Articles Posted in Personal Injury News

by

Since January 1, 2010, HB160 has been the law of the land, and especially the highways, in Georgia. This law is known as the Super Speeder law, and anyone who violates it is designated a Super Speeder, and is subject to a $200 fine. If you ask an Atlanta speeding accident lawyer, he or she will probably tell you that the Georgia Super Speeder Law is a good thing. Attorneys know that Georgia averages one death in which speeding was a factor every day. They will also tell you that the trauma care costs due to speeders are tremendous. Vehicle crashes account for 69 percent of the people admitted to trauma care hospitals. Fees collected from Super Speeders will help fund these hospitals. Hopefully, Super Speeder fees will also save lives by getting people to slow down.

The Consequences of Super Speeding

You should consult with a state official or an Atlanta speeding accident attorney if you need specific information, but in general the Super Speeder law applies to anyone caught speeding at over 75 miles per hour on any two-lane road, or 85 miles per hour anywhere. The Super Speeder fee is $200. This fee is paid to the Department of Driver Services (DDS). This is a state fee, and is in addition to any fines or other penalties imposed by the municipality in which the speeding occurred. This fee does not add points to your driver’s license.

Because this is a state fee, you will not be able to pay it when you go to court, or with other fines that you might get. Youatlanta super speeder law will be told by mail that you owe the fee. If you don’t pay it within 120 days of the notice’s date, your driver’s license will be suspended. You can pay your fee on the DDS website, at any DDS office or by mail.

Atlanta speeding accident lawyers are often asked how someone can get their license back once it has been suspended. You have to pay your fee, plus an additional $50 dollar reinstatement fee.

You may need to talk to an Atlanta speeding accident attorney is if you are an out-of-state driver and are caught speeding in violation of this law. This is especially true if you are involved in an accident. You will be liable for the fee just as  a Georgia driver would be. If you do not pay it on time, your Georgia driving privileges will be suspended and this violation will be reported to your state authorities.

Why Did Georgia Create The Super Speeder Law

The Super Speeder law is a response to known dangers of speeding. Atlanta speeding injury attorneys see the results of speeding every day. The faster you are going, the less time you have to react to a dangerous situation. Every ten miles per hour that you travel above 50 means a doubling of the potential crash force. Speeders that refuse to slow down, even after repeated warnings, are putting themselves, their passengers and other drivers at unnecessary risk.

Georgia is serious about speeding and the Super Speeder law proves that.  Atlanta speeding injury attorneys hope that the law will encourage drivers to slow down and save lives.

If you have been injured by a super speeder find out how it could help you in your case .  Call the Angell Law Firm for a FREE consultation at (770) 217-4954.

by

Its that time of the year again when more and more people are riding bicycles for health reasons and also due to ecological and economical reasons. Regardless of the reasons bicycles must share the road with cars and trucks.

There are 2 views about bicyclist usage of the roadway.  There are those who understand that the bicyclist has the right to be on the roadway, and there are others who resent the bicyclist and think they are in the way and slowing them down.  There are also different opinions between those using a bicycle for necessary transportation and those using the bicycle with a group of people for exercise.

Unfortunately, when a bicyclist is hit by a car, there are usually significant injuries involved, if not fatalities.  There was an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution back in Oct. 2010 about a crash involving an SUV and a group of cyclists near Augusta.  This crash led to the opinions of people who use the road for exercise and others who use their bikes as a means of transportation.  Some people liken those who ride their bicycles for exercise to a “motorcycle gang.”

In the above accident, Daniel Johnson, 41, was driving his SUV when he ran into a group of recreational cyclists.  This accident injured 5 of the bicyclist, and sent one of them to the hospital with a brain injury, (Dr. Matthew Burke).  Dr. Burke, the cyclist with the most severe injury had survived a tour of duty in Iraq in 2009 and was an orthopedic surgeon.  He was tossed 40 feet ahead after being struck by the SUV, Dr. Burke was pronounced dead on February 6, 2011, after 128 days in a coma under life support.  Mr. Scott Moore was among the injured cyclists in this incident, and he stated that the group was riding 2 abreast at the roads edge, on a straight section of the two lane road when the accident occurred.  The driver of the vehicle pled guilty to felony manslaughter on October 12, 2011.

Due to the many accidents between motor vehicles and bicycles, on May 11, 2011, Governor Deal signed the 3-foot safe passing bill into law, also known as HB101, “The Better Bicycling Bill.”

HB101 makes lawful the sale and use of clipless pedals and recumbent-style bicycles, which are technically illegal under the old code.  Other changes include recognition of bicycles right-of-way in dedicated bike lanes, establishing minimum design guidelines for bicycle lanes and clarifying circumstances under which a cyclist may take the full travel lane due to unsafe conditions or obstructions.

Most significantly, however, a Senate amendment of the bill defines three feet as the minimum safe passing distance for motor vehicles overtaking cyclists.  With the adoption of this law, Georgia joins a growing number of states with safe passing distance laws.  Motor vehicles passing a cyclist too closely, known as “buzzing,” are a serious factor in causing bicycle crashes.

Bicycle accidents usually happen when a vehicle fails to yield the right of way to a bicyclist at an intersection, or sideswiping the bicyclist.  Often vehicles with turn directly in front of cyclist while pulling into or out of private driveways or parking lots. Sometimes these accidents are caused because the driver of the vehicle is looking for another vehicle and not a bicycle, pedestrian or even a motorcycle- so they don’t “see” them.  There are also the “usual” reasons for automobile accidents, such as the driver running a red light or stop sign, or driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as inattention.

Many bicycle accidents are solo accidents involving a defect or some other hazard on the road or trail, or a defect in the manufacture of the bicycle, itself.  Because legal and accident forensics issues can be complex if you are involved in a bicycle accident and suffered more than very minor injuries, you should contact a competent attorney.

If you are injured in an accident between a bicycle and a motor vehicle, you should always wait for the police to respond to the scene, they can begin the preliminary investigation of the accident scene, which will help if a reconstructionist is needed at a later time.  You also need to obtain all contact information about the other driver and their insurance information, as well as the contact information for all witnesses.  Always seek medical attention to document your personal injuries.

Do you know the rules of the road?  Do you know what your case is worth?  Please contact the Angell Law Firm at (770) 217-4954 before making any statements or making any decisions.  We will be happy to assist you with a FREE consultation

by

As an accident attorney here in Atlanta who deals with medical liens on a regular basis, there are some important points you need to know if you have outstanding medical liens.  First, if you have been injured in auto accident and do not have health insurance  there are health care providers that will treat you on what is called a medical lien.  This means the medical provider will have a lien against your settlement and will be legally entitled to proceeds from your settlement.  This is obviously a fair arrangement as the health care provider treated you without upfront payment for their services.

In such cases your personal injury attorney will pay your health care providers after your case has been settled.  Upon receipt of the settlement check from the responsible insurance company, your attorney will hold the funds in trust account.  At this stage of the settlement process your attorney can attempt to negotiate your medical bills for less than the original billed amount.  Not all health care providers will negotiate their bills but an experienced accident attorney will know how to proceed and which health care providers will play ball.

Often negotiating a medical bill can take weeks or even months to finalize.  Some attorneys as a favor to their clients will go ahead and issue a settlement check to the client even before all medial billing negotiations have been finalized.  This can be helpful to those injured victims where money is tight and bills need to be paid.

Since negotiating medical bills can take time, there is a danger that the medical provider will report the outstanding bill to the credit reporting agencies.  This is a danger to those of you who have been injured in an auto accident but are holding out on paying the medical providers timely.  You may ultimately end up with more money in your pocket once the bills have been finalized but you could also end up with a ding to your credit score.

by
An Kennesaw man driving in Marietta, GA  ignored a red light and killed a woman at an intersection in Cobb County. He has been charged with homicide by vehicle among other things and was driving a sports car.

Alberto Jose Abreus of Kennesaw, Georgia was driving a 1996 Infiniti G20 at the intersection of Barrett Parkway and Roberts Boulevard in Kennesaw on Wednesday when he slammed his car into the driver’s side door of a 2006 Toyota Solara, according to police.

Police on the scene said Chassity Hollaman from Marietta was only 20 years of age.  She had the green light but died two days later at WellStar Kennestone Hospital as a result of Alberto’s failure to abide by the law.

Abreus was charged on Monday with homicide by vehicle in the second degree and with disregarding a traffic control device.  Unfortunately, tragic accidents like this one happen all too often here in Marietta, GA.  If you have a loved one that was tragically injured by another careless driver please call the Marietta car accident attorneys at the Angell Law Firm to fight for you.

by

College Park (WAOK) Saying it’s acting in the interest of public safety, College Park officials will enact a  “dangerous dog” registry next month that some critics say is very close to canine profiling.

Residents owning dogs that have, without provocation, bitten someone during the last 12 years, will be required to register their pet with the city clerk’s office.  Pit bull, Doberman, Rottweiler and German shepherd owners, will also have to register their dogs whether they have ever attacked someone or not.

Registration will cost a $25 annual fee. Those who fail to register their dogs will face fines and confiscation of their pets.

Lawrenceville, LaGrange and Floyd County have all enacted their own versions of the ordinance but College Park appears to be the first municipality in Georgia to require registration for breeds beyond pit bulls.

There have been several recent pit bull attacks in areas near College Park.  Last August an infant was mauled and seriously injured by a pit bull in Clayton; two months later, a Jonesboro resident walking his dog was attacked by a neighbor’s pit bull.In addition, an animal control officer was bitten by a dog.

Critics are upset that no public hearings were held before the dog registry became law.

If you have been injured by a dog call the Atlanta dog bite lawyers at The Angell Law Firm

 

 

by

Recently a Marta bus traveling in Dekalb County, Ga. was involved in a collision that resulted in injuries. At least 13 people were taken to an area hospital after the MARTA bus crashed with an SUV.

atlanta-marta-bus-accident-lawyer

Atlanta Marta Accident Lawyer

The MARTA bus accident happened near the entrance of the Indian Creek MARTA station on Redan Road in DeKalb County. According to DeKalb police, an SUV collided with the bus. No information was immediately available on the conditions of the people transported. A MARTA spokesman reported that Dekalb police charged the driver of the SUV with failure to maintain lanes. The driver of the SUV was driving in the wrong lane and caused extensive damage to the MARTA bus.

 

Among the 13 passengers in the bus was a 3-year old who was taken to the hospital. Children often become injured in car accidents as a result of careless drivers in Atlanta. The Angell Law Firm has successfully represented children who have been injured by the negligence of Atlanta drivers. If you or your child have been injured in an bus or auto accident, call us for a free consultation. We pride ourselves in representing those who need it the most, children who have been injured.