- Personal Injury
If you’ve ever been in a car accident, you know what happens immediately after the crash. As any injury lawyer in Douglasville knows, the drivers point at each other and swear under their breath. Nobody ever wants to admit that they had anything to do with the crash. It’s always the other driver’s fault. This makes sense. Nobody wants to put themselves in hot water legally by admitting liability. But it’s also a matter of pride. It’s hard for us to admit when we’ve messed up. However, if you were partially at fault for your crash, your injury lawyer in Douglasville needs to know and they need to know from the start.
In order to represent you, the attorney needs to know the whole story. If they get blindsided down the road by the defendant’s lawyer, they won’t be happy. And, depending on how the case progresses, not telling your injury lawyer in Douglasville the truth could end up costing you a lot of money. You could lose your lawsuit if the judge finds that you were more than 50% at fault. This is because Georgia follows the comparative negligence rule. You’ll want to make sure you have a valid claim early enough that you don’t waste anyone’s time – yours or your attorney’s.
Georgia Follows the Comparative Negligence Rule
One of the reasons it makes no sense to lie to your injury lawyer in Douglasville is because you can still collect damages even if you’re partially at fault. Under the comparative fault rule, a plaintiff can still win damages as long as they are less than 50% at fault. It can be hard to know exactly how much fault will be attributed to you should the case go to court. That’s why your attorney is going to try to settle your case. Both attorneys know how the law works. They’ll go through your case and find out what really happened. They’ll use whatever evidence they have to demonstrate that the defendant was primarily at fault. Since neither party really wants to go to trial, there is a good chance that the matter will be settled. You just have to be patient and honest. You don’t want to make your injury lawyer in Douglasville’s job any harder than it already is.
Very Rarely is Anyone Ever 100% Responsible for a Crash
When you watch a trial on television, it always looks like there’s a good guy and a bad guy in a lawsuit. You know right away who you’re supposed to root for. In real life, it doesn’t work this way. When it comes to a car accident lawsuit, very rarely is one person totally innocent. Neither is the other party totally at fault. Usually, a little bit of fault can be attributed to the victim. If that’s the case, you may be afraid to admit as much to your injury lawyer in Douglasville.
The truth is that you need to be honest with your lawyer from the start. They’re going to find out the truth later anyway. The defendant is going to get their chance to tell their story. Their attorney is going to let your injury lawyer in Douglasville know what their client told them. When things start adding up, your attorney won’t be happy that you kept information from them. For them to properly represent you, they need all the facts, and they need them sooner rather than later.
Call and Meet with a Seasoned Injury Lawyer in Douglasville, Georgia
Some car accident victims are so afraid of meeting with a seasoned injury lawyer in Douglasville, they put it off for weeks or even months. They talk to their family and friends and ask if any of them have been through this process. The truth is that it doesn’t matter what anyone tells you. Once you make up your mind that it’s going to be too scary to talk to an attorney, nobody is going to change your mind. So, all you can do is make whatever decision is best for you,
What you should do is call and talk to our staff. Set up a date and time to come in for your free, initial consultation. Sit down and talk to someone who’s handled dozens of cases like yours before. They can answer any questions you may have. They can even give you an idea of what your case is worth. The consultation is free, so you’ve got nothing to lose.
