Articles Posted in Auto Insurance

crashed car with airbags deployedIn some cases, insurers will pressure you to settle your claim as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, these quick cash settlements are lowball offers for far less than what your claim is worth – the primary purpose is to limit the amount of money the insurance company will have to pay on your claim. By accepting the offer, you could find yourself with uncovered medical expenses and other losses that you will need to pay out of pocket. If you stand your ground and build your case, however, you can often get the insurance company to make a fair settlement of your claim. 

There are other cases, however, where the insurance company either refuses to pay more than their lowball offer or refuses to pay anything altogether. If you find yourself in that situation, you need to understand your options. 

Go to Court

A hand holding an small image of a carUnder Georgia law, you are required to carry car insurance. Unfortunately, the insurance claim process is complicated. If you aren’t careful, you could wind up receiving far less than what your claim is worth. 

The car accident attorneys at Slappey & Sadd know how to get you the compensation you deserve. We work with accident victims across the state of Georgia and have helped them recover millions of dollars in compensation. If you’ve been injured in a car accident as a result of someone else’s negligence, call us at 888-474-9616 or visit us online to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced car accident lawyers. 

The Investigation

A chalkboard with a question mark drawn on itMany accident victims know that they are entitled to compensation but underestimate the value of their claim. As a result, they wind up accepting the insurance company’s lowball settlement offer and find themselves with uncompensated losses long after their case has settled.

The Atlanta personal injury attorneys at Slappey & Sadd can help you understand the real value of your claim. We then fight to make sure you get the compensation you deserve. If you’ve been injured and are worried about your unpaid bills, call us at 888-474-9616 or visit us online to schedule a free consultation and claim evaluation. 

Damage to Your Vehicle

A traffic jam in winterCar accidents involving multiple vehicles can be extremely complicated when it comes to pursuing a claim for your injuries. While you can suffer the same injuries as in a car accident with only one other vehicle, the similarities often end there. If you’re injured and need compensation, the best thing you can do is talk with a personal injury attorney who handles multiple car accidents. 

The car accident attorneys at Slappey & Sadd have the knowledge and experience you need if you’ve been injured in a multiple car accident. We provide aggressive legal representation to people in the Atlanta area and across the state of Georgia so that they can get the compensation they need. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys by calling 404-255-6677 or contacting us online

Determining Who Is At Fault

A magnifying glass over the words "frequently asked questions"The personal injury attorneys at Slappey & Sadd have helped thousands of people across the state of Georgia who have been injured in a car accident. As a result, we know how overwhelming it can be, leaving you unsure what to do next. We thought it might be helpful to dedicate some space to answering some common questions to help you get pointed in the right direction.  

Do I Have to Hire a Lawyer?

You are not obligated to hire a lawyer. You can pursue a claim on your own. However, you should be aware that the other driver will probably have a lawyer provided by their insurance company. A personal injury attorney can use their knowledge of the law and their experience to help you get the most value from your claim.

lawyer standing next to a gavel with the scale of justice behind himPeople who have been injured in an accident have a lot to worry about. Your primary concern should be your health, and recovery can involve a significant period of time for treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery. In addition, you may now be missing days from work or unable to work at all. You’re worried about paying your mortgage or rent and other expenses, and the bills are starting to pile up. On top of it all, you’re in pain and suffering, unable to live your life the way you did before your accident. With all of this, trying to decide how to handle your personal injury claim can be overwhelming.  

Understand the Insurance Company’s Game

First and foremost, you should realize that the insurance company is not on your side, even if it’s your insurance company. Insurance companies are for-profit corporations that are primarily concerned with making money. They protect the bottom line by paying out on claims only as much as they absolutely have to. As a result, they typically “low ball” accident victims by offering a small cash payment in exchange for a full release of any further liability. You may be surprised at how quickly the make the offer – often it is within days of your accident. They will seem very friendly and willing to work with you, but you’ll soon discover that they aren’t willing to negotiate a higher amount.

An illustration of two cars collidingIntersections can be dangerous places – traffic entering from different directions, vehicles stopping and going and making turns, often without looking. Then there are pedestrians and cyclists also entering the intersection, and sometimes in unpredictable ways. It’s no wonder, therefore, that so many car accidents occur at intersections.

When there is an accident, a dispute often arises over who had the right-of-way. The reason is simple: determining who had the right-of-way often determines who was at fault in the accident. If you were injured in a car accident while you had the right-of-way, you may be entitled to seek compensation from the other driver for your injuries and other losses.  In this post, we hope to clarify some common right-of-way scenarios that may be helpful to you if you’ve been in an accident.

Four-way intersection with stop signs for all drivers:

Man with his head in his hands sitting outside of a wrecked carThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released its report summarizing crash statistics for 2016. While the report demonstrates a decrease in the number of fatalities, there were over 7 million car accidents that resulted in more than 3 million injuries.

Despite how common they are, car accidents can be a major disruption to your life, especially if you sustain serious injuries. Not only do you need to repair or replace your vehicle, but you may need prolonged medical treatment and physical therapy. You may have to miss work and deal with lost income. Meanwhile, bills are piling up and insurance companies are pestering you with questions. You can get overwhelmed very quickly and feel like you don’t know what to do next.

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, this post will hopefully give you some direction to help you move forward and get back to normal.

If you’ve ever applied for a new auto insurance policy, you’ve probably been given the option to install a device in your car that tracks your driving habits. These devices are known as “telematics” and almost all major insurance companies now offer them to their customers in exchange for potentially reduced premium rates. The devices attach to the vehicle’s OBD-II port and collect data from your car’s computer. Insurance companies can program them to monitor different metrics, but some of the most common are:

  • Time the car was used
  • Distance driven

All 50 states and the District of Columbia require registered drivers to carry auto insurance. This is to guarantee that anyone injured in an auto accident will be appropriately compensated. Georgia’s auto insurance system is based upon fault, meaning that at-fault drivers are liable for personal injury or property damage resulting from an accident, and the at-fault driver’s insurance company will satisfy the liability. This is in contrast to “no-fault” systems, in which each driver’s insurance covers its own policyholder, regardless of fault

If you are injured in an automobile accident, there are three ways to seek compensation:

  • File a claim with your own insurance company, which will then seek compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance company
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