Don’t assume you’re out of options if you know or suspect you were partially responsible for the accident. You may still be able to recover compensation, but you’re going to need the assistance of an Athens car accident lawyer right away.
Attorney Mike Rafi can help make sure your rights are protected, even if you’re partially at fault for the accident, and can also help you obtain all the compensation to which you’re entitled. Contact Mike online or call (706) 995-7547 to schedule your free consultation.
Georgia follows the law of modified comparative negligence. In a nutshell, this means that if you’re found to be more than 50% responsible for a car accident, you won’t be able to collect damages. If you’re assigned less than 50% of fault, you may still be eligible to receive damages, but the amount you receive will be reduced based on your percentage of fault.
The police will conduct an investigation of the accident in order to get the facts and determine blame. They’ll interview all involved drivers, and witnesses, they might review footage from nearby surveillance cameras, and they will conduct measurements and surveys of the roadway and evidence that’s left behind such as skid marks.
Your insurance company and the other driver’s insurer will dispatch adjusters to perform their own investigation. They’ll use the police report, as well as statements from witnesses and drivers. They’ll also go to the scene to check for skid marks or other evidence, and they’ll assess the damage done to all vehicles involved.
The adjusters will then use all of this information and assign blame. However, when they do this, they’ll also be working in the best interests of their respective employers and will do whatever they can to assign as much blame as possible to the other driver.
Your attorney will also conduct their own investigation and gather evidence needed to show that you weren’t as much to blame as the other driver’s insurer claims.
Under Georgia’s modified comparative negligence laws, the compensation you’re entitled to will be reduced by your percentage of fault. You’ll only be able to recover compensation if you’re found to be less than 50% at fault.
For example, let’s say you’re 20% at fault for the accident. If you would have obtained $100,000 without any fault, your compensation will be reduced by $20,000, and you’ll receive $80,000 instead of the full $100,000.
Just because an insurance company claims you were partially responsible doesn’t make it automatically true. And even if you did contribute to the accident, you may still be able to recover compensation that will help you pay your medical bills, make up for lost income, and more.
The only way you’re going to be able to successfully fight that insurer’s decision is to have skilled Athens car accident lawyer Mike Rafi working on your behalf. Schedule a free review of your case by contacting Mike online or by giving him a call at (706) 995-7547.