What do you do in a hit and run accident?

The at-fault driver took off. You were not able to get their tag number. You looked for witness, but could not find any.  You have a damaged car and medical bills. Does that sound like the situation you are in?

As a personal injury lawyer, I know that hit and run accidents are the worst kind. Some stranger has changed your life and didn’t even stick around.  Is there a way to get your car repaired, get a rental car while your car is being fixed, pay for your medical bills and provide pain and suffering?

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 was in a car accident in midtown Atlanta a few weeks ago.  We were hit from the passenger’s side.  I remember looking up and seeing a young girl ask me if we were alright.  I looked to the passenger in our car, and we were fine.  I, then asked her if she was alright.  She looked confused and said that she was not in the accident.  I looked at her car, and there was no damage.  She said the other driver backed up and drove off down a one way street.  We never saw her leave.  There were witnesses, but none got her tag information.  This raised an issue for my friend and his new car.

Property Damage in a Hit and Run Accident: Gap Coverage

An experienced insurance attorney will go through your car insurance policy and detail each available policy provision to be utilized.  It would benefit you well to have gap insurance in your car policy if you have a newer vehicle and owe money to a financing company or auto dealership.

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.

Joseph P. McClelland, Esq.

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.

As an Atlanta, Georgia Car Accident Lawyer, I thought I had seen it all.  Just when you thought it was safe to go to the liquor store, you find out it is not.  This is a post is about local personal injury news from around town.

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.

Well, I guess it is time to be a movie star.  I just though I was going to be a personal injury lawyer, but with the internet as it is, everyone loves video.  I love videos as well.  You get the information quick.  You get to judge the source of the material.  You don’t have to pay full attention like you do when you are reading something.  We all love the video.  So, that is what we are working on here at the Law Office of Joseph P. McClelland behind the scenes.

We are starting to put together a collection of videos covering all the topics of personal injury law in Georgia.  It is going to be a lot of fun doing this.

Some of the topics will be the importance of photos after a car accident or slip and fall case.  And how with so many people having cell phone cameras, this is becoming an easier asset.

Other topics will include how to analyse the police report or incident report to help determine liability in the standard auto or traffic accident case.

What to do about getting back to work and lost wages?  What will you need to help prove to the insurance company or to a jury of twelve how much money you lost, could you really have worked or did you skip out, and question like that.

What is the value of a personal injury case in Georgia?  Does it matter if you have previous injuries?  Does it matter the venue or location of the trial?

We might have location specific videos such as your McDonough personal injury lawyer or Decatur Accident Attorneys.  You never know until you do.

Of course we will have the, “if you have been hurt in a car accident, then call the law office of blah, blah, blah.”  You know how it goes.  We will be producing some topic specific videos as well.  One on tractor trailer or trucking accidents is in works.  We are starting one on motorcycle wrecks.

Stay tuned… for videos staring the Atlanta Injury Lawyer.

Stay tuned for more legal videos by Joseph P. McClelland, III.

Of all insurance companies out there, personal injury lawyers can pretty much agree that State Farm is one of the worst to work with.  We have a special name for them.  We call them Snake Farm instead of State Farm for many solid reasons.

They almost always refuse to accept your claim.  Deny, deny, deny.  That is what they do.  And when they acknowledge liability, it doesn’t change the situation much.  As a general rule of thumb, they will try to get you to take medical bills or specials only.  ONLY.  Seriously.

They have value for the change in your life, the pain you suffered, the time you lost going back and forth to appointments, the worry and anxiety, and all of the other things associated with a personal injury case.

State Farm insurance company will not give you a penny.  You must take it.

In the past I have attended very unsuccessful mediation with them.  Mediation is when you get together with all of the parties

One of the methods to get insurance companies to act properly is to scare them with higher liability.  How can you do this?  Generally, the insurance company is limited to the policy limit.  I said generally.  However, if sent the proper documentation, and they refuse to settle the case within the policy limit, and you get a verdict over the policy amount, they will be liable for the full amount.

Now, there were several variable in the last statement, but that means that if Snake Farm thinks if things go badly, they will attempt to settle the case at the last second.  All the time keeping YOUR money in their pocket for as long as they can.

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Contact our office for a Dekalb County car accident lawyer, Fulton County personal injury lawyer, Clayton County wrongful death attorneys, Bibb County Law Firms, Cobb County 18 wheeler wrecks, Georgia car crash lawyer,  and more.

As a Atlanta Accident Lawyer, I have seen all types of accidents.  McDonough, Georgia and Henry County have a huge stretch of interstate 75 going right through it.  As a McDonough personal injury lawyer, I know that when you have interstates, you have tractor trailer accidents.  There are countless ways you could be involved in a tractor trailer injury.

When you are injured, seek medical attention.  It just makes plain sense.  The emergency room must treat you regardless of how much money you have, or don’t have.  Then, call a McDonough personal injury attorney to let them do the negotiating.  You already have a job, getting better.  Let me as your injury lawyer worry about getting those bills paid, and you paid for all you went through. You have suffered pain.  You have had your life changed.  Your car has damage.  You are missing work.  You are in pain and sure when you will get healthy again.  You have enough to worry about.  Let me take it over from here and get you the compensation you deserve.  If you try to handle the negotiations yourself, you will come out on the bottom.  Trust me.  The insurance company has spent millions of dollars on studies on how to get you to go away for little or nothing.  And, then, feel bad about it.  Let me take care of the insurance company in your tractor trailer accident or 18 wheeler wreck.

One way to get hurt by an 18 wheeler is when they jackknife.  That is when the back of the truck turns over, and then it pulls the front of the semi truck over.  This type of wreck can be caused by the sudden turn, and the truck can’t realign fast enough.  A jackknifed truck spreads itself out causing damages to anyone in several lanes of traffic.

With the stop and go traffic in McDonough, the interstate is often backed up.  This is when you have a problem.  As a McDonough tractor trailer accident lawyer, I know that an 18 wheeler has problems stopping as fast as a car can.  This causes rear-end accidents with a commercial vehicle very likely.

As an attorney, I see that driver fatigue is also a significant cause of tractor trailer accidents in McDonough.  Truck driver work long shifts.  And, it is quite difficult to concentrate for such a long period of time.  Their job is difficult.  But, being tired can be related to serious injuries and deaths.

We represent clients in McDonough, Locust Grove, Hampton, Eagle’s Landing, Jackson, Griffin, Monticello, Conyers, Covington, Macon, Forsyth, Barnesville Decatur, Atlanta, Marietta, Buckhead, Vinings, and more.  Our practice areas are car accidents, motorcycle accidents, premises liability, negligence, intentional torts, 18 wheeler accidents, tractor trailer injuries, semi truck collisions, DUI truck driver injuries and more.

As an Atlanta Accident Lawyer who practices Georgia personal injury law on a daily basis, I love a good eye witness.  They are invaluable to a case with questionable liability.  If you know there was a witness that is not on the incident report, tell me immediately.  This is very important to your case.  Why is a witness a good thing in a Georgia car accident case?

People with an interest in an outcome have an incentive to not tell the entire truth.  An eye witness has no interest in the case, and most likely, wishes they never say the accident or injury in the first place.  Witnesses are believable.  They were not in the accident.  They have nothing to gain.  Of course, these are generalizations, but the fact still stands.  An eye witness would be very valuable in any Georgia car accident litigation or personal injury litigation in Georgia.  If you know of an eye-witness regardless of where they live, McDonough, Stockbridge, Griffin, Atlanta, Decatur, Macon or Marietta, or anywhere, this can be invaluable to your attorney.  In some cases, the eye-witness is the difference between a great settlement and disputed liability and a lower settlement.  As your Jackson Personal Injury Lawyer or your Atlanta car accident law firm, I strongly encourage you to disclose anyone who may have seen or heard your accident that is not in the police report following the accident.

Let’s say that you were in a Decatur tractor trailer accident.  The police report/incident report didn’t say who was to blame for the wreck.  This is when a witness is so valuable.  It is your word versus their word.  A witness tips the scales.  If you need a Decatur Car Accident Lawyer, call us immediately at 770-775-0938.

Let’s take another example.  You are traveling on the interstate going through McDonough when traffic comes to a stop.  You look into your rear view mirror and see a car not stopping.  In this scenario, there are plenty of witness and the liability is more straight forward.  In this case, a witness is nice, but not mandatory.  Always tell your McDonough car accident lawyer if you think there was a witness or know of one.

The McClelland Law firm represents clients in personal injury cases in Atlanta, Decatur, Marietta, Stockbridge, McDonough, Griffin, Jackson, Monticello, and Macon.  If you have been injured, call us today at 770-775-0938 for immediate representation.