Deciding to hire a car accident attorney in Georgia is not something you should take lightly. In fact, if you have a feeling that the insurance company is going to pay your claim in full, you have no need to call an attorney. We typically tell our clients to at least contact us after their car accident. You can sit down with one of our Atlanta accident lawyers and find out if your case has merit. However, it may not make sense to do that until your claim is denied. We have no problem with that. When you do call, you can schedule your free, initial consultation. This gives you a chance to come in and sit down with one of our seasoned car accident attorneys in Georgia.
When you come for your initial consultation, there is certain information you should bring with you. For example, your Atlanta accident lawyer will need a copy of the police report. They will also need a copy of your recent medical records. Finally, it’s a good idea to bring any correspondence that you’ve already received from either the insurance carrier or the other driver’s attorney. This way, your Atlanta accident lawyer can start preparing your case right away. It’s important to remember that your initial consultation won’t cost you anything, so you really have nothing to lose.
Make Sure You Bring a Copy of the Police Report
One of the critically important things you can bring with you to your initial consultation is a copy of the police report. After you make sure that everybody’s okay, the first thing you need to do after your crash is call 911. They will send a team of officers out to the crash site to do a thorough investigation. Once they’ve completed their investigation, they will put all their findings into a police report. This report will be critical in proving your case.
Some of the information contained in the police report includes the following:
- The names and contact information for any eyewitnesses
- The statements made by any eyewitnesses
- Driver’s license, registration, and insurance information for both drivers
- Annotation as to whether either driver was arrested for DUI after the crash
- A description of the road conditions and the accident scene
- Pictures of the damaged vehicles
- Statements made by the other driver
One of the reasons this report is so important to your attorneys is that they can’t get this information any other way. For example, if you don’t call the cops immediately after the crash, the eyewitnesses will have already left. Once they leave, your attorney has absolutely no way of getting their contact information. This means you won’t be able to use their statements to help prove that the other driver was negligent.
Your Atlanta Accident Lawyer Will Need Copies of Any Correspondence You’ve Received
It’s also important that you bring any correspondence that you’ve already received with you to your meeting with your attorney. Your car accident attorney in Georgia will need to see what the insurance company’s position is. The best way to do that is to look at their denial letter. This letter will indicate why your claim was denied.
It’s also important to bring with you letters from the defendant’s attorney. If the other driver has already retained counsel, you will have likely received a letter of representation from their office. The reason your attorney needs this is because they are not able to contact the other driver directly. All communications will have to go through the defendant’s lawyer. The same is true for you. Once you officially retain an Atlanta accident lawyer, nobody will be able to contact you directly about the accident. They will have to go through your attorney’s office.
If Possible, Bring a Copy of Your Medical Records as Well
One final piece of information you should bring to your consultation is a copy of your medical records. You don’t need to bring your entire medical history with you. As long as you have records pertaining to any treatment you received after your car crash, it will be sufficient. Your car accident attorney in Georgia will look at your medical records and make sure they can prove that you suffered physical injuries. This will be the only way they can get you the damages you deserve.
Your Car Accident Attorney in Georgia Will Do Their Best to Get You Damages
The real reason you hire a car accident attorney in Georgia is so that you can sue the other driver. Some people tell our Atlanta accident lawyers that they want justice. Other people say they just want to hold the other driver responsible. At the end of the day, our clients want compensation for their injuries. For example, if you missed three months from work because of your car accident injuries, you want to be paid for this time. Your employer certainly isn’t going to pay you for this time. However, your car accident attorney in Georgia can make sure the defendant pays you. They’ll also fight to make sure you get compensation for any other injuries you suffered.
We suggest that you contact our office as soon as possible after your car crash. You can sit down with one of our seasoned Atlanta accident lawyer and tell them your story. They’ll take notes and, combined with the other information you can provide, they’ll start to put together your case. Within days (or hours) of retaining our services, your attorney will be on the phone with the insurance company to find out why your claim wasn’t paid. If they refuse to talk to your attorney or discuss a settlement, your lawyer will file suit on your behalf.
With so much at stake, you don’t want to try to handle this on your own. You’re much better off hiring a seasoned car accident attorney in Georgia to handle things for you. They can take care of the legal issues while you focus on what’s really important – getting better, We offer all new clients a free, initial consultation. You should take advantage of this opportunity. All you have to do is call our office and we’ll schedule a date and time for you to come into the office. If your injuries were so serious that you can’t come to us, we can always come to you. Worst case, we can conduct your initial consultation over the phone or through a video call.
