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Categories: Motor Vehicle Accidents

08.13.18

Bicycle Accidents

Bicycle Accidents

Bicycle accidents are becoming more common. Part of the reason is you see cyclists on public roadways a lot more, you also see a lot more people engaging in cycling on trails and other areas for recreation. If somebody has been involved in an accident while they’re riding a bicycle, it’s important to determine what kind of case it is. So if somebody’s hit by a car, obviously we have to look at the other driver’ insurance company.

But it’s important to know too if you’re on a bike and you get hit by somebody else on a motor vehicle, your own car insurance may provide protection for you. Your uninsured motorist coverage may protect you. Or if you’re cycling and let’s say you get hit by another cyclist, you might think “well that guy doesn’t have bicycle insurance like people do with car insurance.” But their homeowners insurance may apply to them. Or maybe a pedestrian steps out onto your path while you’re riding your bike on a local trail, like the Silver Comet Trail near our office, that pedestrian may have homeowners insurance that covers them.

So it’s important that you always talk to a bicycle accident attorney, and don’t just assume “well I wasn’t hit by a car so there’s not going to be any insurance.” Hire an attorney, let the attorney do the digging and find out, because there may be a source of insurance there that can help pay for your medical bills, your lost wages, and your pain and suffering. And if you were on a bike and in an accident, the chances are you probably had a pretty bad injury.

Categories: Motor Vehicle Accidents

08.13.18

Truck Accidents

Who Is Liable In A Truck Accident?

One of the primary differences in a case involving a big commercial truck and one involving a personal vehicle is the amount of damage that can be done by an 18 wheeler. Eighteen wheelers are big vehicles, they are heavier, it’s a larger mass, so when they hit something they inflict more damage. They inflict more damage to the property, and they inflict more damage to the occupants who are inside. What I have frequently found is that anyone who is hit by a big truck, the injuries are more serious. Another big difference between cases involving commercial trucks and personal vehicles is commercial trucks are subject to a variety of regulations that somebody who is in a personal vehicle may not be subject to, and so it’s important to know what Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations may apply, which regulations at the state level may apply, determine if any were violated, and determine if those violations played any role in causing the wreck. If they did, this can add additional sources of recovery to the clients, maybe punitive damages, a claim for attorneys fees, or litigation expenses. So it’s important that anyone who was involved in a commercial truck wreck case hire somebody who has had experience handling those types of cases, because they are different than your every day run of the mill car accident with a personal vehicle.

Anytime someone has been involved in a wreck with a commercial truck, we begin working on identifying who are the potential defendants. So the truck driver who caused the wreck is one defendant, the company that employs the driver can be a defendant. Maybe there’s some claim that the wreck happened because the truck wasn’t loaded properly and maybe the company that loaded it has some responsibility. In Georgia, we have what is called a Direct Action Statute, so in a regular personal vehicle accident claim we can’t name the insurance company as a defendant. But in cases involving motor carriers, we can name the insurance company as a defendant. And so we always name the insurance company as a defendant, and that is a strategic benefit going forward in the case because you have the presence of an insurance company on the pleadings when you go to court and present your case at trial.

Categories: Motor Vehicle Accidents

08.13.18

Motorcycle Accidents

Georgia Motorcycle Accidents

We’ve represented a lot of clients who have been involved in motorcycle accidents and some people in the public do have a bias against motorcycle riders because they see them out on the interstates especially out here in Atlanta zipping through traffic not obeying the rules, so it’s important that any kind of bias not be applied to them just because they are riding a motorcycle. You always want to look at the individual facts of the case, talk to witnesses, and figure out who is at fault.

Unfortunately with motorcycle accident cases, when somebody is involved in one, they get hurt more because they don’t have the standard protections that somebody has in a car. They don’t have the frame there to protect them, they don’t have seatbelts or airbags. They don’t have anything to protect them so unfortunately we see clients who are very seriously injured whenever they’ve had a motorcycle accident.

Contact a Atlanta Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today!

Contact the experienced motorcycle accident attorneys at The Champion Firm, P.C., immediately after your accident. Immediate steps need to be taken to protect your rights, and any delay can result in you losing out on the potential for valuable compensation. We can locate all available sources of insurance and make sure that all of the insurance companies are properly notified.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, call the experienced Atlanta personal injury attorneys at The Champion Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.C., for a free consultation.

Categories: Motor Vehicle Accidents

08.13.18

How We Help Victims Injured By Drunk Drivers

Holding Drunk Drivers Accountable

We have routinely helped people who have been injured by a drunk driver and it’s really unfortunate whenever we see that happen because there is no excuse for somebody getting behind the wheel after they’ve had too much to drink. But it does happen, and people can get seriously injured or even killed. We have handled those cases and sometimes maybe there’s not enough insurance there, maybe the drunk driver doesn’t have enough insurance, maybe we need to look at our client’s uninsured motorist insurance. Perhaps we need to look at the restaurant or bar that served the driver, which is called a “dram shop” case. In Georgia, if a restaurant or bar overserves somebody, and sees somebody drunk and they continue to serve them alcohol when they know or should know they are going to have to drive soon, maybe they can be held responsible. So it’s important that if you’ve been injured by a drunk driver that you hire an attorney that’s going to pursue every possible avenue of recovery because sometimes the drunk driver doesn’t have enough insurance to pay for all the injuries and damages that they’ve caused.

Categories: Motor Vehicle Accidents

08.13.18

Hear what Walter had to say about his experience with Champion Firm.

Hear Walter’s Story

I was on my way to a job a couple years ago and an 18-wheeler ran me off the road, knocked me into the Jersey barrier, and totaled my car. I was driving a really small ’86 Honda Civic. We ran into the Jersey barrier head on, so the whole front end was smashed. No airbags deployed, but thankfully I survived the collision. I had to have a neck operation. They took a portion of my hip to compensate for the bone that they took out in my neck. The truck driver merged without using any signals. Luckily he pulled over, because he knew what he had done and came back to check on me.

I went to another lawyer and it didn’t work out, so I called another company that got me in touch with Darl Champion. He’s the man. He just made everything happen and made things really easy. I was without a car, and he came out himself to help me out. He didn’t send anyone on his behalf. My original attorney sent out a private investigator, and I was never actually able to meet him. The first time I met Darl, he came right out to the house to explain what was going on. He’s really good at what he does.

I really didn’t have to deal too much with the insurance companies. The lawyers handled that. All I had to do was deal with Darl. All the other stuff was handled by his team.

The whole firm is nice here. Everytime I come here I’m always treated like one of the lawyers. I like coming out here. He’s a life changer for my family. I wasn’t trying to get rich or anything, I just wanted what was fair based on my injuries.

Anybody that’s going through any kind of car accident, slip and falls, or other injury, I would absolutely send them to Darl’s firm.

Categories: Motor Vehicle Accidents

08.13.18

Michael shares his experience with the Champion Firm

Michael Shares His Experience With The Champion Firm

I went to the deli to get a sandwich for me and my wife. I heard a loud sound behind me. I looked suddenly to see this guy pulling a cart behind me full of Pepsi-Cola. I didn’t feel anything of it at the time, so I just took my food and went on walking. I didn’t get a chance to make it to the cash register. Next thing I knew, I slipped and fell and I was in the air. My food went one way and I went the other way.

I had slipped on some water that I didn’t see. Next thing you know I see my legs coming out from under me. I felt my knee give way and was worried because I had just had surgery on it. I thought that the knee had snapped on me, but it was my femur bone.

The manager came to see what was going on. The water was around my foot and around the side of me. The manager was looking right at it. He talked to me and tried to keep me calm due to the fact I was in so much pain. I had never experienced pain like that. My speech was also slurring since I had bumped my head when I fell.

No one contacted me at all. The only person that I talked to was my lawyer. Darl came to me. It took about a year to get everything I wanted. In about a week or two I had checks coming to my house from the law firm. I was happy. This injury has prevented me from getting a job.

I would recommend anybody to Darl Champion. He is a good man and he will take care of you.