Car Accident Attorney in Madison

On average, someone is injured in a car crash in Alabama every 14 minutes. There were nearly 12,000 collisions in Madison County in one recent year alone. While nobody expects to become a statistic, the tragic reality is that far too many of us do, often because of somebody else’s mistake. If this has happened to you, Attorney April H. Collins and the team at Collins Law, LLC, want to empower you to get the money you need to rebuild and return to your life.

We are proud to serve accident victims in Madison and throughout Alabama, and to do so with integrity, empathy, and honesty. Let us do the same for you. Contact us today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation and find out what an experienced Madison car accident lawyer can do for you.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Madison, AL Car Accident Attorney?

If you’ve recently been hurt in a collision, you might be asking yourself if you need a Madison car accident attorney. The answer is likely yes. That’s because the insurance company is not your friend; it’s there to preserve its bottom line. It does so by denying accident victims’ claims or pressuring them into accepting a lowball settlement offer that doesn’t fully account for what they’ve suffered.

You need someone in your corner to fight back, give you a voice, and demand that the insurer pay the fair compensation you deserve. You need the team at Collins Law.

While you spend your time resting and recovering, we’ll spend ours:

• Investigating the collision to determine who’s at fault
• Calculating the financial and personal costs you’ve incurred as a result
• Filing insurance claims and communicating with adjusters on your behalf
• Preparing for trial to strengthen our negotiating position
• Negotiating with at-fault parties and insurers for a full and fair settlement
• Going to court to assert your rights if the other side won’t make a fair offer

Are you worried that you can’t afford a good car accident attorney in Madison? With Collins Law, we take cases on a contingency-fee basis. This means you only pay us if we win, and we’ll never take any more than you would receive so that you can keep more of the money we recover. Furthermore, we are committed to doing everything we can to reduce your accident-related medical bills once your case is resolved. This service is rare in the legal profession, but we believe it’s an important part of protecting our clients.

Don’t wait to benefit from having a seasoned professional handle your car accident claim. Contact Attorney Collins and Collins Law today.

What Should You Do After a Car Accident?

In many ways, your car accident case begins the instant the crash occurs. Once you’ve gotten medical help and your condition has stabilized, you can take the following steps to protect your right to fair compensation:

• Report the Accident to Your Insurer – Your insurance policy likely requires you to alert your provider about an accident in a timely fashion. Do so as soon as you can to avoid jeopardizing certain provisions in your coverage.
• Don’t Accept Quick Settlement Offers – There’s a good chance the at-fault driver’s insurer will make you a settlement offer soon after the accident. This settlement likely represents far less than your claim is truly worth and is merely an effort to get out of paying you fairly. Politely decline and inform the adjuster that you’re working with legal representation.
• Write Down What Happened – Take notes about the collision and everything you remember about it while your memory is still fresh. The longer you wait to do so, the likelier you’ll have forgotten potentially crucial details.
• Start Collecting Evidence – Put your account of the accident in an evidence folder along with other relevant documentation you might have. Were you able to take photos at the scene? Include copies. Gather your medical bills and records, repair estimates, and documents that show your lost income, such as past pay stubs and tax returns.
• Stay Away from Social Media – Insurance companies and defense lawyers watch accident victims’ social media feeds for anything that might contradict their claims. Stay offline while your case is pending to avoid giving them something they can use against you.
• Contact a Car Accident Law Firm – Reach out to Collins Law for a free consultation and bring your evidence folder to the initial meeting. We can review your situation, advise you on your options, and explain what you can expect during the claims process.

How Does a Lawyer Investigate Auto Accident Cases?

As your personal injury lawyer investigates your auto accident case, they’ll start by retrieving information from the accident scene. This might include photos of the aftermath, video from traffic or security cameras, and physical evidence like skid marks. They will probably also review the police accident report and talk to witnesses who saw the accident play out. Next, your attorney will gather documentary evidence. This could include everything from employment records to cell phone data to read-outs from event data recorders.

Once they’ve gathered this information, they may decide to work with an accident reconstruction expert to help them interpret it. This specialized professional will use their training in physics and engineering to develop a likely chain of events explaining the accident and what caused it.

At the same time as they set out to prove that someone else is responsible for causing the accident, your lawyer will calculate the value of your losses. These include not just your financial expenses (medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle repairs, for example), but also your personal ones. By understanding how the accident has affected your livelihood and well-being, your lawyer can better seek fair compensation for the pain and suffering you’ve endured.

What Compensation Could You Recover in a Car Accident Claim

If someone else caused the auto wreck that injured you, they could owe you car accident compensation for the following:

Who Could Be Held Liable for a Car Wreck in Alabama?

Depending on the circumstances, many different parties could be liable for the auto accident that injured you. These include:

A Madison personal injury lawyer from Collins Law can investigate the car wreck to determine everyone who could owe you money.

Could You Recover Compensation if You’re Partly at Fault for a Car Accident?

Alabama follows a strict doctrine called “contributory fault”, which bars an injured party from recovering compensation at trial if they are in any way to blame for their injuries. If a court determines that you are in any way at fault for causing the accident, it would bar you from recovering compensation. This is true even if you are just 1 percent at fault while the defendant is 99 percent to blame.

That said, there are certain exceptions to this rule, such as the “last clear chance” doctrine. An experienced car accident attorney in Madison can exploit these and other strategies on your behalf to pursue the fair compensation you deserve.

Is There a Deadline for Filing a Car Accident Lawsuit in Alabama?

Alabama’s statute of limitations on personal injury claims generally gives you two years to file your car accident lawsuit. If you wait too long to file, the court will likely dismiss your case as untimely, costing you your right to compensation. Don’t let this happen to you. Instead, contact Collins Law and let a car accident lawyer in Madison get started on your claim today.

What Are Common Types and Causes of Car Accidents?

While there are many different types of car accidents, the following are some of the most common:

In turn, these types of vehicle accidents are caused by mistakes like the following:

What Are Typical Injuries Resulting from an Auto Wreck?

Serious car accidents can result in a wide range of severe car accident injury types, including the following:

Moreover, the terror of a sudden, potentially life-or-death experience like an auto collision can lead to mental health issues such as emotional distress, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Contact a Madison, AL Car Accident Lawyer Today

Were you hurt in a motor vehicle accident in Madison, Alabama? Collins Law wants to empower you to get the money you need to get your life back on track. Contact us today for a free consultation, and let a Madison car accident lawyer start on your case right away.