Homewood Car Accident Lawyer

Car accidents in Homewood, Alabama, are common and occur unexpectedly. Victims often suffer life-altering injuries due to the impact resulting from such accidents. Besides putting up with injuries and sometimes chronic pain, car accident victims often struggle with medical bills and the prospect of life-long injuries. While some of these accidents may happen due to other causes, most of them are caused by another party’s negligence. In such cases, victims may be eligible to receive compensation for their injuries.

The process of filing auto accident claims and pursuing compensation can be hectic. Particularly, victims are required to take time off their daily duties to recover from their injuries fully. In such cases, hiring and retaining a Homewood car accident lawyer helps such victims focus on full recovery as the attorney handles all the legal matters.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident in Homewood, you may have a right to seek compensation for the injuries suffered. Call us today at (855) 965-1688 to talk to one of our personal injury attorneys about your case and get to know your legal options.

Car Accident Statistics in Homewood

Most people in Homewood depend on road transport as their main means of transport. Like any other city in Alabama, it registers a number of car accidents every year. With a number of state highways and traffic that goes in and out of the city, car crashes are bound to happen and are almost inevitable.

According to statistics from the Alabama Department of Transportation, there were 1850 car crashes in Homewood in 2018. Out of these accidents, there were 294 injured persons and 1 fatality. Out of these car accidents, most were attributed to driver carelessness more than anything else. Most of these accidents were as a result of drunk driving, disregard for road signs, speeding, distracted driving, weather conditions, and vehicle defects.

How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost?

Most car accident victims decide against hiring a car accident lawyer given the high costs associated with hiring a lawyer. However, you don’t have to risk losing your right to recover compensation for the injuries suffered after a car accident in Homewood. At the Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton Law Firm, our lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you don’t have to pay anything unless we win your case.

After winning your case and getting your compensation, a percentage of the award is used as the attorney’s fees. If your claim was settled by the at-fault party’s insurance carrier, lawyer fees normally are about 25% of the amount awarded. If the case goes to court, fees may rise up to 33% and may even go to 40% if the case goes to trial. It is important that you talk to our lawyers about the fees to avoid any unexpected costs later on.

What Should I Do After a Car Accident?

It is common for car accident victims to miss one or two important steps in the event of an accident in Homewood, Alabama. Auto accidents can happen within the blink of an eye, and victims are often thrown into a state of confusion. However, if you have been involved in a car accident in Homewood, Alabama, it is important that you follow these steps:

Contact Police

As soon as an accident happens, it is important that you call the police to the scene. This ensures that you file a police report. With this report, you are in a better position when pursuing compensation for the injuries suffered following the accident.

Don’t leave the scene of the accident!

If you have not suffered any serious injuries, check on the others involved in the accident to see whether any of them requires urgent medical attention.

Exchange information with the involved parties.

Before leaving the scene of the accident, ensure that you exchange important information with those involved in the accident. Particularly, ensure that you get the correct contact information (telephone number) of the other parties, name of their insurance carriers and their policy numbers, license plate number of the cars involved, driver’s license, and other important descriptive features of the cars involved.

Record the scene of the accident

If possible, capture the positioning of the car in clear pictures and the surroundings as well.

Don’t admit fault

By engaging in a deep conversation with other involved parties, you may unknowingly admit fault, which could mean a huge blow in your pursuit for compensation. It is therefore advisable to limit your conversation to your lawyer, police, insurance representative, and medical professional.

Seek Medical Attention

Even if you don’t feel any pain immediately after the accident, it is important that you visit a doctor for an examination. Sometimes, victims may suffer internal injuries, which may have serious repercussions if left unchecked.

Call a Car Accident Lawyer

Working with a car accident lawyer is the best way of safeguarding your legal rights in a car accident case. Your lawyer will inform you of your legal options and ensure that you get every step of the claim right.

Why do I Need a Lawyer?

Some car accident claims may be less complicated than others, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need a lawyer. While such cases may seem straightforward at first, the need for legal expertise may become clear with every step of the claim process. Particularly, it is important that hire and retain a Homewood car accident attorney for the following reasons:

Settlement Negotiation

In most car accidents where fault is easily determined, the injured party receives compensation without taking their case to court. In such a case, the at-fault party’s insurance carrier offers a settlement for their losses, and the case is closed upon accepting the settlement. A car accident lawyer can help a victim get maximum compensation for their injuries as opposed to what they would have got without working with an attorney.

Insurance companies are known to work with claim adjusters who, in most cases, will undervalue your claim so that they don’t pay as much as they should. At the Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton Law Firm, our lawyers are experienced at dealing with insurance companies and claim adjusters and will fight for the best settlement for you.

Case Preparation

In some cases, insurance carriers may deny a victim’s claim for various reasons. Sometimes, victims may feel that the settlement offered is unreasonable or insufficient to cater to all their losses. In such instances, they may file a lawsuit against the insurance company for a better settlement. Having a car accident lawyer helps you build a strong case against the insurance company and increase your chances of being awarded a better settlement for the losses suffered.

Our lawyers also collaborate with other professionals like medical professionals and accident reconstruction experts to gather all the necessary information and documentation. With such documents and reports from professionals, the chances of winning your case and receiving compensation are usually high.

Trial Preparation & Representation

Whenever your case goes to trial, it is important that you present a watertight case to the judge. By gathering all the necessary documents for your claim, our lawyers can help present a compelling case before the judge and win your case against the insurance company. Our lawyers also have years of courtroom experience and know how to go about your case whenever it goes to trial.

What Type of Damages Can I Recover in a Homewood Car Accident Claim?

In Alabama, car accident victims can receive various types of damages depending on their losses. Damages are generally categorized into economic, non-economic, and punitive. Economic damages refer to those that are awarded to compensate victims for monetary losses and include:

• Present and future medical costs, including prescriptions, hospital stays, surgeries, and vocational rehabilitation.
• Lost wages
• Loss of earning capacity
• Property damage, specifically damage to the vehicle.

Non-economic damages are awarded to compensate victims for their non-monetary losses or pain and suffering. They include:

• Disability or disfigurement
• Loss of quality of life
• Mental and emotional anguish
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of consortium

Punitive damages are awarded, not to compensate victims for their losses but to punish at-fault parties for gross negligence and recklessness.

How is Fault Determined in a Homewood Car Accident Case?

To prove liability in Alabama car accident cases, individuals must prove the following elements of fault:

• Duty of care: the at-fault party had a duty of care towards the injured party.
• Breach of duty of care: they breached their duty of care.
• Causation: the at-fault party’s negligence caused the accident.
• Damages: the accident led to the losses suffered by the injured party.

How Long do I Have to File a Claim After a Homewood Car Accident?

According to the Code of Alabama section 6-2-38, injured persons have two years from the date of the accident to bring a claim. However, individuals filing a claim over vehicle damage have six years to file a case against the at-fault party as per the Code of Alabama section 6-2-34.

Conclusion

Car accident claims in Alabama can be difficult to pursue especially where the legal standard of contributory negligence applies. To ensure that you don’t lose your right to recover damages for your injuries, it is important that you work with an experienced Homewood car accident lawyer who has a proven track record in car accident claims in Alabama.

If you or a loved one suffered injuries in an auto accident in Alabama, our attorneys at the Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton Law Firm are ready to help recover damages for your losses. Call our personal injury firm today at (855) 965-1688 to schedule a free consultation and case evaluation.