Physical injuries you sustain in a collision may be the beginning of your troubles. You may also face medical bills, missed work, and stress. Getting a settlement can help you cope with the financial aftermath of your accident.
If another party’s negligence caused the collision, they may be liable for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages. Our Huntsville car accident lawyer can investigate your accident, identify the at-fault party, and work to get them to pay for your losses.
Why Choose A Huntsville Car Accident Lawyer From Morris Bart
- Our Huntsville car accident attorneys have successfully recovered over $1 billion on behalf of their clients. We have achieved outstanding results for past car accident victims.
- With over 40 years of experience in personal injury law, Morris Bart has what it takes to resolve even the most challenging car accident case.
- We operate on a contingency fee basis, which means you will only pay an attorney fee if we secure financial compensation for your car accident case.
Our Track Record Speaks Volumes
Below are some of the significant settlements we’ve secured for our car accident clients in Huntsville:
- $160,000 for an auto accident client who sustained a back injury after an accident in Huntsville.
- $150,000 for a Huntsville client whose back injuries were exacerbated following a car accident.
Each case is unique, and our experienced team is here to help you determine the compensation you deserve. Don’t settle for less—let us fight for the full settlement you’re entitled to.
For a free legal consultation with a Car Accident lawyer serving Huntsville, call 800-537-8185
Is It Worth Getting a Lawyer for My Car Crash?
It’s always a wise idea to consult an Alabama attorney when you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident. Your insurance company will ask questions to trick you into receiving a smaller settlement. A Huntsville personal injury lawyer knows how to avoid being taken advantage of.
Car crash attorneys have the experience to build an airtight personal injury case. We will help you seek fair compensation. We can prove you are the victim and ensure the negligent driver is held accountable.
How Our Huntsville Car Accident Lawyer Can Build Your Case
It can be challenging to build a personal injury case to recover damages while healing from car accident injuries. When you work with a Huntsville car accident lawyer, we can provide a wide range of legal services to you, including:
Knowing the Law
Your lawyer will explain to you that to recover compensation via a personal injury action, you typically need to prove four key truths:
- Duty of care: Somebody owed you the duty to act in a way that would keep you from harm.
- Breach of duty: This driver failed to fulfill their duty of care.
- Causation: By violating their duty of care, this driver caused you to sustain injuries.
- Damages: You suffered damages as a result.
Not only do automobile companies and car part manufacturers owe a duty to ensure their products are safe. In addition, municipalities and other drivers on the road also owe you a duty to take reasonable care to keep you safe.
Investigating Your Car Accident
Our firm can investigate your car accident to determine who is at fault for the collision. We can do this by:
- Visiting the accident scene
- Interviewing witnesses
- Reviewing photos and videos
- Obtaining a copy of the police accident report
Our Huntsville car accident lawyers are willing to pursue any party liable for your damages.
Calculating Your Damages
We can also research the damages resulting from your injury by doing the following:
- Gathering your medical records
- Collecting wage statements from your employer
- Talking to experts in the areas of medicine, economics, psychology, and vocational therapy
We will use the above evidence to build your case and defend your rights. If you believe another party’s negligence caused your injuries, we will hold them accountable.
Click to contact our Huntsville Personal Injury Attorneys today
What Is a Reasonable Settlement for a Car Accident?
The settlement of your personal injury claim depends on several factors, including how much you’re at fault, the extent of your damages, and your insurance coverage. When you talk to a personal injury attorney from our firm, we will sit down to assess your situation and tell you what settlement you might expect from your case.
Contributory Negligence Might Prevent You from Collecting Compensation
Alabama has contributory negligence laws. These laws state that if you contributed to the accident even by only one percent, you may not be able to recover damages from the other driver’s insurance policy. Insurance companies understand that they may be able to avoid paying you damages by showing that you contributed to the accident.
When you work with a Huntsville car accident lawyer, we can build your case with evidence that defends you against accusations of fault.
Types of Damages You Might Recover
Every car accident case is different. Your lawyer will not tell you how much you might receive in compensation until they know the details of your accident and injury. These can include economic damages, like medical expenses and property damage, and non-economic damages, like pain and suffering.
However, we can tell you the types of damages other claimants have recovered in car accident cases. They include:
- Costs of medical treatment (past and future)
- Emergency transportation
- Replacement services
- Mobility devices
- Lost income
- Diminished future potential earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Diminished quality of life
This list represents just some of the types of damages that your lawyer may be able to recover for you.
Wrongful Death
If a loved one died in a car accident caused by another party’s negligence, you may be able to recover a different set of damages in a wrongful death lawsuit. For example, you may be eligible for reasonable funeral and burial costs or a loss of inheritance if someone else caused the fatal car accident that took your loved one’s life have experience representing surviving family members in wrongful death cases.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents in Alabama can arise out of many examples of human error or driver negligence. A driver is negligent if he or she fails to use an amount of care that a reasonable driver would have in the same or similar circumstances. If a driver texts and drives, for example, he or she is being negligent. Driver negligence, carelessness, or recklessness is behind the majority of car accidents in Huntsville. The most common causes include:
- Distracted driving
- Texting while driving
- Speeding
- Driving while impaired
- Drowsy driving
- Aggressive driving or road rage
- Following too closely
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Violating traffic laws
- Dangerous road conditions
- Automobile defects
If you are unsure of the cause of your car accident, our attorneys can investigate for you. We can return to the scene of the crash, speak to eyewitnesses, examine photographs of the accident, and hire reconstruction experts to piece together what happened. Once we determine causation, we can identify all available defendants, collect evidence to establish their fault, and pursue fair compensation on your behalf.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Establishes Fault
In a Huntsville car accident case, the burden of proof rests with the plaintiff or filing party. This means it is the crash victim’s responsibility to prove the claim using evidence. The burden of proof is a preponderance of the evidence, meaning enough evidence to show that the defendant is more likely than not responsible for causing the car accident. A judge or jury must be convinced with at least 51 percent certainty that the defendant is at fault.
A lawyer from Morris Bart will rely on proven legal tactics to establish fault and meet the burden of proof in your case. First, we will investigate the car accident to understand how it took place. We will conduct a comprehensive investigation, analyzing documents such as police reports and obtaining any available traffic camera footage of the collision. Then, we will gather evidence to establish the other driver’s negligence.
Evidence that may be used during a car accident case includes cell phone records, driving records, videos and photographs, witness statements, and expert testimony. If the car accident involved an employee of a company, accessing the company’s employment and compliance records can also help establish fault. In a truck accident case, the black box could be used as evidence. An attorney will search for all available evidence to establish fault in your car accident case.
Common Injuries in Huntsville Car Accidents
When a car accident takes place, victims can suffer injuries to virtually any part of the body. They can sustain injuries to their bones, soft tissues, and internal organs. In Alabama, thousands of victims visit emergency departments each year with car accident injuries. Sadly, many of these victims do not survive. At Morris Bart, our injury and accident attorneys can handle cases involving all types of injuries. We can help if you or a loved one suffered any of the following:
- Back and neck injuries
- Bone fractures
- Burn injuries
- Crush injuries
- Facial trauma and eye injuries
- Internal injuries
- Knee injuries
- Lacerations
- Muscle sprains and strains
- Paralysis
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Whiplash
Car accident injuries can result in long-term disability and permanent harm. A crash victim may never be the same after a serious collision. Our lawyers are passionate about bringing negligent parties to justice for causing life-changing injuries. We can fight for the compensation that you need to pay for ongoing medical care and required treatments, even if this means taking your case to court.
When Should I Contact a Car Accident Attorney?
When you’ve been in an accident, you should contact a car crash lawyer as soon as you can. We’ll need as much time as possible to build your case. Some evidence is time-sensitive, and we need your memory to be as fresh as possible so we know what you and the other driver did leading up to your accident.
Statute of Limitations for Taking Legal Action
The State of Alabama also imposes a time restriction on filing certain types of lawsuits. You generally have two years from the date of your car accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, per Ala. Code § 6-2-38. A general two-year deadline also applies to wrongful death lawsuits, per Ala. Code § 6-5-410.
Failing to take legal action within this time frame could prevent you from recovering damages via a lawsuit. Although this may seem like a generous amount of time, it can fly by quickly as you struggle to put your life back on track.
What You Do After Your Car Accident in Huntsville Could Impact Your Case
In the aftermath of a car accident, accident victims may suffer from painful physical and mental injuries. There are a few things you can do after your accident to benefit your health and your case. You should:
- Visit a doctor as soon as you can. Car accident victims can suffer many different types of injuries. Some of these injuries may not be apparent right after a crash. You should visit a doctor after a car accident even if you initially feel fine. They can come up with a plan for your medical care. Your medical records can also serve as evidence in your case.
- Do not apologize or admit fault. Don’t say you are sorry to the other driver, as this could be construed as an admittance of guilt. Do not admit to any degree of fault for the crash, as this could automatically bar you from making a financial recovery under Alabama’s contributory negligence rule. Instead, wait for an official investigation to determine fault.
- File a police report. Call 911 from the scene of your car accident to file a report right away. Alabama law requires you to report a car accident if it results in injury to or the death of any person. You should report even a minor accident, however, to obtain a police report. The information on a police report can help an insurance company process your claim. It could also help you prove the other driver’s fault.
- Document the accident. Starting on the day of the accident, document everything you can. Take photos of the scene of the crash, write down what happened and get your police report number. Take pictures of any injuries and obtain copies of your medical records to document your injuries.
- Avoid speaking to insurance adjusters. You may get a call from the insurance company shortly after your accident. However, you do not have to give the insurance adjuster a statement. Insurers sometimes use your words out of context in an effort to offer you a lower settlement than you deserve. You can let your personal injury lawyer speak to the insurance company for you to protect your case and your settlement.
- Avoid posting on social media. An insurance company can access your social media accounts and use what you have posted against you. Even seemingly innocent social media activity, such as tagging your location at a favorite restaurant, could be used to prove that you are still enjoying your life and argue against pain and suffering damages. Avoid social media until your case has been resolved.
Contacting a car accident lawyer in Huntsville from the very beginning of your car accident case can make it easier to protect your rights. Your lawyer can advise you on what to do and what not to do, as well as help you avoid common mistakes. You can trust your attorney to gather evidence and deal with legal processes for you.
Call Morris Bart Injury and Accident Lawyers For a Free Consultation
If you suspect that your car accident was caused by a negligent driver, a Huntsville car accident lawyer from Morris Bart may be able to help you. Allow us to investigate your accident, build your case, and pursue compensation on your behalf while you recover from your injuries.
We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning our clients do not pay for our services unless and until they recover compensation in a settlement offer or court award. Contact us today to make an appointment for your free consultation.
Questions?Call 800-537-8185
to find a Morris Bart office near you.
