impossible, in my earnest opinion, to try to handle them on your own.  You will blow it and make it ten times more difficult for your Atlanta personal injury lawyer or Decatur accident lawyer or McDonough accident attorney or whoever you hire in whatever city you hire them in.  But, why?  One reason is you probably have disclosed what you would settle for.  That makes it harder for your lawyer to say we won’t settle for less the X when you already said you would take Y.  Also, you probably signed some paperwork and releases that you didn’t even know where important.  Now that skinned knee you got in the fourth grade is being thrown around as a preexisting injury.  That analogy is a joke, but the point is sincere.  You will open yourself up for a let down.

Let the McClelland Law Firm help you in this situation.  Save your time and energy for getting your life back together and let us spend our time and energy on getting you the best settlement for you.

YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR HIT AND RUN ACCIDENT ATTORNEY AT 770-775-0938.

We represent clients in personal injury and car accident cases in Atlanta, Marietta, Buckhead, Decatur, Stockbridge, McDonough, Griffin, Jackson, Forsyth, Monticello, and Macon as well as Fulton County, Dekalb County, Cobb County, Clayton County, Henry County, Lamar County, Spalding County, Butts County, Monroe County, and Bibb County.

Atlanta Women, 75, Runs into Liquor Store

Sure, everyone has ran their car into at least one building.  But the same building twice is beyond joking.  Oh, did I tell you that the building was a liquor store.  Well, that is just the case this week in Atlanta Accident News.  For those of you who drive on Ponce Leon Avenue, you know Green’s liquor store over by the Kroger.  Well, a lady drove her car into the store for the second time.  Seriously, wouldn’t you just go to another store after the first wreck.  All kidding aside, an employee in the store suffered a brain injury when a bottle fell on her head.  At time of this article, no video has been produced.  But, you know, that store must have cameras everywhere.

Georgia Power Worker Burned in Accident

Kylan Warren, 25, of Ellijay was the Georgia Power employee who was seriously injured this past week.  Kylan Warran, who had worked for GP for 6 years, was working in a bucket some 35 feet in the air when a natural gas line exploded and a fire broke out.  He jumped out of the bucket.  Mr. Warren sustained burns  on 80% of his body.  He was working on a gas line at the time.  Warren was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.  Georgia Power and Atlanta Gas Light are looking into the cause of the accident at this time.  Our best wishes go out the family.

Georgia Bulldog Gets DUI

This is a sad post for all of Bulldog fans.  Dontavius Jackson of the University of Georgia is transferring to another university according to recent reports.  Dontavius Jackson, a back up running back who had four carries last year, was arrested last week for underage possession, driving under the influence, and leaving a scene of an accident.  Now, just because he was arrested does not, of course, mean he is guilty.  But, to any degree, former Bulldog Dontavius Jackson is out.  Most likely because, Coach Richt suspended Jackson for the first six games of the 2010 season after learning about the arrest.

Note:  Drunk driving, although just a misdemeanor, is a serious offense.  It puts the driver and the insurance company on the hook for punitive damages if the facts are just right.  If you have been injured by a drunk driver, never handle this type of case on your own.  It will be a huge mistake.

Georgia Based Ducking Company Resumes Boat Trips

You may have heard in the news that a local company with tours set up around the county had a fatal accident in Pennsylvania recently.  One of their tour boats hit another boat and killed two passengers who were Hungarian students.  The Georgia company, Ride the Ducks, stopped all tours including the one in Stone Mountain, Georgia.  After reviewing all of their safety standards, the company decided to start tours again with the except of the tours where the fatal accident happened.

Note:  When a business is responsible, if they were, for an accident, the same rules of liability apply.  If the business is responsible for an injury or death, they must compensate the injured for their special damages such as lost wages, medical bills, and other out of pocket expenses and general damages which are items such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.

Seven Year Old Dies in Crash

More sad road news.  Recently a seven year old girl died in a car accident.  She and her father were traveling from Georgia to Texas when the accident happened in Mississippi.  Her brother and father were also injured in the fatal auto accident.  According to reports, the family was traveling with a U-Haul when they lost control.  The vehicle went off the road and hit some trees.  At the time of this article, no other drivers were sited as being responsible for the wreck.

Note:  U-Hauls can be very dangerous.  They create a unique dovetail when you drive one.  It is probably like driving a commercial vehicle, although I have never driven a rig.  But when you are pulling something with your car, it is much more difficult to maintain your lane and drive the same as you would otherwise.

See some related legal articles:

The Law Office of Joseph P. McClelland, a Georgia Car Accident Lawyer,  represents injured victims all over the state of Georgia.  We have individual pages of certain cities that provide more city centric information on personal injury cases.  Bounce around the site.  With around 200 pages, we probably have answered a question you may have.  Some of the cities we represent clients are southern cities in Georgia such as Jackson, Monticello, Conyers, Covington, Griffin, Forsyth, Barnesville, Locust Grove, Flovilla, Jenkinsburg, McDonough and more.  We also represent clients in the Metro Atlanta area such as Stockbridge, Riverdale, Jonesboro, Atlanta, Lithonia, Rex, Decatur, Stone Mountain, Buckhead, Midtown, Virginia Highlands, Piedmont Park, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Roswell, Marietta, as well as Cobb County, Dekalb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County, and Clayton County.

Come back next week for more Georgia Accident News.

Now, if you live in the city near Midtown Atlanta or Virginia Highlands, you are familiar with the liquor store at 737 Ponce de Leon Avenue called Green’s.  Well, have you seen it lately?  Noticed some boarded up windows?  Now, don’t start worrying that they have closed down in this terrible economy.  That is not the case.

The situation is much different.  We all know that lightning does not strike in the same place twice, but how about a car accident?  Well, it turns out that it does.  For the SECOND time, Constance Chapman drove her car through the window at Green’s Package Store.  Just think about that, for the second time she drove her car into a building.  For the second time, she drove her car into the same building.  For the second time, she drove her car through same liquor store.  Is there a connection?  Gee, one has to wonder who would have such bad luck that their brakes would fail twice at the same place while buying booze.

Did I mention that she is 75 years old?  Also, a worker at the store suffered a brain injury from a bottle falling on her head.  From a legal standpoint, Ms. Chapman’s insurance company will be writing a check very soon for their full policy amount. So, for all of you over on Ponce De Leon Avenue, Highland Avenue, Virginia Avenue, and Moreland/Briarcliff can still go in, but do so on foot.

Check out some related pages on Atlanta accidents and injuries:

The McClelland Law Firm represents clients throughout the state of Georgia. For information on specific cities other than Atlanta (go the the homepage) see our location information about McDonough and Griffin.  McDonough is located in the fast growing Henry County.  Griffin, Georgia is located near McDonough in Spalding County.  For information on other cities just follow the appropriate links.

The story goes something like this.  George Michael was driving around London after 3:00 in the morning when he drove into a building.  He claims the building slammed on its brakes, but I don’t believe him.

If you are a building that has been hit by a member of Wham or anyone who has a hit song about giving you their love at Christmas, contact my law office today.

As a kid, I remember when Wham broke up.  I could not believe that other guy, whose name I did not know, was the one leaving.  It made no sense to me  and millions of other people.  Then, you start hearing these stories.  Now, it becomes clearer.  When someone does crazy stuff like that, they are doing it on smaller levels all day long.  By the way, he says he used to smoke 25 joints a day.  Can you image?  25 joints a day?  None of the current reports indicate that he was high, but if that is what you say about yourself in the press…we can only image.  The only way he wasn’t high is if his high had worn off by that time of the morning.  Joking aside, he sounds like he was drunk.

This was a quick post by the Atlanta Wrongful Death Lawyer.

Dahlonega Commission Dies in Car Accident.  Mr. Charlie Ridley died on Friday evening from a car accident involving his SUV, another vehicle, and a tractor trailer.  Ridley served as Lumpkin County’s sole commissioner from 1997 to 2000.  Our sympathies go out to the family.  Read more.

As a Georgia Accident Attorney I represent clients in wrongful death, serious injury litigation, insurance, negotiations involving car accidents, tractor tailer accidents, motorcycle accidents, motor vehicle injuries, commercial vehicles, trucking accidents and more in Atlanta, Decatur, Stockbridge, Dunwoody, Duluth, Stone Mountain, Jackson, McDonough, Griffin, Monticello, and Macon. Call us today for a free appointment regarding your personal injury case.

This website is growing by the day.  If you have not been here for a few weeks, then poke around.  We have developed a wealth of information regarding all types of legal issues.  Just follow the links and see what you find.

When a loved one dies it is always tragic.  But when a loved one dies because of someone else, it is harder to deal with.  Not only the emotional loss of losing the person, but the financial repercussion of losing a wage earner in your household.  How will all of the bills be paid for?  What about he mortgage?  Or the car note?  Will the kids be able to attend college or will you be able to pay for health care for your family?

For these reasons and more it is important to contact an attorney with experience handling wrongful death claims.  These types of claims and lawsuits are tremendously different that a typical personal injury case which is tremendously different than a typical litigation case.

Hire a wrongful death lawyer if a loved one has been killed to learn your rights and duties in successfully bringing such a claim.  Our office can help you in this time of grief and loss.

April 22, 2010: Atlanta Motorcycle Accident News:

I saw the aftermath of a motorcycle accident tonight in Atlanta.  The motorcycle accident happened on Ponce De Leon in Atlanta, Georgia.  The motorcycle driver was not the scene when I arrived.  Three Atlanta policemen were there with their blue lights and they directed traffic for those driving south on Briarcliff turning into Moreland Avenue.  The motorcycle was still lying on the ground.  Most likely an investigator was arriving on the scene to investigate the causes of the accident.

Motorcycle accidents can be deadly.  It is simple to say, but there is nothing there to stop you from getting hurt and protecting you from severe damage to your health.  Sure, you have you motorcycle helmet, but that is not enough to stave off injury.  A helmet will reduce the risk of a head injury, concussion, or mild traumatic brain injury, closed head injury or open head injury.  However, you head, even in a helmet, is still liable to hit the ground or another vehicle at great force.  And, of course, you body is completely exposed.  If a car hits you from the side, will like break or fracture your leg/femur/ankle/foot.  If you are hit from behind on you bike, you will likely get knocked off your bike completely.  If you are hit head-on, serious injury and death are high probabilities.  Bikes are quite dangerous.  I will say that usually motorcycles are safer in the city or on city roads because people drive slower and must pay closer attention.  On the other hand, a driver in the city has a lot of distractions coming there way.  Many people are lost, and many are on their cell phones.  In the city smaller accidents are more likely.

If you have been catastrophically injured, you need qualified counsel without question.  The insurance company is slick.  They know what they are doing and how to manipulate the situation to their benefit every time.  Without doubt, not calling a Georgia lawyer would be a huge mistake for you and your family.

A log truck overturned on April 13th, 2010 in Effingham County, Georgia.  It is reported that the log truck lost control and overturned.  Then, according to reports, the log truck lost its cargo load onto the highway.  Further, the log truck hit another vehicle.  A personal in the car is reported to be injured, but not critically so.  Our best wishes go out to the family and friends of all parties.

If you have been injured by a log truck, 18 wheeler, tractor trailer, big rig truck, or just a vehicle, contact our law office today for advice.  We represent clients in all types of accidents with all types of injuries.  Call us today at 770-775-0938.  Let an experienced attorney fight for your rights.

We represent clients in McDonough, Stockbridge, Griffin, Jackson, Monticello, Forsyth, Macon, Atlanta, Decatur and more for car accidents with drunk drivers, Griffin personal injury from DUI driver, tractor trailer accidents with drunk driver, pedestrians hit by drunk drivers in Griffin, motorcyclist hit by DUI driver.  Let the Georgia Accident Lawyer be there for you in Griffin, Georgia.

Recent Atlanta Car Accident News:

Today there was a 7 car wreck on GA 400 Northbound outside of Atlanta.   According to reports, three passengers were taken to the hospital to treat the car accident injuries.  Little is known at this time regarding who was at-fault for the wrecks.  If you have been in an accident, always contact a personal injury lawyer for advice.  Our phone number is 770-775-0938.  We represent clients on a contingency basis.  That means we only get paid if we get you money first.

The McClelland Law Firm represents clients injured in Atlanta, Georgia;  Decatur, Georgia; Macon, Georgia; Stockbridge, Georgia; McDonough, Georgia; Jackson, Georgia; Griffin, Georgia; and Monticello, Georgia who suffered a back sprain, back strain, neck sprain, neck strain, whiplash, shoulder tear, shoulder injury, rotator cuff injury, concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, knee injury, knee surgery, broken bones, broken femur, broken wrist, broken fingers, broken hands, torn ligaments, neck surgery, back surgery in a car accident, motorcycle accident, truck wreck, tractor trailer accident.

A 48 year-old out-of-state man was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a motorcycle accident early Wednesday afternoon.  Motorcycle accidents are usually very dangerous and have lasting injuries.  Even people in cars with airbags, steel, and all the other safety items are seriously injured.  The same type of injuries happen for people on motorcycles in much slower collisions.

According to reports alcohol was not a factor in the crash, therefore somethings are still unknown.  It is also being reported that a collision analyst is investigating the reason for the accident.

The McClelland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer helps clients with personal injury lawsuits, mediation, discovery, arbitration, premises liability, slip and falls, product liability, faulty products, broken bones, soft tissue damage, strained neck, sprained neck, strained back, sprained back, slipped disc, herniated discs, fusion, surgery, knee surgery from motorcycle accidents, shoulder surgeries, concussions, mild traumatic brain injuries, closed head injury, sub-dermal hemotoba, facial scars from car accidents, broken wrist, broken femur, sprained ankle motorcycle injury, car damage, medical pay insurance in insurance policy, police reports in car accidents, citation for driving too close, drunk driving victims, 18 wheeler accidents and injuries, truck accidents, rear ended, T-bone car and other injuries.

A Georgia sheriff’s deputy died after a motorcycle accident in Sparta.  Details at the time of this post are few.

A news release from Sheriff states that Deputy Williams was killed around 7:30 Saturday evening.

The news release states Mr. Williams had been with the police department for 20 years.  Mr. Williams was also a retired educator.

The news release says says the Georgia State Patrol investigated the accident. According to recent reports, a dispatcher with the GSP post in Milledgeville, Georgia said no details on the accident were available at this time.

The sheriff’s department says he is survived by his wife, three children and four grandchildren.  Our sympathies go out to the family and friends of Mr. Williams.

The McClelland Law Firm represents clients in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, tractor trailer accidents, premises liability, intentional torts, dog bites, general negligence and more.  We represent clients in McDonough, Stockbridge, Jackson, Monticello,Griffin, Macon, and Atlanta.  Motorcycle accidents can be very dangerous.