A rear-end accident can cause serious injuries that disrupt your life and leave you struggling with pain and disability. As a victim, you have important rights, including filing a lawsuit or insurance claim for compensation. A rear-end collision lawyer aids in the legal process, fighting on your behalf in hopes of getting you maximum compensation and justice. Below, Dozier Law Firm, LLC explains what victims should know about rear-end accidents, including the types and causes, legal options for victims, possible damages, and how a lawyer can assist. Types of Rear-End Accidents Rear-end accidents, where one vehicle hits the back of another, come in different forms. If you're driving and someone hits you from behind, it's a straight rear-end collision. Sometimes, these happen at high speeds on highways, causing serious damage. In other cases, they're more minor, like in slow-moving traffic. There's also the multi-vehicle rear-end crash, often in heavy traffic, where…

If you are considering filing a claim for compensation for injuries or harm you suffered as a result of a car accident, then you may have seen the term negligence in legal or insurance documents. While many people may believe they are familiar with the word, they may not know exactly what it means in a legal context and why it matters in a car accident case scenario. We understand that if you have been involved in a car accident, you may be searching for answers. So, the lawyers at Dozier Law have put together some useful information on negligence and how it can affect your car accident claim. For more information on how we can assist in your car accident case, reach out to us by calling (888) 239-2129 or by contacting us online. What Is Negligence? Negligence is a legal term that describes certain behavior or actions that…

Getting into a car accident can be stressful enough. The worry can increase exponentially in situations where a friend or family member was the person driving your car. Many people immediately worry. Will insurance cover the damage? Were they allowed to drive the car? Who is deemed at fault? How Is Fault Determined? If a family member, friend, or significant other was driving your car and is not listed as an insured driver, whose insurance applies will depend on 1) which driver is deemed the “at fault” driver in the accident and 2) the specific language policy of the applicable insurance policies. The general rule of thumb is if the person driving the car caused the accident, they are liable for the damage. This does not mean, however, that the person’s insurance policy will cover the accident. Rather, insurance policies typically follow the insured vehicle instead of the policyholder. Therefore,…

Autonomous vehicles are becoming more and more common.  Self-driving cars seem like a thing of the future -- a vehicle driving itself and communicating with the other cars around it to get you where you need to go. For a long time, self-driving cars were purely science fiction, but not anymore. While the technology is still relatively new, it has been implemented successfully in many different cases. While a fully reliable autonomous vehicle is still some time out, cars already on the market come with driverless technology, albeit less sophisticated versions, like limited autopilot and self-parking vehicles.  Some specific examples include Tesla with its autopilot driving technology or Google with its self-driving vehicle development company, Waymo. While those are just some of the more prominent examples, most—if not all—major car manufacturers in the United States have begun research and development and even implementation of self-driving technologies in their vehicles. Autonomous…

Even a small distraction can place a driver at risk of being involved in a collision. In fact, a car accident can occur within a matter of seconds. Georgia authorities recently responded to a crash involving two vehicles. A pickup truck was leaving a Kroger parking lot in Columbia County when it collided with a car that was traveling in the middle lane of the roadway. The driver of the pickup apparently did not see the oncoming vehicle. After the collision, traffic was limited to a single lane on one side of the road, and traffic on the other side of the road slowed significantly. Both the driver and passenger in the car were injured in the crash. They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of their injuries, which were not considered life-threatening. Later, police determined that the driver of the pickup truck was at fault. He was charged with a failure…

It may not seem too bad compared to a serious auto collision, but a minor crash is stressful. After a fender-bender, you need to spend several days dealing with the other driver, your insurance company, and repair shops. The last thing you and other Georgia residents may be thinking of after a minor crash is getting checked out by a doctor. However, the week following an accident is the exact time frame you should be paying attention to how your body feels. You might have walked away from the fender-bender without a scratch, but you could be feeling sore as early as the next day. Whiplash is a common injury suffered by countless people after minor collisions, especially rear-end crashes. This type of injury occurs when your head has been thrown back and forth by the impact. Often, you will not feel the effects of whiplash immediately, but you will begin to…

There is no disputing just how much of a scourge distracted driving has become on U.S. roads and highways. Indeed, numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal that distraction was behind 3,179 crash-related fatalities in 2014 alone and that this dangerous practice actually triples the risk of an accident. While states have taken action to address this issue, with 44 banning texting while driving and a smaller number banning hands-free devices, it's clear that more needs to be done. Interestingly enough, Washington, the first state to implement a texting ban ten years ago, recently saw a new distracted driving law take effect, one that the Governors Highway Safety Association indicated "has the potential to be a game-changer and serve as a model for other states." What does Washington's new distracted driving law do exactly? The new law prohibits non-electronic distractions, such as grooming, eating, having a pet on…

When you driving the roads surrounding Macon and Warner Robins, you probably have seen the occasional deer along the highway. Sometimes you may even see a group of deer, often with their young. While you may be charmed by this bucolic scene, you should take it as a warning. While deer can be cute at a petting zoo, along the road they pose a danger, and in many cases a mortal danger for car and truck accidents. The good news is the number of deer-car accidents declined last year, according to an analysis done by a large insurance company. They calculate the odds of a driver in the United States striking a deer as 1 in 174. This represents an improvement from last year when the odds were 1 in 167. While Georgia was not in the top states for deer collisions, it is no reason to be complacent. The…