The Auto Accident Attorneys Group | June 6, 2024 | Car Accidents
A car accident is a distressing event for anyone to go through. Even a minor car accident can damage your car and lead to serious injuries. If another person’s negligence caused the accident, you could receive financial compensation through a personal injury claim.
Personal injury settlements can address medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and other costs a victim suffers due to a crash. Even if you think the accident was minor, it is critical to investigate the claim – and your potential damages – with the help of an experienced Georgia car accident lawyer.
What Is a Minor Car Accident?
Minor car accidents involve collisions between vehicles with limited impact and injuries that are usually not life-threatening.
Minor car accidents can include, for example:
- Fender benders. These are bumper-to-bumper collisions, usually at lower speeds. Often, a fender bender is caused when one driver is not paying attention or fails to obey a traffic signal.
- Parking lot incidents. Parking lots bring many vehicles together in the same place. When drivers are not careful, they can hit other cars in the parking lot. This often leads to scrapes, dents, and damage to doors or bumpers.
- Side-swipe collisions. When vehicles make contact along their side panels, property damage and injuries can result. These accidents usually involve a driver weaving out of their lane without checking for vehicles around them.
- Rear-end collisions. As with fender benders, rear-end crashes usually involve a distracted driver or a situation where a driver fails to stop and pay attention to their surroundings.
Injuries frequently associated with minor car accidents can include:
- Soft tissue injuries. Car accidents with any level of impact can result in injuries to muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other soft tissue areas.
- Whiplash. This happens when a car suddenly stops or accelerates, causing the neck to swing back and forth. Whiplash-related neck strain can cause discomfort or even long-term complications.
- Lacerations and bruises. Even a minor car accident can cause open wounds and serious bruising.
- Emotional distress. Even if a victim is able to walk away from a crash with minor injuries (or no physical injuries at all), the stress and shock of an accident can cause emotional trauma, also known as pain and suffering, in a legal context.
In a minor car accident, the vehicles can be repaired, and the individuals involved have treatable injuries.
The Importance of Reporting a Minor Car Accident
Under Georgia law, drivers must report a car accident to police if an accident causes death, injury, or property damage over $500. Essentially, this means almost any accident must be reported unless the vehicles aren’t damaged at all. If you’ve been in a car accident in the Marietta, GA, area – even if it wasn’t your fault – you should stay at the scene and call the police.
Having the police involved can help if you need to file a personal injury claim later. The police report will lay out the facts of the crash, who was involved, and include key information such as the location and any witnesses. Without this, it is hard to go back and piece together facts later. A police report will also help your car accident lawyer when they need to present your claim to an insurance company or make your case in the courtroom.
Common Myths About Minor Car Accidents
Many people believe that nothing needs to be done after a minor car accident for various reasons.
Some common myths about minor car crashes are:
- I don’t need to report the accident to the police. As noted above, Georgia requires drivers to call police about any accident where there is an injury or property damage over $500. It is important to call law enforcement not only to protect yourself legally, but to help build a personal injury claim later.
- I don’t need to report a minor accident to my insurer. Even if a minor crash wasn’t your fault, you should report the accident to your insurance company. Failing to do so can be a costly mistake. Your policy will typically require you to report any accident, and this can help prevent you from paying damages out-of-pocket.
- I don’t need medical help if the crash was minor. Even if you don’t think you were injured, you should seek medical attention after an accident. Some injuries, such as internal bleeding and concussions, might not be apparent right away but can have serious complications.
- I should take the first settlement offer I receive from the insurance company. Tempting as it may be, the first offer rarely addresses a victim’s full range of damages. Insurance companies are notorious for giving lowball offers and even denying claims to car accident victims.
- I don’t need a lawyer if the car accident was minor. You could be entitled to compensation even after a minor car crash. Without legal assistance, your chances of being fully and fairly compensated drop dramatically.
An experienced Georgia car accident lawyer can evaluate your claim and estimate what your case is actually worth.
Why Hire a Car Accident Lawyer After a Minor Accident?
A car accident lawyer in Marietta, GA, can help clients navigate the insurance claims process and the legal system after an accident.
Experienced Georgia car accident lawyers can help in any of the following ways:
- Investigating the accident. Car accident lawyers have access to reconstruction experts and can analyze the crash scene, organize evidence, and even reconstruct an accident to help prove liability.
- Understanding the law. To succeed in a personal injury claim, an accident victim needs to show that the other driver was negligent and legally liable for monetary damages. This requires a comprehensive knowledge of Georgia law, which your car accident lawyer should have.
- Evaluating damages. A lawyer can help you determine what you are entitled to financially. This can include damages for medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and rehabilitation costs. Damages can also include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other “intangible” costs of an accident.
- Negotiating a settlement. Experienced car accident lawyers know how to deal with insurance companies to get a fair result for their clients. They also have experience negotiating with defense lawyers during the course of a personal injury case to get the best possible settlement.
- Taking your case to court. If the claim cannot be settled at the early stages through the insurance company, your lawyer will then need to file a lawsuit. Taking a case from the first filing to a jury trial requires skill, knowledge, and experience. You want to hire Georgia car accident attorneys with a proven track record of winning results for their clients.
Even if you don’t think the accident was serious, you can receive damages with the help of an attorney.
A Car Crash Lawyer Can Help You Recover Compensation After a Minor Accident
If you have been injured in any type of car accident, no matter how minor, you could be entitled to compensation for your injuries. A dedicated car accident lawyer can investigate your claim and fight for you every step of the way.
For more information, please contact an experienced lawyer at The Auto Accident Attorneys Group to schedule a free initial consultation today.
The Auto Accident Attorneys Group
1454 Johnson Ferry Rd, Marietta, GA 30062, United States
(866) 220-1490
