Personal Injury & Auto Accidents

Car wrecks and traffic accidents are scary events, especially when you or a loved one suffers a serious injury — and doubly so when the accident is someone else’s fault. Then you have to deal not only with trying to get better but fending off an insurance company that wants to “close” your “claim” as quickly as possible. That is usually in the company’s best interest, but not yours. That is where we come in.

We level the playing field between your side and the insurance company, so that you are not taken advantage of by a company looking to protect its bottom line.

Our first job is to get the insurer off your back, in order to give you the space you need to recover from the motor vehicle accident injuries as much as possible. In any serious injury case, the healing process usually takes at least a year. Once we know your condition is stabilized, we present comprehensive claims information to insurers to give them a chance to make a fair settlement after your motor vehicle accident.

What to Do After You Are Involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident

If they do not make a fair offer (and that is the rule with many insurers, unfortunately), we do not hesitate to take your case to court by filing a lawsuit on your behalf. Sometimes that brings some rationality to the defense, when they see that we will not let them push you around. But if they still do not see reason, we pursue the case all the way to trial.

We have experience in every type of motor vehicle accident injury lawsuit. We have represented innocent drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. We have sued careless drivers, the companies employing these drivers, and vehicle manufacturers that fail to meet safety standards for their cars or trucks. We know about the special safety rules that apply to large trucks, and we have successfully sued trucking companies.

Keeping a Journal After a Motor Vehicle Accident

Over years of advocating for those injured in motor vehicle accidents, we have learned how to work with the types of experts that you need to make a compelling case to a jury. These include specialists who are able to reconstruct accidents based on witness testimony, physical evidence and the principles of engineering and physics. Accident reconstruction lets us know exactly what happened, and it also lets us tell your story both visually and orally – something that jurors and judges find useful when trying to understand the case.

We also have extensive experience working with the types of doctors and therapists who help people recover from motor vehicle accidents: neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, trauma specialists, physical medicine doctors, physical therapists, and others. Developing compelling testimony from these experts is critical to making the full dimensions of the injury crystal clear to the jury and judge.

Visual evidence is also important. We work with professional medical illustrators to make sometimes murky X-rays and MRI and CT scans vivid for the jury.

But it is not just our expertise that enables Kirkbride Law to speak up effectively for those who are injured in motor vehicle accidents. It is the fact that we are stubborn and persistent, and we care about our clients. Contact us for a free no-obligation consultation.

Steps to Take After An Accident

Nobody expects to be in an accident. Emotions often run high at the scene of a truck accident, car crash or after a slip-and-fall accident. At the same time, our bodies are programmed to react to sudden events to protect us. The so-called fight or flight responses can mask some injuries. For instance, adrenaline released into the body, which can mask pain in the immediate aftermath of an accident.

In other situations, symptoms of serious injuries can be delayed for days or longer such as a damaged disc in the spine or a soft-tissue injury. Many accident victims are left with the false impression that they are okay for a period of time — until the other shoe drops as the pain begins to emerge. In more serious situations, injuries may be far too obvious.

Protect Your Rights and Claim After An Accident

What you do in the moments and days after an accident can be important in protecting your rights. For direct answers to your questions and strategic guidance, call 678-719-0331. At Kirkbride Law, we understand how chaotic and confusing motor vehicle accident scenes can be. For that reason, we have compiled a short list of some important steps you can take after an accident:

  • Stay at the scene: It is important to remain at the scene of any car accident. Calling police and gathering insurance and identity information of any other drivers is important for any insurance claims. This is also a good time to get the names of any potential witnesses or bystanders.
  • Check for injuries: If you are able to move around, check on passengers in your vehicle, if any, and anyone else who may have been injured in the accident.
  • Cooperate with police: Police do not come to every accident scene unless an ambulance is necessary, especially in the Detroit metro. It is still important to call 911 to report the accident. While cooperating with law enforcement, it is important to understand your surroundings. Do not admit fault and understand that you may have injuries — even if you feel all right in the immediate aftermath of the wreck.
  • Document evidence: Most people have cellphones with a camera. If it is safe to do so, take photographs of the scene before anything is moved, including the relative positions of vehicles and property damage.
  • Get medical attention: Going to the doctor to get checked out after a motor vehicle accident or suffering an injury on someone else’s property is important for your well-being as well as any potential insurance claim. A delay in getting checked out can give the insurance companies a reason to later challenge a valid claim.
  • Contact a personal injury attorney: Insurance adjusters are trained to gather evidence against you to reduce or deny your claim. A lawyer can provide you with guidance on how to deal with the insurance companies. An experienced lawyer can also evaluate your case and start building a strong case from the outset.
  • Notify your insurance agent: You need to put your own insurance company on notice that you have been injured in an accident. Do not admit fault. Moreover, if an adjuster from the other driver’s insurance company (or property owner’s provider in a premises liability claim) contacts you, you should speak with a lawyer and let your attorney deal with the adjusters.

Get A Free Case Evaluation With A Lawyer Who Is Willing To Do The Hard Work

If you or a loved one has suffered injury due to the negligence of another, you do not have to face the system alone. I offer free initial consultations, and clients pay no fees unless and until I obtain compensation on their behalf. To arrange a no-pressure case evaluation, send me an email or call 678-719-0331 The Law Firm of Tom B. Kirkbride, PC., is based in Peachtree City Georgia and I represent clients throughout Georgia. Let me fight for you!

Distracted Driving

The modern world is a busy place. Everywhere you look, there are billboards, neon signs, televisions, laptops, and cellphones bombarding you with information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No matter where you go, you just simply cannot escape distractions—even on the road. Modern day drivers have more distractions to deal with than drivers did 50 years ago. The result has been an increase in horrific accidents that could have and should have been prevented. In 2012, more than 3,300 people were killed in distraction-related car accidents and an additional 421,000 were injured. This represented a 9% increase from 2011. Even worse, drivers in their twenties made up an astonishing 27% of all the distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes, and that was 2012 numbers, how much more are drivers today?

What is a Distraction on the Road

Anything that takes your eyes off of the road can be a distraction. As a driver, you have a responsibility to drive your vehicle safely and to avoid becoming distracted by things that are not a part of your driving responsibilities. Common distractions behind the wheel include:

  • Talking on the cellphone
  • Texting
  • Using a GPS navigation system
  • Putting on makeup
  • Disciplining children in backseat
  • Talking to other passengers
  • Changing the radio station
  • Rubbernecking
  • Reading a billboard or store sign
  • Surfing the Internet
  • Reading a book or a map
  • Eating
  • Drinking
  • Watching a video
  • And more

Distracted Driving and the Smartphone

Smartphones are an incredible way to stay connected and boost productivity no matter where you are. As a result, drivers are often tempted to use them at all hours of the day–even when driving. They may use their smartphones to search for a way out of traffic, buy flowers for a spouse, send a relative a Facebook message, or answer work emails–all during the morning commute. This habit is extraordinarily dangerous—and increasing.

At any given moment across America, 660,000 drivers are using cellphones or smartphones while driving. This increases the likelihood of getting into a car accident by 3x! In fact, the time it takes you to text or answer a text is a mere 5 seconds. Yet if you were traveling 55mph at the time, you would’ve taken your eyes off the road long enough to cover the length of a football field. Wow!

At Kirkbride Law, we know just how quickly an accident can occur. As experienced accident lawyers, we have represented injured individuals and families in metro Atlanta, Columbus, Macon and all of Georgia. Our accident team work tirelessly from the very start to ensure that all our clients receive the compensation they need to fully recover. Contact us for a free no-obligation consultation. Kirkbride Law at (678) 719-0331 right away for a free initial consultation and assistance with your case. You can also reach us online by filling out a contact form.