The Beltway around Atlanta is notorious for accidents. Merging accidents are common because of the number of lane changes that drivers have to make.
If you are injured in a merging accident and believe that another driver’s negligence was to blame, you should contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your legal options. A personal injury claim can help pay unexpected medical treatment, replace lost earnings, compensate for damage to your own vehicle and the pain and suffering caused.
I-285 in Georgia
I-285 is a 64 mile ling interstate highway that acts as a perimeter Beltway around the city of Atlanta in Georgia. Because it encircles the city it is actually called ‘The Perimeter.’ It connects with the three other important interstates that pass close to the city.
These interstate highways are I-20, I-75 and I-85.
I-285 is extremely busy for much of the day and night. The volume of traffic it carries at peak commute hours means that despite the fact that it consists of up to 12 lanes it is often reduced to a crawl.
The number of lanes on I-285 is not constant. This forces drivers to remain vigilant for merging traffic and leads to frequent merging accidents.
What to Do If Hit While Merging On I-285
Because I-285 accidents are in Georgia, that state’s rules on personal injury claims must be studied before considering a claim. Don’t wait too long, though as Georgia’s statute of limitations is 2 years from the date of injury, or 5 months for the initial notice of claim if the injury was caused by a government employee.
Georgia has a modified version of comparative negligence. It means that compensation cannot be obtained if it is determined that you were more than 50% to blame for the merging accident. If you were not to blame at all, you may obtain100% of the amount claimed and a proportion if your fault was judged to be between 0 and 50%.
There are no caps on either economic (medical expenses, lost earnings and property damage) or non-economic (pain and suffering) damages in Georgia.
Evidence to Gather If Hit While Merging On I-285
Make sure you obtain sufficient evidence to link another driver’s poor driving to your injuries. Evidence may include a police report made at the time of the crash, witness statements (either obtained at the scene of the crash or later) and photographic evidence showing the damage to the vehicles.
Medical reports and statements from a doctor or surgeon as well as bills for treatment received should be collected and submitted with the claim. The vehicle damage, if it is repairable, should be documented with the help of a damage report by the repair company.
Hire a Personal Injury Attorney
Trying to obtain compensation all by yourself is unwise. If the compensation claimed is substantial, the defendant’s insurance adjuster will probably do all he or she can to limit the amount, or deny it altogether.
If you get help from a personal injury attorney you are much more likely to obtain the correctly calculated amount you deserve to get.
