Car Accident Lawyers in Foley

Almost everyone has been involved in a car accident at some point in their lives, or if not, they know someone who has. In Alabama alone, a traffic crash is reported every 3 ½ minutes on average, and someone is killed in a traffic-related accident every 9 ½ hours. Most auto accidents happen in urban areas like Mobile County, however, the majority of fatalities occur in more rural areas like Baldwin County.

Here are just a few examples in recent years. In August 2018, a 20-year-old woman and her unborn baby were killed in a two-vehicle crash on Foley Beach Express in Foley. In September 2019, a motorcyclist was killed in a crash on County Road 12 in Foley. And in February 2021, a young couple was killed in a wrong-way crash on I-10 near Robertsdale, AL when they were supposedly heading home from Foley to Mobile.

All of these accidents resulted in the untimely deaths of those involved, and none of them needed to happen. They also left the victims’ loved ones grieving the sudden loss of someone close to them and wondering where to turn for justice. Sadly, no amount of money can change the past or undo the damage caused by a serious car accident, but something can be done about the future.

If you or a loved one got injured or killed in a car accident in or around Foley, AL, you deserve to be fully compensated. But paying out full damages (to claimants) does not help the insurance company’s business model. Instead, they will do everything they can to cut corners and give you the lowest settlement they can get away with. In a situation like this, you need strong legal counsel in your corner advocating aggressively for your legal rights and interests.

For several years, the attorneys at Hedge Copeland have successfully represented auto accident victims in Foley, Mobile, and nearby Alabama communities. Our lawyers are focused exclusively on personal injury and related areas of the law, and we have in-depth knowledge of the complexities involved with these types of cases. We work closely with our clients, and we dedicate the time and attention necessary to each case to help ensure the most favorable outcome possible.

Auto Accident Statistics

Unintentional injuries (i.e., accident injuries) are the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind only cancer and heart disease, and vehicle accidents claim the lives of more than 30,000 Americans each year. Auto accidents are also the number one cause of death in the teenage population. Some of the major risk factors that contribute to car accident fatalities include:

• Drunk Driving: Chemical impairment is a contributing factor in approximately one-third of all traffic-related deaths, and the majority of fatal drunk driving crashes occur after dark. It has been over three decades since Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) and other organizations launched high profile public awareness campaigns to educate motorists on the dangers of this behavior, but unfortunately, drunk driving is still a major problem on our roadways.

• Speeding: Driving over the speed limit plays a role in almost as many fatal crashes as drunk driving, and certainly there many accidents in which both factors are at play. There is a good reason why we have speed limits, and they have been shown to save lives. Speeding is especially dangerous for a couple of reasons. First of all, when someone is going too fast, they have less time to slow down and/or adjust to adverse conditions on the roads. Secondly, the impact of a high-speed crash can cause more severe and catastrophic injuries.

• Distracted Driving: Motorists have always had distractions to deal with, but since the advent of smartphones, distracted driving has become much more deadly. Far too many drivers feel the need to read, send, and receive texts while they are behind the wheel, which puts themselves and others they share the roads with at risk. When someone looks down at their phone for even five seconds while traveling at 55 mph, it is roughly the equivalent of driving the entire length of a football field blindfolded.

• Drowsy Driving: Driving while drowsy or fatigued is one of the most underreported auto accident risks. Drowsy driving can cause someone to fall asleep at the wheel, but even when that does not happen, a sleepy driver has slower reaction times and severely reduced peripheral vision. Drowsy driving is especially common with commercial truckers who drive for long hours, often during evenings and overnights.

Other factors that commonly contribute to auto accidents include aggressive driving, reckless driving, driver inexperience, negligent vehicle maintenance, vehicle defects, and poorly maintained roadways. In some cases, there are multiple contributing factors and several different parties that could be at fault. A thorough investigation will help determine who may be at fault in your car accident case.

How Can a Foley, AL Car Accident Lawyer Help Me?

If you or a loved one got injured in a vehicle crash in Alabama, you will benefit greatly by having an experienced attorney in your corner. Here are some of the ways that we will be able to help you with your case:

• Investigating the Crash: As we touched on previously, our legal team will conduct a full investigation of your accident to determine exactly what happened and gather all of the important facts and pieces of evidence.

• Putting Together the Strongest Possible Case: Once we know all of the facts, we will go to work right away to compile a rock-solid case that will hold up at trial if it comes to that (more on that later). When appropriate, we will also call on reputable specialists to lend their expertise on factors that could help strengthen your case.

• Determining the Full Value of your Claim: We will be able to accurately calculate the full extent of your losses, which includes not only the direct monetary damages such as medical bills and lost earnings, but also intangible losses such as pain-and-suffering and emotional distress.

• Dealing Directly with the Insurer: Once you retain our services, we will take over all calls and communications with the insurance company. This will allow you to put your focus where it belongs – on recovering from your injuries and getting your life back on track.

• Providing Wise Counsel during the Claims Process: Throughout the process, we will stay in frequent communication with you and provide ongoing updates on the progress of your case. We will also advise you on what to do and what not to do with regards to things like insurer requests for independent medical exams (IMEs), what you should never say or post on social media, activity restrictions, and many others.

• Filing a Lawsuit if Necessary: Whenever possible, we will try to work out a settlement with the insurance company that fully compensates you for your losses. But when a reasonable settlement cannot be worked out, we are ready and able to aggressively pursue full damages through litigation.

Get started on your car accident claim today with our personal injury lawyers in Foley, AL, Hedge Copeland at 251-432-8844 or sending us online message. We will provide a free consultation to fully assess your case and advise you of your legal rights and options.