If you have been in an auto accident, your first call should be to the police. In fact, most insurance companies require that you have a valid police report before filing an insurance claim. This will also be helpful if you are hurt in your accident inasmuch as your insurance company will typically use the police report as their best evidence of what happened.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident in the Atlanta area, you need the help of a highly skilled and professional Atlanta car accident lawyer. Call today for a 100% free consultation and case review. You do not pay unless you win, so there is no risk to you.
You Must Call the Police After an Auto Accident
Georgia state law requires that you must, after most auto accidents, report the accident to the police as soon as possible. If you fail to do this, you could lose your right to make an insurance claim or file a lawsuit for your injuries.
The law requires that you must notify the police and report the accident immediately if the accident resulted in any injury or death to a person or more than $500 of damages to either vehicle. $500 is not a lot of money at all when it comes to damage to a car. A simple parking lot fender bender typically costs far more than $500 to fix.
If you are not sure how much the value of the damage is, you should always call the police to be safe. The worst thing that can happen is that you leave the scene of the accident without calling the police and finding out that your repair is going to cost more than $500. If this happens, your insurance company might have grounds to deny your claim since you violated the law.
Why the Police Report Is Important
When you file an insurance claim, your insurance company must investigate that claim in good faith to determine its liability to pay you. Usually, an insurance company does not have the resources or ability to do an incredibly intensive investigation, such as how the police would investigate a crime.
Instead, your insurance company will usually just collect your statement of what happened, the other driver’s statement about what happened, and the police report. The insurance company will, more often than not, defer to the police report because the police officer is the only person that the insurance company will hear from that is not interested in the case in some way.
What this means, unfortunately, is that if the police officer makes an incorrect or mistaken determination, it is not likely that you will be able to sway your insurance company if they decide to accept the police report at face value. If you find yourself in this situation, you need the help of a highly skilled and professional car accident lawyer in Atlanta that can help you force your insurance company to pay you the money that you deserve.
Important Tips for Your Insurance Claims
There are certain ways that you can increase your odds of filing a successful insurance claim. The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire lists a few things that you should always do to give you the highest probability of getting the money that you deserve.
For example, you should always read your policy agreement; you should know exactly what types of losses are covered under your policy. You should also make sure that you file your insurance claim as soon as possible after the accident. It is also highly imperative that you give accurate and detailed information to the insurance company while giving your statement.
You should also keep copies of any correspondence (such as letters or emails) that your insurance company sends you. This is very important because if your insurance company fails to pay you the money that you need, you might need to take legal action to force the insurance company to pay you the money you deserve. This evidence will help your Atlanta car accident attorney make a case in court to get you the money that you are entitled to.
Why You Need a Car Accident Lawyer in Atlanta
As explained above, your first call after a car accident must be to the police. Your second call should be to your insurance company to make the claim. But your third call should be to a skilled, professional, and experienced car accident attorney in Atlanta.
Whether you have property damage, personal injuries, or if your insurance company is refusing to pay, you should call an Atlanta car accident lawyer today. Your insurance company–or the insurance company of the at-fault party–might not pay, or they might not pay enough to cover all of your injuries.
If this is the case, your only recourse will likely be to file a lawsuit against either your insurance company or the other at-fault party. Insurance companies are large, powerful companies with expensive lawyers that will do everything they can to reduce your recovery as much as possible, so you need the help of an Atlanta car accident attorney that is experienced in going against insurance companies.
While you are certainly allowed to file legal actions on your own, it is not advisable at all. This is because litigation is complicated, and you can be harmed if you do not properly apply the law. Atlanta car accident lawyers exist for this very reason, and a skilled one will help you get the recovery that you deserve.
Contact an Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one are injured in an auto accident and need help in the insurance claims process, you need the help of a compassionate and experienced car accident lawyer in Atlanta. You will not pay anything unless you win. Contact an Atlanta car accident attorney today for a free consultation and case review.