Statesboro Car Accident Lawyer

Car accidents happen all the time, and they can be very unpredictable when it comes to injuries. Some suffer minor injuries, if any at all. Others are catastrophically injured and will deal with long-term recoveries. In either case, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the driver responsible for the crash.

Whatever compensation you might be entitled to depends on the extent of your damages. Compensatory damages are awarded to make up for what you have lost and are based on economic and non-economic losses and injuries. In some cases, punitive damages might be awarded on top of compensatory damages as a way to penalize the defendant. To get compensation, we need evidence. Witnesses, photographs, and even security camera footage might help your case in court. It is important to act fast, as you have a limited time to hire a lawyer, prepare your case, and file it with the right court.

Call (470) 287-3070 and ask our car accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras for a free case review to get started.

Damages You Might Claim in a Statesboro Car Accident Case

Your damages represent everything you have lost and endured as a direct result of the car accident. This includes injuries, financial costs, and psychological injuries. In rare cases, defendants’ behavior during these accidents is so outrageous that courts will award plaintiffs punitive damages to financially penalize the defendant. Talk to a lawyer about the damages in your case and whether you might be eligible for punitive damages.

Economic Damages

Damages based on how much money they cost you are called economic damages. It is important to keep thorough records of your spending after a car accident so our car accident lawyers can accurately assess the value of your economic losses. Some of the biggest losses stem from medical care after a crash. You might have been rushed to the hospital for emergency care. You might have driven yourself to the hospital after meeting the other driver and speaking to the police. Either way, you deserve compensation for your expensive medical bills.

We should also take your vehicle into consideration. How bad is the damage? Whether you need minor repairs or an entirely new car, the person who caused the crash should cover the cost. On top of that, we should consider your ability to work. Can you return to your job with your injuries? If not, we can claim the value of lost income and add it to your overall damages.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic injuries may also be financially compensated. However, they often do not take a financial toll on plaintiffs. Instead, these damages are evaluated based on how they impact the plaintiff’s life and well-being, and the actual cost might not be relevant. For example, a car accident victim might claim mental or psychological distress and turmoil caused by an especially traumatic collision. Remember, many accidents are considered near-death experiences, and victims often have a hard time coming to terms with what happened. You might also claim damages related to any reduction in the quality of your life. Do injuries or long-term complications change the way you live your life? That deserves fair compensation, even if it technically does not cost money.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are rare, but they can be substantial if they are awarded. These damages are awarded only in cases where the defendant is shown to have acted egregiously and their actions go beyond mere ordinary negligence. According to O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1(b), a plaintiff must prove that the defendant caused the car accident through wantonness, willful misconduct, malice, fraud, oppression, or such a severe lack of care as to create a presumption that the defendant had a conscious indifference to the consequences of their actions. Plaintiffs must prove this by “clear and convincing evidence,” which is an extremely high bar to meet.

Finding Evidence to Back Up Your Car Accident Case in Statesboro

To back up your claims and prove your case in court, we need as much evidence as we can find. We must have enough evidence to meet the burden of proof, which is a “preponderance of the evidence” in civil cases.

Anyone who saw the accident might be able to testify in court as eyewitnesses. Often, eyewitnesses consist of people who passed by the accident and stopped to help. They might also be nearby pedestrians, passengers inside your car and the other car, and anyone else who might have seen the accident. When you stop after a crash, you should not only exchange information with the other driver but also with people nearby, just in case they have valuable information.

It is common for drivers to photograph accidents, usually to send pictures to insurance companies as proof of their damages. These photos from the crash might also be used as evidence in a civil case, depending on what is in the pictures. Since accident scenes are cleaned up by the authorities pretty quickly, much evidence tends to be lost. Your pictures might preserve these details, and we can show them to a jury.

In today’s increasingly technologically dependent world, cameras are practically everywhere, even on our roads and highways. If a security camera or traffic camera was in the area of your accident, it might have recorded the collision. Video footage showing how the defendant caused the crash might be some of the most powerful evidence we can find, and we should try to obtain it before it can be accidentally erased or deleted.

How Much Time You Have to File a Statesboro Car Accident Case

You do not exactly have all the time in the world to think about your legal options. If you plan to take legal action against a negligent driver, you must do so within the limitation period set by the statute of limitations. According to O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, plaintiffs have only 2 years from the date of their injuries to file a case. If we miss this deadline, you might never get the compensation you need and deserve.

Contact Our Statesboro Car Accident Lawyers for Help Getting Your Case Started

Call (470) 287-3070 and ask our car accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras for a free case review to get started.