Have you recently been hurt in a car accident in Atlanta, GA?
If so, you will need to get money quickly to pay for your medical bills and other accident damages.
It’s essential to make sure you get a settlement big enough to cover the full value of your current and future damages.
You have to understand how much your accident claim is worth to do this.
Related post: How Much Do Car Accident Lawyers Charge?
If you don’t, the at-fault party’s insurance adjuster will do all they can to give you less than you deserve.
So, how do you know how much to expect to receive from your settlement?
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell you the average Atlanta car accident settlement because it depends on several variables.
In the article below, we will go over what you can expect to receive in your Atlanta car accident settlement.
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What is an Accident Settlement?
A settlement is an agreement between the involved parties to settle the case for an agreed-upon amount of money.
Once the case is settled, the accident lawsuit will be dismissed and both parties will move on.
In Georgia, settlement is not required.
Courts will engage the parties to have a “settlement conference” to discuss the possibility of the car accident claim.
Another option available in Atlanta is mediation.
During mediation, the involved parties and their lawyers sit down with a neutral, third-party mediator to arrive at a settlement with the other side before a trial occurs.
If you’re involved in a car accident case in Atlanta, ask your accident lawyer about mediation so you can get the settlement you deserve.
Atlanta Car Accident Settlements Aren’t Cash Grabs
We’ve all seen the sleazy commercials about people winning millions of dollars in an accident lawsuit, and we all know the person who is banking on retiring once they get their claim money.
However, a lot goes into the value of a Georgia personal injury settlement, and each case is different.
Most accident claims are settled after a demand letter is drafted and sent to the insurance company.
The letter is usually sent once your medical care and all of your medical bills, lost pay, and past and future medical costs are known or can be estimated.
There is no magic formula to determine the value of an Atlanta, Georgia injury case.
Any personal injury lawyer that tells you they “know” how much your case is worth without investigating your case is likely to be very wrong.
Many people have an opinion on case value based on what they have seen on TV or what their friends tell them.
Unfortunately, those estimates can be wildly different from reality.
This often leads to distrust of the claims process or the injury lawyer helping with your case.
Determining the Negligent Party
The first thing law enforcement and your lawyer will do after someone has suffered a severe injury in an accident is collect evidence.
Investigators will come up with their version of what happened during the accident and assign liability.
But keep in mind that what is written in the official police report isn’t always the determining factor when deciding fault.
The negligent driver’s insurance company or an injury lawyer can twist accident reports around to place blame on you.
Or, the police may get something wrong or overlook a piece of evidence.
No matter what, you need an attorney to tell your side of the story.
Atlanta law firms employ their own investigators and crash scene reconstructionists when necessary to ensure that the proper party is held fully responsible.
Otherwise, you may not receive enough compensation in your personal injury claim to cover your damages.
The Average Settlement for Car Accidents Varies
As we’ve already mentioned, it’s not easy to give an average settlement amount for an Atlanta car accident.
Each case varies greatly, and it’s also difficult to produce a number because many personal injury settlements are private.
Your settlement amount will be based on physical injuries, property damage, emotional trauma, and much more.
When you look at auto insurance facts from the Insurance Information Institute, you will see that the average compensation for bodily injuries in car accidents at $18,417.
For property damage, it’s $4,525.
Again, these numbers may vary either way a lot depending on the circumstances of your case and whether or not you have the help of a legal professional.
Accident victims that hire an experienced car accident lawyer have much better outcomes than those that do not.
Accident lawyers have the skills required to build a strong claim and negotiate a fair settlement.
Factors that Affect a Car Accident Settlement
Several factors affect the value of a car accident claim and the settlement amount that an insurance company will offer.
These factors include:
Economic Damages
The first thing that will influence your amount of recoverable damages is the degree of economic damages you have suffered in a crash.
Economic damages are damages you can put a simple dollar amount on.
They are things like medical bills and lost wages that are economical and financial in nature and have an actual economic value.
Property damage expenses, medical expenses, and lost wages are all economic damages.
The more an injury victim has suffered financially, the larger their settlement will be.
Noneconomic Damages
You may also be able to recover compensation for non-economic damages.
Noneconomic damages are a little harder to assign a dollar amount to.
Non-economic damages include losses for pain, suffering, emotional distress, diminished quality of life, loss of companionship, etc.
Like economic damages, the more significant and serious these losses are, the greater your settlement offer will be.
Insurance Policies
Another major factor that will influence the value of your injury claim is the negligent driver’s insurance policy.
If you weren’t to blame for the accident and you have suffered accident injuries and property damages, proper insurance needs to be in place.
If the negligent driver doesn’t have insurance and you don’t have enough insurance to cover the full extent of your damages, you may be out of luck, even if you have suffered catastrophic injuries.
This is why hit-and-run accidents and accidents with uninsured drivers can be devastating.
But, when you work with an Atlanta car accident attorney, they will work hard to identify all potential sources of recovery.
Call Mabra Law Firm for Assistance Today
If you have been in an accident and suffered neck injuries, soft tissue injuries, or any type of bodily injury, you deserve to be compensated.
In a perfect world, car accident victims would be received the compensation they need for the damages they have suffered.
They would also receive it as soon as possible.
Although it is difficult to put a number on the average collision settlement, Mabra Law Firm will work hard to get you every dollar you deserve.
Fill out the form below to schedule your Free Consultation with Mabra Law Firm.