5 Myths About Car Accident Personal Injury Cases

Have you been injured in an auto accident?

Car accidents are stressful. They are traumatic experiences and often result in painful injuries, car repairs, medical bills, and other unfair financial burdens. If your car crash resulted from someone else’s negligence, you’re entitled to compensation for your damages.

Unfortunately, false information tends to fly around while you’re in the aftermath of a vehicle collision. Don’t be fooled by all the myths about car accident personal injury cases. Speak to an Atlanta car accident lawyer about your case, and you’ll get the best possible outcome for your personal injury claim.

Myth #1: The Insurance Company Won’t Pay a Big Settlement

Insurance providers are businesses, first and foremost. They’re not working for your or their covered driver’s benefit. The insurance company has its own best interest in mind at every moment. Their primary goal is to mitigate costs to their business by getting you to take the lowest possible settlement offer.

When you’re injured in a car accident, you’ll probably get a call from an insurance adjuster with the at-fault driver’s policy provider. Insurance adjusters will try to collect all information about the accident and your resulting injuries to identify ways to cast some of the blame for the accident on you. The other person’s insurance company may even say that the settlement they’re offering you is standard and can’t offer you anything more. This is not true. Speak with a personal injury lawyer before talking with insurance adjusters or accepting any settlement offers that come your way.

Myth #2: Personal Injury Lawsuits Take Years

It’s a common belief that personal injury lawsuits take forever to resolve. Some cases can take years to settle— mainly when multiple plaintiffs are involved or it was a catastrophic accident. But the reality is many car accident lawsuits go smoothly, especially when people have experienced personal injury attorneys in their corner. Many car accident claims resolve in just a few months.

Myth #3: It’s Too Late to File a Car Accident Claim

Recovering from a car accident is often chaotic. Many accident victims focus primarily on getting their injuries treated, their car fixed, and their life back on track before considering the possibility of a lawsuit.

Months can go by before the dust settles, and some people think it’s too late to try and seek compensation for their damages. This is simply not the case. In Georgia, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit is two years. This means that you have up to two years from the accident date to file your car accident claim before you can no longer seek damages.

Myth #4: If You Have Minor Injuries, It’s Not Worth it to File a Lawsuit

Lawsuits can be a big headache, right? Is it really worth it to file a personal injury claim for some minor bumps and bruises? Yes, it is.

You shouldn’t discount the cost of your injuries because some medical issues that result from a car accident— like neck, back, and head injuries—don’t show up until later. It’s essential to seek medical attention as soon as possible so that a medical professional can identify these less apparent injuries. Speak with a car accident attorney about how valuable your claim may be, even with less severe injuries.

Myth #5: The At-Fault Party Will Pay All Damages

Georgia law uses a Modified Comparative Negligence model to determine fault in a personal injury case. This means that a percentage of fault is assigned to each party involved in the accident, and you’ll be able to recover damages if the other driver is given a higher percentage.

However, remember that your compensation will correlate with the fault breakdown. So, if the court awards a $100,000 settlement for the car accident case, but you shared 20% of the responsibility for the collision, the at-fault party will actually only have to pay you $80,000 in the end.

Get the Compensation You Deserve With an Atlanta Personal Injury Attorney

Personal injury law is complex, and there’s a lot of misinformation about what you should do after you’ve been injured in an auto accident. Don’t take any chances to recover what you’ve lost. Reject the myths about personal injury claims and reach out to an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer to ensure you get the compensation you’re entitled to receive.