Passenger cars are the most common vehicle on the roads. Most of us operate a passenger car every day and do so safely getting to and from our destinations with little difficulty. But unfortunately, our car accident lawyer in Jonesboro knows that it does not always matter how safe we drive. Reckless, careless, and downright negligent motorists on the roads can cause serious or catastrophic personal injuries in a car accident. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that over 2.7 million people are injured and another 36,000 are killed in motor vehicle accidents each year. Approximately 150,000 of those injuries and 1,400 of those fatalities occurred in Georgia. These are staggering figures that show just how dangerous it can be to get into a car each day.

This is why our experienced car accident lawyers at Joseph M. Todd, P.C. had dedicated their practice to helping victims and their families recover compensation after a serious or life-changing motor vehicle crash. We handle cases throughout Georgia, including in Atlanta, Clayton County, and in Jonesboro where our office is located. We accept personal injury cases on a contingency fee agreement, meaning we only get paid a percentage of what we recover for you and only after we recover it. Learn how we can help you and your family after a car accident by speaking with one of our talented and compassionate team members by calling (770) 477-7878.

Causes of Car Accidents in Georgia
There are many common causes of car accidents. Generally, the cause fits within three categories which are 1) driver error/negligence, 2) mechanical defects, or 3) roadway/municipality errors. Some of the most common causes of car accidents include the following:

• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Falling asleep at the wheel or driver fatigue 
• Following too closely or tailgating
• Drunk driving
• Improper left turns or cutting off another vehicle
• Drugged driving
• Cell phone use while driving
• Improper lane changes
• Unsafe backing
• Unsecured cargo or improperly secured cargo
• Driver inexperience 
• Mechanical defects
• Improperly merging on or off a highway
• Unsafe passing or improperly passing in a no-passing zone
• Running a red light or stop sign
• Failure to yield
• Roadway defects
• Unsafe road designs, and
• Many other common causes.

Fortunately, most of the common causes of car accidents can be avoided with the proper care and attention necessary to safely operate a motor vehicle. But all too often, motorists fail to exercise reasonable care when operating a vehicle which could result in liability for a car accident.

Proving Liability in a Car Accident in Georgia
In order for a victim of a car accident to recover compensation, he or she must establish liability (or fault) against a defendant. There are several ways to do this. The most common way is through the common law (or judge-made law) standard of negligence. Another way is using a statutory law violation (legislatively-made law) to establish negligence per se.

Proving Negligence in Georgia
The negligence standard is one of the most important legal principles in the United States. It is also the most commonly used way to prove a personal injury case such as a car accident. Negligence is essentially the failure by one person to exercise reasonable care in doing some task that harms another person.

There are four elements to a negligence claim in Georgia. Each element must be proven. The four elements are the following:

• Defendant owed the Plaintiff (the victim) a duty of care
• Defendant breached that duty of care to Plaintiff
• Plaintiff suffered damages, and
• Defendant’s breach of duty was a substantial factor in causing Plaintiff’s damages.

In Georgia, all motorists owe others on or around the roadways a duty to exercise reasonable care in the use or operation of a motor vehicle This means that motorists must:

• Drive defensively and courteously 
• Follow the traffic laws 
• See what there is to be seen on or around the roadways
• Avoid collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists
• Follow a police officer’s or traffic controller’s instructions 
• Properly maintain their vehicle in sound, working order, and
• Otherwise acting reasonably to avoid causing foreseeable risk to others.

A defendant who fails to exercise reasonable care and causes a serious car accident could be negligent and responsible for a victim’s damages under Georgia law.

Negligence Per Se
A lot of motor vehicle accidents involve proving the duty of care and the breach of that duty. However, there is a legal shortcut through the doctrine of negligence per se. This doctrine allows a victim to automatically establish liability where:

• Defendant violated a vehicle and traffic law
• Plaintiff was within the class of persons sought to be protected by the law, and
• Plaintiff’s damages were within the class of harms sought to be prevented by the law.
  

If these three elements are met, a victim will only need to establish damages and that the damages were caused by the defendant’s unlawful conduct. This can make it easier for a victim to recover compensation.

Common Injuries in a Car Accident
Even though passenger cars have more advanced safety technology such as side curtains, better crunch zones, and other smart technology, this does not mean that occupants of a passenger car will be invincible in a motor vehicle wreck. Many times victims of serious car accidents suffer life-changing and sometimes fatal injuries.

The most common injuries that our experienced car accident lawyers in Jonesboro, GA could recover compensation for you include the following:

• Traumatic brain injuries or TBIs
• Spinal cord injuries or SCI
• Fractures, broken bones, compression fractures, or compound breaks
• Back injuries or neck injuries, including slipped discs, disc herniations, or annular tears
• Organ damage
• Significant scarring or disfigurement
• Burn injuries
• Muscle, tendon, or ligament tears in the knee, shoulder, or other parts of the body
• Nerve injuries
• Head injuries or facial injuries
• Soft tissue damage
• Wrongful death, and
• Many other personal injuries that our bodily injury law firm could handle for you.

Can I Handle a Car Accident Claim Alone or Do I Need a Lawyer?
There is no requirement under Georgia law to hire a lawyer to handle your car accident claim. You can speak directly with a claims adjuster to recover compensation. However, this is often a bad idea. This is because insurance adjusters are well-trained in how to minimize, undervalue, or deny an otherwise value claim.  

Insurance adjusters are often trained at conferences by defense lawyers or with other defense lawyers. In addition, most adjusters have a “silent” defense lawyer reviewing files and giving them advice, law, or other information to help fight back against your claim. Therefore, even though it appears you are negotiating with a non-lawyer, it is often not a fair fight because of an adjuster’s significant training and hidden support.

It is always best practice to contact an experienced car accident lawyer to handle your claim against an insurance adjuster after a motor vehicle crash. Trying to handle a claim without a lawyer’s support will simply result in you likely getting less compensation than you deserve under Georgia law.

How Our Law Firm Can Help You After a Car Accident in Jonesboro
We are a very different personal injury law firm focused on truly helping victims and their families get through the nightmare of an accident. At Joseph M. Todd, P.C., we offer clients the following:

• FREE consultations – we will review your case, the facts, and the law to advise you whether you have a claim and what you may be entitled to under Georgia law
• We pay upfront litigation costs and disbursements – starting a lawsuit is expensive, especially if there are a lot of medical records or if an expert is needed. At Joseph M. Todd, P.C., we pay the upfront litigation costs and disbursements for medical records, experts, court filing fees, postage, copying, travel, and other expenses related to your lawsuit. These are only reimbursed if we recover compensation for you.
• No attorney’s fees until we recover compensation for you – while everyone thinks that lawyers are expensive, at Joseph M. Todd, P.C. we offer contingency fee agreements for our clients which make it both affordable and convenient for victims. A contingency fee agreement means we do not get any attorney’s fees paid until we settle, win a verdict, or recover an award for you. We also only get a percentage of that recovery, meaning you will receive compensation in all recoveries and not have to pay anything out-of-pocket for our services. In the rare chance that we do not recover compensation for you, there is no fee for our services.

Call Our Car Accident Lawyers in Jonesboro, GA for Help Today
If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a car accident in Georgia, call Joseph M. Todd, P.C. to schedule your FREE consultation with one of our experienced car accident lawyers by dialing (770) 477-7878 or filling out our easy and convenient to use “contact us” box available here. Our law firm can recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and other damages related to your car accident. We are committed to justice and will fight for victims and their families.