When a loved one is killed in a fatal car accident in Dunwoody, survivors experience an aftermath that devastates their emotions and finances. If you have lost a loved one in a fatal car accident or from injuries sustained in an accident, call on a Dunwoody fatal car accident lawyer for help.
With compassion, bold dedication, and legal experience, your lawyer will manage your case from start to finish, working to get you the settlement you deserve and need for a secure future.
Recovering Damages
It is essential for you to seek damages to secure the future financial stability of you and your household. As you focus your energy on adjusting to life without your loved one, your Dunwoody fatal car accident lawyer will evaluate your losses and pursue damages to meet your needs and provide justice.
Loss of Income
With the loss of your loved one’s income and contribution to household expenses, you and your family will experience financial distress. Your Dunwoody fatal car accident attorney will calculate the income your loved one would likely have earned through their professional career, including retirement and other benefits, and seek to recoup those losses.
Property Loss or Damage
If your loved one was in a family vehicle at the time of the fatal accident, you can seek compensation for the damage to the vehicle and the property within it.
Emotional Duress
You and your family will experience emotional suffering after losing your loved one. Though no dollar amount can bring your loved one back, your duress and the loss of affection and consortium are recognized under Georgia law and must be acknowledged.
Medical Costs
Your loved one may have survived the accident but succumbed to injuries later on. In this scenario, you may recover damages for accident-related medical interventions.
Punitive Damages
Collecting punitive damages is a way to ensure the at-fault party truly pays for the damage they have caused. While other damages compensate you for your losses, the intent of punitive damages is to punish the at-fault party for their egregious negligence.
Not every accident warrants the pursuit of punitive damages. However, if the driver who caused your loved one’s car accident and wrongful death was under the influence of alcohol or drugs or engaging in particularly reckless driving behaviors (perhaps racing another vehicle and speeding and weaving through traffic) you may have grounds to collect punitive damages. An experienced fatal car accident attorney in Dunwoody, GA, will present you with all options.
Your Dunwoody Fatal Car Accident Attorney Will Protect Your Interests
Unfortunately, insurance companies do not have your best interests at heart. Their goal is to protect their assets, and they often employ unethical practices to fulfill this goal. For example, they might:
- Offer you a low settlement and use scare tactics to convince you the amount is the best you can hope to get
- Blame your loved one for the accident
- Ask you questions about the accident or your loved one’s injuries and use your words against you later
When you secure representation from a fatal car accident lawyer in Dunwoody, GA immediately after your loved one’s accident, you do not have to speak with insurance companies and face those unnecessary risks. Your car accident death attorney will manage all communication and has the legal background and experience to shoot down any of the insurance company’s dishonest claims.
Why Determining Fault Is so Important to Your Settlement
Georgia is a fault state. This means the driver who caused the accident is responsible for paying the victims’ compensation. These payments generally come through the driver’s insurance company.
However, Georgia operates under a modified comparative fault system. If victims are at all responsible for causing the accident, the compensation they can collect is reduced by their percentage of fault. If your loved one was 15% responsible for the accident, you would collect 85% of the total calculated settlement amount. When victims are more than 49% at fault for the accident, they, or their survivors, cannot seek compensation.
Clearly, the determination of fault has a major impact on your claim. Your fatal car accident lawyer in Dunwoody will investigate the accident thoroughly to ensure your loved one is not assigned unfair culpability.
Investigating the Accident
For those without experience, and especially for those overwhelmed with grief, it is basically impossible to carry out a comprehensive investigation of the accident. For a skilled Dunwoody fatal car accident lawyer, the process is second nature. Your attorney will:
- Collect and examine the police report
- Contact and secure testimony from witnesses
- Gain access to any traffic camera or security photos or video footage
- Examine evidence from the accident and the overall scene of the accident, including road conditions, traffic signals and signage, and any other applicable details
- Consult with experts whose input is material to your claim
Responsible Parties
Some accidents have a clear-cut perpetrator. Other times, it is more difficult to pinpoint the at-fault party, which is why your car accident death lawyer will conduct a careful investigation. Responsible parties can include:
- Other drivers, through driver error or negligence
- Vehicle or part manufacturers or installers, if a defective part or improper installation causes the accident
- Government entities, if broken traffic signals or poorly maintained roads contributed to the accident
- Trucking or other companies, if the other party involved was a commercial vehicle driver. Companies are responsible for vetting drivers and holding them to safe driving schedules, and for ensuring their vehicles undergo regular safety inspections
Your attorney will know whom to consult, what questions to ask, and what evidence to collect to build a strong case.
Schedule a Free Consultation Today
Losing a loved one is enough loss for you and your family to bear. To ensure you do not also sustain a financial loss and a missed opportunity for justice, contact us to schedule a free consultation with one of our fatal car accident lawyers. You will find your lawyer is dedicated to serving your and your household’s needs and ensuring those responsible for your loved one’s death face accountability.