Archive for Car Accident Lawyers

Atlanta Car Accident Attorneys and Distracted Driving

October 18, 2014 at 10:17 pm · Filed under Car Accident Lawyers ·Tagged

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and as part of a collaborative effort, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Georgia Department of Highway Safety have teamed up to educate young drivers of the potential dangers.

Do I Need an Attorney – Distracted Driving


Distracted driving car accident lawyers in Atlanta believe this is an excellent time of year to drive home the point, given that graduation and summer break are right around the corner. YouTube

Study finds 1 in every 4 accidents involves cell phone use

Distractions can also be blamed on approximately 450,000 injuries each year.

A recent report from the National Safety Council indicates that 1 of every 4 wrecks can be attributed to cell phone use. Interestingly, only a small portion of those are blamed on text messaging, though teens are more prone to texting than other drivers.

This kind of faulty thinking is perpetuated by the fact that while all states have some form of text messaging ban, none ban talking on a phone for all drivers. What’s more, none forbid hands-free cell phone devices, despite the fact that research has proven they are equally as dangerous as handheld devices.

Measuring the Scale of Loss

The $871 billion in losses that the NHTSA calculated included $277 billion in actual economic expenditures like medical treatment. These costs average out to around $900 per U.S. citizen. The total also included $594 billion in harm resulting from the loss of life, the decreased quality of life from those seriously injured, and the pain that the injured endure.

There are three specific types of collisions that are responsible for the majority of these costs and losses: drunk driving accidents, speeding accidents and collisions caused by distracted drivers.

Crashes caused by drunk drivers accounted for a total of 18 percent of all of the economic losses and 23 percent of the overall societal harm that resulted from motor vehicle collisions in 2010. In total, there were $49 billion in economic losses and another $199 billion in losses to society that occurred because of drivers who were impaired by alcohol. The economic losses alone averaged out to $158 for every single person in the country.

Crashes caused by speeding drivers accounted for 21 percent of all of the economic losses and 24 percent of the overall societal harm that occurred due to motor vehicle accidents in 2010. In total, the economic losses from speeding drivers equaled $59 billion or an average of $191 per person in the United States.

Finally, crashes caused by distracted drivers accounted for 17 percent of total economic loss and 15 percent of overall societal harm. The economic losses totaled $46 billion and the societal losses totaled $129 billion.

Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C
garymartinhays.com

Greater Atlanta Office

Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
3098 Breckinridge Blvd.
Duluth, Georgia 30096
Phone: 770-934-8000
Fax: 770-934-1631

If you have been injured you can contact an Atlanta lawyer today!

Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer

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Distracted Driving Could End phone Calls While Driving

September 30, 2014 at 12:22 pm · Filed under Car Accident Lawyers ·Tagged

Currently under Austin city ordinance, you may not text while driving (I hope!) or use your smart phone to make dinner reservations, movies times, or check football scores while caught in Austin traffic, as these activities are both illegal and dangerous. But, how many of you will admit to talking on your cell phone while behind the wheel? Just a quick glance at the drivers around you on any road will confirm that most of us do it. Maybe it’s just a way to pass the time during a boring commute or you try to squeeze a few more minutes of work conversations before meeting the family at home for dinner. In Austin, these conversations soon may be illegal.

Austin and the other major cities throughout Texas are notorious for their traffic problems. And, there is compelling evidence that phones and other such devices play a significant role in the frustrations. Throughout the state, one in five car crashes is caused by distracted driving. In 2013, that equated to 94,943 crashes. If pulling over to the side of the road or investing in hands-free technology likely would save lives, then there is merit to considering a change to our current laws.

Distracted Driving – Could End cell phone Calls While Driving



“Austin and the other major cities throughout Texas are notorious for their traffic problems. And, there is compelling evidence that phones and other such devices play a significant role in the frustrations. Throughout the state, one in five car crashes is caused by distracted driving. In 2013, that equated to 94,943 crashes. If pulling over to the side of the road or investing in hands-free technology likely would save lives, then there is merit to considering a change to our current laws.”
Youtube

Tony R. Bertolino is managing attorney with our firm, a Texas law firm with attorneys who represent clients in personal injuries and property damages stemming from motor vehicle accidents, and he shares that the number of collisions that could be avoided by more attentive drivers is quite substantial.

Car Accident Lawyer

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Do I Need a Lawyer – What Damages Can I Recover in Georgia

September 16, 2014 at 4:01 pm · Filed under Car Accident Lawyers ·Tagged

I’m Gary Martin Hays. If you have a question you would like for me to answer on “Do I Need A Lawyer”, or if you would like to speak with me regarding a potential claim, please pick up the phone and give us a call right now. (770) 934-8000.

And here is one easy thing you can do right now.

Now let’s go to a question from one of our viewers:

I was hurt in a car wreck last week. I was at a complete stop at a red light. The other driver said she turned to give a pacifier to her baby in the back seat and she did not realize the light had turned red. You guessed it – she ran into the rear of my car. I was driving a 2013 Honda Accord and it had to be towed. The repairs are going to be about $3,000.00. I was just shaken up at the scene of the wreck and did not want to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. However, when my husband came to pick me up, I was hurting. He took me to the emergency room. The doctor has now referred me to an orthopedist.

Maddie, thanks for the email.

Do I Need a Lawyer – What Damages Can I Recover in Georgia



Let me start with one part of your question first:
You wrote – “I’m hoping you will take the time to answer my question.”

We offer a free, confidential consultation with no obligation. If we can’t help you, we will often have recommendations for someone that may be able to offer assistance to you.
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Our Video Channel
But we answer every question and I thank you for yours!
Your first question: “Who will pay my doctor bills?”

It is sometimes listed as MPC.
If you have it, your insurance company will pay for reasonable and necessary medical expenses up to the limits of the policy – regardless of who is at fault.

A medical lien is essentially an agreement between the person that is hurt and the doctor. If and when the personal injury claim settles, the attorney agrees to pay the doctor’s medical bills out of the settlement.

And here’s one thing I’d like to stress to our viewers. If you have been injured in a car wreck, it is important that you get prompt medical care for your injuries. This should be done regardless of whether or not you plan on presenting any kind of claim against the at fault party’s insurance company. You had your health before the wreck and you need to get that back as best you can.
Now your second question:

However, there is another claim we would pursue on your behalf. This is a claim for the diminished value of your vehicle.
If you are involved in a car wreck, your car will suffer property damage.

Think of it this way.

One has never been wrecked, and one has been wrecked and repaired.
Most people would never buy the car that has been repaired.
You don’t want to buy someone else’s problem.

Diminished value is what the market says your vehicle lost in value because of the wreck and repairs.
I have an entire chapter dedicated to diminished value in my #1 best selling book, The Authority on Personal Injury Claims in Georgia.
You can pick up a copy at Amazon.com.
All of my clients get a copy of this book free of charge.

That money could be used to take care of your future medical needs or to help you catch up on your bills.

The trauma of being in a car wreck is frightening enough.
But now you are faced with a lot more . . .

* How do you get medical treatment for your injuries if you don’t have health insurance?
* You are worried because the paychecks have stopped coming in, but the bills haven’t.

Where do you turn?
What do you do next?

Just pick up the phone right now and give us a call at (770) 934-8000.

The consultation is FREE and completely confidential.
And I encourage you – if you don’t call us, please call someone to help you with your claim.
You owe it to yourself – to your family – to get the help you need.

And stay tuned for more of “Do I Need A Lawyer”

Car Accident Law Video

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Three women who were released from prison on Monday after spending more than a decade behind bars Breaking News461

November 20, 2013 at 4:11 pm · Filed under Car Accident Lawyers ·Tagged ,

SAN ANTONIO, Texas

Cassandra Rivera, center, relaxes with her mother and brother on Nov. 19 in San Antonio, Texas, one day after being released from prison.

Other moments have been more bittersweet. Ramirez said her mother told her about her dad’s final moments three years ago when he died at age 84. Ramirez had been on the phone with him from prison, and told him she and the others wouldn’t give up their bid for exoneration.

“My mom told me that a tear came out of his eye, and I said, ‘I love you, daddy’ and he took his last breath,” she said. “I do want to go see his grave and I want to just tell him, ‘Daddy we didn’t give up and that we’re all home.'”

Personal injury attorneya san antonio

During their time in prison, they had sent letter after letter to innocence groups and anyone who they thought could help them win exoneration. Along the way, they received many rejection letters and had many false starts.

The women, who weren’t incarcerated in the same facilities, described having to fend for themselves in prison (Vasquez and Ramirez were at the same correctional center for a short time).

Ramirez, the first to go to prison nearly 17 years ago, said she had never been in trouble in her life and was at first scared behind bars. Other inmates knew that she had been convicted of molesting girls and threatened to hurt her. But one reached out. “She took me under her wing and protected me. She schooled me about prison: you go do your time and this is how you do it,” she said.

“It was difficult to accept to be put in the same category as . real sex offenders,” said Vasquez, who couldn’t drive near places where children gather – like McDonald’s or church – under restrictions imposed after being paroled one year ago (those were lifted Tuesday morning).

Their imprisonment didn’t just take a toll on the women, their families endured hardship, too.

Ramirez is re-connecting with her son, now 18, who grew up with his dad. She said he didn’t want to expose him to prison, so her son didn’t visit her there.

“Sometimes as a mother you have to make a sacrifice just so he won’t have to go through what we’ve been through over all the years,” she said through tears.

But mother and son are swiftly making up for lost time. They had their first interaction on Monday night over pizza for dinner. Ramirez said she tried to make him feel comfortable, but they were both a little nervous.

Martinez said she would help however she could with the group’s bid to get a full exoneration and hopes she can still have a relationship with her aunt. “If she would want to have one with me after everything,” she said. “I want her to be a part of my children’s life just how she was a part of mine.”

Martinez’s older sister maintains the attack still happened. The four women said they don’t blame the girls and applauded Martinez for coming forward.

“I believe it was a brave thing for her to do. I’m very, very proud of her,” Rivera said.

Ramirez said she would accept her niece with open arms, “because that’s what love does. It’s unconditional.”

The women, who couldn’t have contact with each other in prison, enjoyed re-connecting since their release. They considered themselves family nearly 20 years ago – and that hasn’t changed.

“The comfort was still there,” Rivera said. “It’s falling right back into place, because we’re family.”

The next part of their journey will be pursuit of “actual innocence,” which is possible under Texas state law, though Ware said winning such a declaration was extremely rare. But the women said there is no stopping them.

“We want actual innocence because that’s what we are,” said Mayhugh, who spent nearly 14 years in prison. “We’re actually innocent.”

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/19/21540535-san-antonio-4-speak-out-after-prison-release-were-actually-innocent?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=1

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