All car accidents that are more than minor parking lot fender benders are terrifying experiences that leave physical, emotional, and financial consequences to injury victims. These consequences become the “damages” in a personal injury claim. In Georgia, a car accident victim can recover damages through a compensation claim against the driver who caused the accident, or in less common cases, against another liable party like the manufacturer of a defective vehicle part or a negligent road maintenance agency.
Before filing a compensation claim, many car accident victims want to know what to expect. What is the average car accident settlement in Georgia?
Every car accident is unique and so are the resulting injuries and damages. An average car accident compensation claim is around $24,000; however, this average is derived from an array of car accident compensation payouts—many for far more and many for substantially less. Car accident victims who suffer minor, fully recoverable injuries could face temporary financial hardship with a single emergency room bill and a few days of lost wages. More serious accidents can result in permanent disability with lifelong medical costs and reduced earning potential. In the worst cases, a Georgia car accident causes the wrongful death of a motorist. Atlanta car accident lawyers explain that because car accident injury victims have a wide range of physical and financial consequences, there is an equally wide range of outcomes for car accident settlements.
Car accidents can cause serious injuries or fatalities. The crash force of an accident results in significant trauma even in relatively low-speed accidents. For instance, at only 35 miles per hour, a 130-pound person becomes a 4,550-pound force propelled forward and then snapped back against the seat. Common injuries in car accidents ranging from mild to severe include the following:
If a car accident ends in a fatality and someone else was at fault, the injury victim’s family may recover additional compensation through a wrongful death claim.
Georgia drivers must carry at least the minimum required car accident liability insurance with $25,000 per person for injuries, $50,000 total injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. In most accident cases, the drivers’ insurance companies investigate the accident. If an injury victim hires an attorney, they also investigate to document strong evidence of liability against an at-fault party and to defend their client’s best interests.
In a modified comparative negligence insurance state like Georgia, an injury victim may recover compensation even if they contributed to the cause of the accident. Working with a personal injury lawyer in Atlanta, the compensation they can recover will be minus their percentage of fault. For instance, if an insurance company finds an injury victim 20% at fault for an accident because they were exceeding the speed limit when an accident occurred but the other driver was 80% at fault because they ran a red light, the injury victim’s claim is reduced by 20%. If their damages add up to $100.000, they can recover $80,000. The driver who was 80% at fault cannot recover compensation for the accident because, under Georgia’s insurance law, those more than 50% at fault for an accident cannot recover compensation for their damages.
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