Why Choose Morris King & Hodge After a Car Accident in Huntsville, AL?
Since 1966, Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., has been representing car accident victims in North Alabama and throughout the state. We have multiple law offices, including two locations in Huntsville, which help us conveniently serve clients across the region.
Over the years, our firm has secured more than $168 million in verdicts and settlements for deserving clients, including several multi-million-dollar settlements in car accident cases. Our experience and success have earned us considerable recognition from peers and clients.
We have been named a Top 50 Alabama law firm by Super Lawyers and among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers, and we have an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
In addition to this formal acclaim, our firm has received hundreds of 5-star reviews on Google from satisfied clients. We encourage you to read what our past clients have to say about us to get a better understanding of what it’s like to work with our Huntsville car accident attorneys.
We treat clients with respect and work hard to provide personalized service and effective legal representation. As one former client, T.B., said:
“Mr. Hodge and Becky have been wonderful to work with. They took care of all communications regarding my injuries after a vehicle accident and did a great job representing me. I highly recommend them to anyone needing legal assistance.” on Google
Were you injured in an auto accident in Huntsville? Was a negligent driver responsible for the crash? If so, it’s essential to learn about your legal rights and options for seeking the full and fair compensation you deserve.
To learn more about how you can move forward, contact the Huntsville car accident attorneys of Morris, King & Hodge, P.C., for a free consultation.
How Much is My Car Accident Case Worth?
Various factors contribute to the value of a car accident case. The most important factors contributing to your car accident compensation are the severity of your injuries, the extent of your economic and non-economic losses, the clarity of another party’s liability, and the relevant insurance policy limits.
The severity of your injuries affects almost every other aspect of your case, from your medical expenses to your lost wages to your pain and suffering. More severe injuries also typically result in longer recovery periods and higher levels of impairment, necessitating additional compensation.
Furthermore, the more severe your injuries are, the more expensive they will be to treat in the long term. The longer you are out of work while recovering, the more wages you will lose. The greater the damage to your vehicle, the more it will cost to repair or replace. All of these are compensable losses that will affect the overall value of your case.
If someone else is to blame for the accident, their liability insurance should cover the damage up to its policy limits. At a minimum, Alabama drivers must have the following amounts of liability coverage as part of their auto insurance policies:
- $25,000 per person for bodily injury
- $50,000 per accident for bodily injury
- $25,000 per accident for property damage
If your expenses exceed the policy limits of the at-fault party, recovering the full compensation you need could prove challenging without the help of an experienced attorney.
A good car accident lawyer can identify additional sources for compensation, including personal assets owned by the at-fault driver, other parties that might also be liable for the accident, and first-party benefits available through your own insurance policy.
What Type of Damages Can You Recover after a Car Accident?
Car accident injury compensation can cover both economic and non-economic losses. Economic losses are those with a specific value, including medical expenses, while non-economic losses are those without a dollar value, including pain and suffering. All told, you could be entitled to money for your:
- Medical Expenses – Your past and future medical expenses related to the accident include hospital stays, surgeries, medical treatments, medical devices, prescription medications, and physical therapy. Estimating the value of future medical care is essential for securing the compensation you will need going forward.
- Lost Wages – If your injuries caused you to miss work or have to work in a reduced capacity during your recovery, you can seek compensation for the income you lost.
- Loss of Future Earning Potential – If your injuries will impact your ability to work in the future, such as by requiring you to work with restrictions or preventing you from working altogether, you can seek compensation for the income you will lose.
- Pain and Suffering – The physical pain and emotional suffering you experience due to your injuries can be challenging to place a value on. However, a compassionate lawyer can assist you with determining a fair amount of compensation.
- Permanent Disability – If you experience permanent disabilities due to your injuries, you can seek compensation to accommodate them by modifying your home or vehicle to be accessible or hiring in-home care.
- Property Damage – You can seek compensation for the value of replacing or repairing your lost or damaged property, including your vehicle.
- Wrongful Death – If your loved one died due to injuries sustained in a car accident, you can seek compensation for your loss, including funeral and burial expenses.
How We Investigate Your Car Accident
Independent investigations are a critical part of the car accident support our firm provides. While you focus on recovering and following up with your medical treatment, our lawyers will gather various forms of evidence by:
- Identifying and following up with any eyewitnesses, including by getting their names and contact information from the police report, to collect their statements
- Obtaining traffic, security, and dashboard camera footage depicting the accident or the events immediately preceding or following it
- Hiring experts, including medical professionals, crash reconstruction specialists, and vocational experts, to testify about specific aspects of your case, including the severity of your injuries, how the accident occurred, and how your injuries will affect your ability to work
Securing copies of your medical records and statements from your treating doctors that detail your diagnosis, prognosis, and recommended treatments for your injuries
Strong evidence makes strong cases. Our goal is to uncover the details that will help us seek maximum compensation on your behalf.
Getting Compensation for Injuries in Huntsville, Alabama
When it comes to auto accidents, Alabama is a fault state. This means drivers who are responsible for others’ injuries or wrongful death in a crash are liable for the losses suffered by the accident victims. In most cases, drivers rely on auto liability insurance policies to cover accident-related expenses.
If an at-fault driver is uninsured or doesn’t have enough insurance, injured parties may be able to rely on their own insurance to cover their losses. These types of coverage are called uninsured motorist coverage (UM) and underinsured motorist coverage (UIM). Our Huntsville car accident lawyers can help you understand all your legal options.
Car Accident FAQs
It is risky to use social media while your vehicle accident claim is ongoing because insurance companies regularly review online posts, photos, and comments looking for information they might use against you.
Even the most harmless-seeming post could cause problems. For example, a smiling photo of you at a family event might lead an adjuster to question whether you are in as much pain as you say. A brief comment on how the crash occurred could conflict with minor details in your report. Posts that get taken out of context could weaken your claim and reduce your chances of a full payout.
You can protect yourself by staying quiet online until your claim is over. You do not need to delete your accounts, but you should avoid posting about your injuries, activities, or daily life. You should also avoid responding to comments about the crash. When you limit your online activity, you keep the focus on the evidence in your case and limit the possibility of avoidable issues.
If the at-fault driver has no insurance, you cannot rely on them to cover your losses after a crash. If you only carry minimum coverage, you might feel stuck, but you could still explore other options.
Start by reviewing your own policy to see if you have uninsured motorist (UM) or underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage. Many Alabama drivers carry UM/UIM coverage without realizing it, and it could help you pay for some or all your losses.
If you do not have UM/UIM coverage, you still should talk with our car accident attorneys in Huntsville, AL. A lawyer from our law firm can review your policy, identify any additional coverage you might have overlooked, and explain whether you can file a lawsuit directly against the at-fault driver. We can also check for other potential sources of recovery, such as a household policy or a policy connected to the vehicle you drove.
A car accident lawsuit officially starts when your lawyer files a complaint in court outlining your losses, the other party’s conduct, and the remedies you are seeking. Next, the defendant will have a chance to respond, and then both sides will begin exchanging information. Your lawyer will ask the other side for any documentation or details it has that might be relevant to the case. The defense will also request information from you. Your lawyer can handle these requests to protect your rights and keep your case on track.
Settlement talks usually continue on the side while both sides prepare for court. The vast majority of cases settle before trial as both sides learn more about the facts and the strength of the evidence. Your car accident lawyer will review all settlement offers with you and give you straightforward guidance about whether they adequately cover your losses. If a fair settlement offer never surfaces, your lawyer will be ready for trial, where they will question witnesses, present evidence, and argue your position in court.
If another driver crashes into you and then leaves the scene (hit-and-run), you should call 911 right away so law enforcement can investigate. Officers might review video footage, speak with witnesses, and search for the vehicle. The sooner you report the crash, the more time and leads the police will have.
You should also get medical care as soon as possible. Your medical records will provide key documentation of your injuries and support any insurance claim you file.
If police identify the driver, you can pursue a claim through the driver’s liability insurance coverage. If they do not find the driver, you might still have options. If you carry uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on your auto policy, it should apply if the at-fault driver cannot be located.
A lawyer handling car accidents from our firm can review your coverage options and deal with the insurance company for you. We can also help you gather evidence while the details remain fresh. That way, you can focus on healing while our attorneys handle all the legal and insurance matters.
Insurance companies might contact you immediately after a rollover crash to catch you off guard and get you to share information that weakens your claim. If an insurance adjuster contacts you, know that you do not need to respond in every situation. You should refer them to your attorney instead.
When it comes to your own insurance provider, your policy will likely require you to report and share basic facts about the accident so they can open your claim. That could include the date, time, location, and the type of crash. However, you do not need to discuss fault, your medical condition, or what you think caused the rollover.
If the adjuster asks for a recorded statement, you can decline until you talk with a car accident attorney at our law firm. You can also ask our lawyers to handle the entire communication process so you do not have to worry about watching every word you say.
You do not need to talk to the other driver’s insurance company at all. Their adjuster is working to protect their bottom line and will try to get you to say something they can use against you. You can have our attorneys deal with them so you do not have to.
Insurance companies like to ask for recorded statements right after a car crash because they want details they can use to limit what they have to pay you later on. You might feel pressure to respond quickly, especially if the adjuster sounds friendly. However, speaking to the insurance company without legal guidance is risky.
You might not know the full extent of your injuries or the damage to your vehicle in the first few days. If you guess incorrectly or provide an incomplete answer, you might be boxing yourself into an unfavorable version of events. The adjuster could use your statement to challenge your claim later.
Our Huntsville car accident lawyers can help you understand your rights before you talk to anyone else. We can explain what the insurance company wants, what questions you might face, and how to avoid statements that could hurt your case. We can even handle all communication for you while you focus on your recovery. That can take the pressure off you and reduce the chance of problems with your claim.
You probably won’t have to go to court after a car accident in Alabama, as most cases settle out of court. However, you may have to go to court if your case is complex or if the insurance company denies liability or disputes your claim. Our attorneys are ready to do what is required to maximize your compensation.
If the other driver is uninsured or underinsured, you may be able to file a claim with your auto insurance policy’s uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM). Our attorneys can help you seek out all potential sources of insurance coverage and pursue the maximum benefits you deserve.
It is helpful to bring any documents or information that will help your lawyer better understand your case, such as:
- Photos and videos of the accident scene
- A copy of the police report
- Eyewitness contact information
- Your insurance information
- Your medical records
- Your medical bills
- Your driver’s license
In Alabama, insurers must provide an update every 45 days, update the claim status within 30 days or whatever the policy specifies, and pay a settlement within 30 days of reaching an agreement with your lawyer. Insurers cannot delay your claim in an effort to run out the statute of limitations. Most personal injury claims in Alabama are settled within a year, and many are settled in a few months or even less. Cases usually take much longer if a trial is needed.
You want a lawyer who has extensive experience with car accident cases and knows how to pursue them to a successful conclusion. Look for an attorney who has a track record of securing large settlements and jury awards for previous clients. It’s a good idea to pick a lawyer with a reputation for being ready and able to take cases to trial if that’s what it takes to seek maximum compensation for you.
Our Alabama car accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means it costs you nothing to hire a lawyer. We get paid only if and when we succeed in recovering compensation for you. If our law firm obtains a settlement from the insurance company or an award from a jury, our fee is a percentage of the compensation we recover for you. That means you never pay us directly from your pocket.
Car accident lawyers can investigate the circumstances of the crash, review the police report, interview anyone who witnessed the accident, analyze photos and other evidence, and examine your medical records to determine the extent of your injuries. Your lawyer can calculate how much your personal injury claim is worth and negotiate with the insurance company to seek as much compensation for you as possible. If the insurance company does not offer a fair and reasonable settlement, your lawyer can take the case to court and represent you at trial.
You should contact our attorneys as soon as possible. Under Alabama law, you have just two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. The earlier you reach out to our car accident lawyers, the sooner we can start collecting evidence before it disappears and talking to witnesses before their memories fade.
Statistics on Alabama Auto Accidents
According to data released by the Alabama Department of Transportation:
