• Replacing Your Windshield Wipers

    Having faulty or broken windshield wipers on your vehicle can put you at serious risk for an auto accident. Replacing your windshield wipers is much less expensive than paying medical bills or hiring a traffic accident attorney in Decatur or Atlanta . Before you replace your windshield wipers, you must ensure that you are buying the right type for your make and model of car.

    Watch this video clip for a helpful demonstration on how to replace your windshield wipers. When you have windshield wipers that operate correctly, you will be less likely to get into an auto accident during poor weather conditions.

  • Answering Questions About Spinal Cord Lawsuits

    Many accident claims filed by personal injury lawyers in Decatur and Atlanta involve a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord personal injury claims are generally more complicated than other types of injury claims. Here are the answers to some common questions about spinal cord personal injury claims.

    What Are Common Causes of a Spinal Cord Injury?

    Car accidents are the most common cause of spinal cord injuries. Approximately 42% of spinal cord injuries are the result of being hurt in a car accident. About 26% of spinal cord injuries are caused by falls, while 15% are caused by acts of violence, and around 8% are the result of sports accidents. In rare cases, a spinal cord injury may be the result of medical malpractice or medical negligence. Risky or delicate surgical procedures that are performed on the back or neck can sometimes cause temporary or permanent spinal cord damage.

    What Are Some Common Arguments in Spinal Cord Personal Injury Claims?

    A spinal cord injury can be the result of negligence, medical malpractice, intentional or accidental infliction of injury, or defective products. The majority of accident claims involving spinal cord injuries allege negligence. This negligence may be the result of another driver hitting you in a car or motorcycle accident, or a property owner creating an unsafe private or public environment that causes a slip and fall. In order for your personal injury lawyer to win your case, he must prove that the defendant in your accident claim was responsible for your injuries.

    What is a Typical Spinal Cord Injury Compensation?

    The injury compensation that you receive if you win your personal injury claim is meant to reimburse you for accident-related expenses, physical and emotional damages, and lost wages, whether in the past or future. The accident settlement that you receive will depend upon the extent of your injury, whether it is temporary or permanent, how many medical costs you have incurred, how much you have suffered emotionally, physically, and financially, and whether the injury has affected your ability to work.

  • Understanding the Legal Definition of Wrongful Death

    Losing a loved one to a motorcycle accident or auto accident in Decatur or Atlanta is devastating. If someone else was legally at fault for the accident, you may be entitled to an accident settlement if you hire an attorney to file a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death is a legal term that alleges that a person’s death was due to the negligence or intentional infliction of harm by another person or entity.

    A wrongful death lawsuit demands an accident settlement or compensation for losses that were incurred by the survivor. These losses may be emotional or financial, and typically include reimbursement for accident-related expenses, lost wages, funeral expenses, medical expenses, and loss of companionship. People, companies, and government agencies can be found legally at-fault for another person’s death as a result of their negligence, defective product, or intentional infliction of harm.

    Only a representative working on behalf of a survivor who has sustained damages due to the death can file a wrongful death claim. Survivors may include a spouse, parent, child, life partner, or anyone else who was financially dependent upon the deceased.

  • What You Need to Know About Commercial Truck Accidents

    If you have been injured in a commercial truck accident, you should plan on hiring a personal injury lawyer to file a truck accident claim in Decatur or Atlanta . Commercial truck accident claims are very complicated, and you must hire an accident lawyer with extensive experience in this specific area. Here are some important facts about commercial truck accidents and truck accident claims.

    Commercial Trucks Can Cause Serious Injury

    Commercial trucks include eighteen-wheeler tractor-trailers, tanker trucks, delivery vehicles, and other large freight trucks. When a commercial truck is fully loaded, it can weigh 80,000 pounds or more. The average weight of a personal car or truck is 3,000 pounds. Commercial truck accidents typically cause serious injuries and even death during a collision with an average vehicle. Typical car and truck accident injuries include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, skull fractures, multiple broken bones, severe concussions, severe contusions and subsequent scarring, missing limbs, paralysis, coma, and even death.

    You May Be Entitled to Reimbursement for Accident-Related Expenses

    If you have been hurt in a car accident that was caused by a commercial truck, you may be entitled to reimbursement for accident-related expenses. This includes any physical, emotional, or financial losses that you have suffered. A talented personal injury lawyer who has experience filing truck accident claims will be able to prove that the accident was the fault of the commercial truck driver. This means that you can receive an accident settlement that includes injury compensation for medical expenses, emotional distress, and lost past or future wages.

    You Should Hire an Experienced Car and Truck Accident Lawyer

    If you want to win your truck accident claim, you must hire a personal injury lawyer who has experience in car and truck accidents. He or she will be able to fully evaluate the details of the accident to determine if you have a solid accident claim. He will also be more equipped to deal with the complexities of the case, including communicating with the trucking company’s attorneys and insurance company.

  • What Are the Symptoms of a Head Injury After an Accident?

    Many accident claims near Decatur and Atlanta stem from head injuries incurred in serious auto accidents. The aftermath of a car accident can be overwhelming, which is why you should always contact a personal injury lawyer to make sure your rights are protected. Head injuries present with different kinds of symptoms, and some head injury symptoms do not appear for hours or even days after the accident. Keep reading to learn about common head injury symptoms caused by mild, moderate, and severe head injuries.

    Mild Injury

    If your accident lawyer is preparing accident claims for a mild head injury, keep in mind that symptoms can be very diverse. Concussions are comparatively mild traumatic brain injuries, but are still very serious. Individuals may vomit, complain of a headache, or experience confusion. Some people temporarily lose consciousness or cannot remember the accident at all. Others have ringing in their ears or experience unexplained sleepiness.

    Moderate Injury

    For people who suffer moderate head injuries in auto accidents, symptoms are even more serious. Almost all moderate head injuries cause obvious damage to the outside of the head or loss of consciousness. In addition to symptoms like amnesia, headache, dizziness, and drowsiness, some individuals suffer from seizures. Another sign of moderate head injury is bruising around the eyes or behind the ears or a clear fluid oozing from the nose. This fluid is brain fluid that has leaked out of the body.

    Severe Injury

    Accident claims involving severe head injuries are the most devastating claims a personal injury lawyer handles. Around 10% of people who suffer a severe head injury will experience seizures. In most cases of severe head injury, the affected individual is either unconscious or unable to respond. Most people exhibit signs of serious external injuries to the head, as well as to other body parts or organs.

    Attorney Big Al is here to help if you or a loved one has suffered a head injury in a car accident or other type of accident. To reach a personal injury lawyer, call 1-800-HURT-123 today.

  • Talking to Teens about Road Safety

    Car accidents and motorcycle accidents near Decatur and Atlanta all too often involve inexperienced drivers. To prevent your teenager from suffering a personal injury, it is important to discuss road safety.

    A personal injury lawyer may advise parents who are concerned about their teens’ driving habits to explain the importance of defensive driving. To prevent personal injuries in auto accidents, you should begin teaching your teen safe driving practices even before he or she starts driving. Make sure to personally take your son or daughter out to practice driving, and teach him or her how to follow other cars at a safe distance.

    When you need help with an auto accident claim or another personal injury case, call Attorney Big Al at 1-800-HURT-123.

  • The Role of Negligence in Personal Injury Cases

    Negligence is an essential element of personal injury claims near Decatur and Atlanta . In personal injury law, an attorney uses negligence to establish one person’s fault for an accident. Keep reading to learn more about the elements of negligence in personal injury law, including a breached duty, direct causation, and measurable damages.

    Breached Duty

    To prove negligence and pursue damages on behalf of an injured party, a personal injury lawyer must show that the at-fault party owed a duty of care and breached that duty. In personal injury law, the duty of care is a legal obligation to adhere to a standard of reasonable care. To prove negligence, a lawyer must show that a person fell below the standard of care in a given case. For example, in auto accidents, a driver who is speeding or talking on the phone while driving is not exercising reasonable care.

    Direct Causation

    Even if someone drops below the standard of care, he is only responsible for another individual’s personal injury if an attorney can prove that his negligence was the direct cause of that injury. This aspect of personal injury claims can be tricky, which is why it helps to have an experienced personal injury attorney on your side. For example, if a driver suffers a back injury after being rear-ended by another driver, the second driver’s insurance company might try to prove that the back injury was a pre-existing condition.

    Measurable Damages

    The last part of proving a negligence claim involves showing damages. Damages refer to any kind of compensable injury. Damages may include medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If your attorney cannot prove that your personal injury resulted in certain expenses, it will not matter if the person who hurt you was otherwise negligent. For example, if you were hit by a truck driver but cannot demonstrate that you had any medical bills or missed work because of your injury, your claim will fail.

    Find out more about how personal injury law and auto accident claims work by calling Attorney Big Al at 1-800-HURT-123.

  • Getting the Compensation You Deserve After an Auto Injury

    Unfortunately, auto accidents are all too common in the United States. While some accidents leave the vehicles’ occupants unscathed, others result in serious injuries. If you have been hurt in an auto accident as a result of someone else’s negligence on the road, it’s imperative that you take the right steps in order to recover the compensation you are entitled to.

    It’s important to take pictures of the accident scene, and to get the contact information of as many witnesses to the accident as you can talk to. If you cannot do this yourself, ask someone else to do it for you. You should seek medical assistance right away for your injuries, and keep all of your medical records for future reference. Finally, you will need a repair estimate for the damage to your vehicle.

    Your most important step will be to speak with a seasoned auto accident lawyer in Atlanta. Pursuing legal cases is a complex matter, and you will need a lawyer who knows the relevant laws well and has the experience necessary to build your case. With the right lawyer on your side, you will be able to be compensated for the injuries you have suffered.

  • Common Causes of Truck Accidents

    If you have been involved in a truck accident, it’s important that you contact an experienced auto accident lawyer near Decatur and Atlanta right away. However, the safest way to protect yourself from truck accidents as a driver is to educate yourself about what causes them. By avoiding these common causes of truck accidents, you can help yourself and others stay safe on the road.

    Reckless lane changing. Whether you are driving a truck yourself or driving near one, it’s essential to be cautious when changing lanes. Veering back and forth between lanes is extremely hazardous, but abruptly switching lanes without signaling and giving other drivers time to react is just as likely to result in an accident. If a truck changes lanes near you, be sure to give the driver enough space to complete the move safely.

    Driving in a blind spot. Every driver has blind spots, but truck drivers’ blind spots tend to be particularly substantial—and dangerous. If you are driving close to a truck, avoid staying in the vehicle’s side and rear, where it will be most difficult for the driver to see you. The more visible you are, the safer you will be. If you are driving a truck yourself, be mindful of your own blind spots and signal well before switching lanes.

    Passing slowly. Unsafe passing is one of the most common reasons for a truck accident. If you need to pass a truck, be sure to do it quickly; the longer you linger there, the more vulnerable you are to an accident. Also, be sure to always pass to the truck’s left—most drivers will not expect other vehicles to try to pass on their right. If you are driving in windy weather, be aware that high winds can affect the position of your vehicle when you pull out in front of a large truck.

  • Three Ways to Build an Injury Claim After a Truck Accident

    Truck accident claims near Decatur and Atlanta are often devastating and life-altering events. Attorney Big Al is an experienced personal injury lawyer who knows how to take on big corporations and insurance companies. For truck accident claims, speak with a personal injury lawyer directly by calling 1-800-HURT-123. Keep reading to find out how you and your attorney will build a claim against three different potential defendants in the aftermath of a serious truck accident.

    Personal Injury Claim Against a Truck Driver

    When a truck driver’s negligence causes an accident, the driver will be the first person your attorney sues. A truck driver has a duty to operate his vehicle safely whenever he is on the road. That means a trucker must obey all standard traffic laws. But a truck driver also needs to maintain an up-to-date commercial driver’s license and is legally obligated to keep a logbook noting the number of hours driven per day. If a trucker violates any of these federal and state laws, he will be liable for any resulting damages.

    Personal Injury Claim Against the Trucking Company

    Your personal injury lawyer will also likely file a lawsuit against the trucking company. Trucking companies are legally responsible for all their employees’ actions, in large part because individual truckers cannot afford the compensation owed to serious personal injury victims.

    Personal Injury Claim Against a Related Organization

    Your personal injury lawyer can help you determine if there is yet another party who can be added to your lawsuit—and who can increase your claim for damages. For example, if the truck driver who injured you was drunk, you may have a claim against the bar that served him alcohol. If the truck driver was driving a vehicle with faulty brakes, you and your attorney can sue the vehicle manufacturer or mechanic for failing to ensure the brakes’ safety.