Car Accident Attorney in Alabama
Were you hurt in a car crash in Alabama? If someone else caused the accident, they could owe you compensation for your medical bills, vehicle repairs, lost income, and pain and suffering. Unfortunately, getting the at-fault driver to pay up is easier said than done. That’s why you need the help of an Alabama car accident lawyer who can empower you to get the money you need to put your life back together.
Attorney April H. Collins and her team at Collins Law, LLC, are ready to handle your claim on your behalf. With over 10 years of experience, she helps accident victims rebuild their lives when a motor vehicle accident changes everything. Attorney Collins has a reputation across Alabama for negotiating reduced accident-related medical bills once her clients’ cases are resolved. In addition, Collins Law never takes home more money than their clients for any settlement or verdict.
We at Collins Law know you deserve compensation for your injuries — and we’ll make sure more of it gets to you. Contact us today for a free consultation with a car accident attorney in Alabama, and let us get started on your case today.
What Are the Benefits of Hiring an Alabama Car Accident Attorney?
If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, you could be facing costly medical bills, vehicle repairs, and other expenses. What’s worse, these expenses can become impossible to bear if you’re too hurt to work and earn a living. Why should you have to pay the price of a car wreck someone else caused?
You shouldn’t, and the team at Collins Law wants to empower you to get the money you need to turn the page on this difficult chapter of your life. While you focus on resting and recovering, we can get to work by:
- Investigating the crash to determine everyone who contributed to your injuries
- Calculating the cost of the accident, both financially and personally
- Filing your car accident claim and communicating with the other driver’s insurer on your behalf
- Negotiating hard for a settlement that pays you fairly without the need for a trial
- Taking your case to court if it’s the best way to get you every cent you deserve
- Treating you with the empathy and compassion you deserve throughout every stage of your case
- Never charging anything fee unless and until we win your accident lawsuit
- Doing everything we can to reduce your accident-related medical bills once we’re able to resolve your
case
Our goal is to make a difficult time in your life that much easier. Attorney Collins and her compassionate staff are here to provide the caring and thorough legal representation you need — and to do so affordably.
What Should You Do After a Car Accident?
The things you do in the days and weeks after a motor vehicle accident can have a big impact on your ability to recover fair compensation. Once you’ve gotten medical attention and your condition has stabilized, here’s what you can do next:
- Report the Accident to Your Insurer – Your insurance policy likely includes a provision that you must alert your provider within a few days of the accident. Be sure to do so, or you might jeopardize your car accident case.
- Continue with Your Medical Treatment – Follow your doctor’s treatment plan to the letter. Not only will this improve your medical prognosis, but it will demonstrate to insurers that you are doing what you can to mitigate your losses.
- Start an Evidence File – The more information you have about the accident, the easier it will be to pursue compensation effectively. Gather your medical bills and records, as well as any evidence you have of lost income, such as communications with your employer or past pay stubs. Write down what you remember about the accident while your memory is still fresh. Keep this information together in an evidence folder that you can refer to later.
- Keep a Pain Journal – Maintain a daily log of your pain levels and how your injuries affect your life. This information can be crucial in establishing the pain and suffering you’ve experienced and deserve compensation for.
- Contact an Alabama Car Accident Attorney – Get in touch with an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible and request a free consultation. Bring your evidence folder with you so your prospective attorney can better understand your case. They can advise you on your options, explain what to expect throughout your case, and pursue the compensation you deserve on your behalf.
How Does a Lawyer Investigate Auto Accident Cases?
Personal injury lawyers like Attorney Collins take a multifaceted approach to investigating car accident cases. First, they’ll seek to understand what happened at the scene to reconstruct the circumstances leading up to the accident. They’ll do this by gathering evidence like the following:
- Accident scene photos
- Videos taken by traffic, security, or dashboard cameras
- Accounts provided by eyewitnesses
- Physical evidence like debris and tire marks
- Electronic data from onboard computers
Depending on the circumstances, the lawyer may work with a professional crash reconstruction expert to
synthesize the evidence they’ve uncovered into a likely chain of events.
While working to establish what happened and why, the lawyer will work to show how the accident has
affected their client. To accomplish this, they might turn to evidence like:
- Medical records
- Pay stubs
- Tax returns
- Post-accident vehicle inspections
- Pain journals
- Testimony from the victim’s friends and family
- Expert testimony from doctors and accountants
The lawyer will then use this evidence to calculate how much the accident has cost their client, both financially and personally.
What Compensation Could You Recover in a Car Accident Claim?
If someone else is responsible for causing the auto collision, they could owe you car accident compensation for
your:
- Medical bills
- Lost income and earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Vehicle repair/replacement
Who Could Be Held Liable for a Car Wreck in Alabama?
Many different parties could be responsible for the vehicle accident that injured you, including:
- The Other Driver – Motorists are most directly responsible for the safe operation of their vehicles. Negligent behavior like running traffic signals, failing to signal turns, or speeding could make the other driver liable for the car accident.
- The Driver’s Employer – The doctrine of vicarious liability holds employers responsible for the job- related actions taken by their employees. If the motorist who hit you was driving for work, their employer could be responsible for your injuries.
- A Vehicle Manufacturer – The law holds companies responsible for the safety of the products they sell. A vehicle or parts manufacturer could be liable if defects in the brakes, steering, or other important components contributed to the accident.
- Government Entities – The government entity responsible for designing or maintaining the road where the accident occurred could be to blame if hazards like potholes or missing signage played a role.
Could You Recover Compensation if You’re Partly at Fault for a Car Accident?
Alabama follows the old common law doctrine of contributory fault. Under this rule, an injured party cannot recover compensation if they were in any way to blame for their injuries — even if their share of fault is just one percent. However, there are exceptions to this doctrine. One of them is the “last clear chance rule,” which allows an injured party to recover compensation from a defendant who could have averted the accident but failed to do so. Discuss your case with an experienced car accident lawyer from Collins Law to learn more.
Is There a Deadline for Filing a Car Accident Lawsuit in Alabama?
Alabama’s statute of limitations on personal injury claims holds that a car accident lawsuit must be filed within two years of the incident. If you attempt to file your suit after the statutory deadline has passed, the defendant can move to have it dismissed as untimely. The court will likely agree to do so, costing you your chance at fair compensation. Don’t let this happen to you. Instead, get in touch with an Alabama car accident attorney from Collins Law right away.
What Are Common Types and Causes of Car Accidents?
The most common auto wreck types in Alabama include the following:
- Head-on collisions
- Sideswipe accidents
- Side-impact/T-bone crashes
- Rear-end impacts
- Uninsured accidents
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Drunk driving accidents
- Uber/Lyft/rideshare accidents
- Accidents with commercial trucks
These accidents are caused by a wide range of negligent or reckless behavior, such as:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Failing to yield
- Running traffic signals
- Intoxicated driving
- Merging without looking
What Are Typical Injuries Resulting from an Auto Wreck?
Among the most typical car accident injury types are:
- Lacerations
- Broken bones/fractures
- Strains, sprains, and other soft tissue injuries
- Organ damage and other internal injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries (SCIs)
- Traumatic amputation
Contact an Alabama Car Accident Lawyer Today
Have you been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Alabama? Was someone else to blame? If so, reach out to the car accident law firm of Collins Law today.
Attorney Collins and the rest of her team will treat you with the compassion and empathy you deserve as we seek the fair compensation you’re entitled to. While we work to get the money you need to get your life back on track, you’ll get to focus instead on resting and getting better.
Don’t delay — contact us today and let a reputable Alabama Car Accident Lawyer help make you whole again.