Happy Fourth of July from Clark and Smith Law Firm!

We hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday. While we encourage you to celebrate our country’s independence with friends and family, we would also like to remind you to be especially cautious while driving. Car wrecks and trucking accidents are more likely to occur on during busy holiday travel days - so stay alert!  Highways and other roads will be more congested than usual because of holiday traffic. Distracted driving is always a danger, especially with electronics in the car such as iPads, music players, cell phones and DVD players. Keep in mind that other drivers might be preoccupied with these devices and be less likely to pay attention to their surroundings. While looking at electronics, they are more likely to drift out of their lane or fail to check their blind spots. To stay safe and alert, limit the use of these devices in your vehicles and drive especially cautiously. If you are driving at night, be aware that safe driving is of utmost importance because some drivers on the road are likely to fall asleep at the wheel. Make sure that you are refreshed and fully awake before you begin driving.

Road construction is another distraction when driving on highways and surface roads in our state.  Sometimes road construction performed by the DOT can distract drivers.  Please don’t be the driver who refuses to follow the speed signs while driving through construction zones.  Unfortunately, there are times when caution signs and detours for construction zones are not properly marked.   Don’t assume the

The Fourth of July is also a big holiday for parties with alcohol, so we urge you to never drive when you have been drinking. With these precautions, you can feel confident that you will have a safe trip.

 On another note of safety, always monitor children’s use of sparklers, and never let a child light a firework or bottle rocket. Every year, there are thousands of firework-related injuries, so don’t let your child be one of them! Before lighting fireworks, you should also check to make sure that it is legal in your state. For other Fourth of July safety tips, visit the Red Cross website (http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.94aae335470e233f6cf911df43181aa0/?vgnextoid=45935d795323b110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD).

By following these easy tips, you can enjoy the Fourth with as little worry as possible. Have a relaxing and safe holiday! 

What to do after a Car Accident

Being involved in a car accident can be frightening.  If you have been hurt due to someone else's negligence, you can seek payment of your medical bills by the party responsible.  The steps necessary to negotiate with an insurance company can be a stressful and difficult for someone who is not a trained attorney.  An experienced attorney can help you with the process and possibly recover money for your medical bills, pain and suffering. There are several steps you need to take following a car wreck. 

1.  Please seek medical help if you are in any way hurt.  There is no need to be “tough” and decline help at the accident site, if you think you have sustained an injury.   Do not turn down an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital, if you think you may need medical attention.

2.  Make certain the police are notified and you receive an accident report.

3.  If there are witnesses at the scene of the accident, either bystanders or good Samaritans who helped at the scene, by all means get their names and phone numbers and give them your contact information.

4.  It is a good idea to keep a disposal camera in your glove compartment for pictures at the wreck scene (in case an accident occurs).  Take as many as you can from all angles.  If applicable, take pictures of skid marks, debris on the road, and position of cars before they are moved by the wrecker etc. Take pictures of items that may have played a role in the accident i.e. directional signs, road work saw horses, ice, water on the road etc. Do take pictures of the sky and weather conditions (cloudy, sunny, icy etc).

5. As soon as you can, write down the series of events leading up to and following the wreck.  Be detailed in your account - make note of time of day, weather, was road wet, was construction  on the road an issue, how fast were you travelling etc.   If you and the other passengers (if there were any) can put all of your thoughts on paper in a chronological time sequence, this is most helpful to an attorney helping you with your case.  

6.  Keep detailed records of conversations with anyone associated with the wreck.  Be sure to keep a log of who you spoke to (first and last name and title), what day and time you spoke to them.   If you received correspondence from insurance companies or bills from medical providers, doctors, or pharmacies, make certain to keep all of these documents in one central location.

7.  If you have to miss work or appointments because of your injury, keep detailed records of this. 

All of this information can be extremely helpful to an attorney representing you.  No one wants to be involved in an automobile accident, but if you are, following the steps above can help you and your lawyer in resolving your issue.

Have Fun and Be Safe on Halloween!

Halloween is a wonderful holiday for children and adults. Don't forget to be extra careful when driving during the weekend before Halloween and on Halloween night.  There are usually lots of parties in neighborhoods for children and adults and gatherings on college campuses this time of year.  Costumes often consist of dark colored clothing that make it difficult for drivers to see trick or treaters or party goers!  Don't become part of an accident.  Drive safely and slowly in areas where trick or treaters may be travelling.  If you are travelling with children, make sure they are wearing reflective clothing, reflectors on their shoes and trick or treat bags.  Trick or Treaters need to be easliy seen by car drivers.  Unfortunately, Halloween parties can mean drinking and driving and that is not a good combination!   Be extra careful as you travel on the road during the Halloween weekend for children, teens, and extra mindful of adults who are behind the wheel who may have had too much to drink.  Clark & Smith Law Firm says be safe on Halloween and have fun.

Be Careful it is Back to School Time

School is back in session and the yellow buses and the carpool drivers are back on the road!  We all need to remember SAFETY FIRST while driving. There are likely new drivers on the road headed to high school and we must be aware that these drivers are not as experienced as others.  These inexperienced drivers are often in a hurry to get to school.  They might be texting or talking on their phones, or listening to music and not paying attention.  If you have a teen driver, now is an especially good time to remind them about additional traffic since schools are back in session.   It only takes a second for a child to dart out from a bus, a person to reach down on the floor board to grab a cell phone, or look away to change a radio station and all of a sudden there is an auto accident.  Be a defensive driver and focus on the road and the cars around you.   The Georgia Assembly passed a bill in June of 2010 “to prohibit persons 18 years of age or younger from using wireless telecommunications devices for sending or receiving text messages while operating a motor vehicle.”  The following link provides all the details of the Bill:

http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/search/sb360.htm

Please enforce this law with your teen driver to protect him/her and other people on the road.

Additionally, please be careful with passengers in your own vehicle.  A new Georgia Law was put in place on July 1, 2011 that requires all "children under the age of 8 to be properly restrained in an appropriate child passenger safety seat or booster seat."  Make sure you are following the most current Georgia State Laws to protect yourself, your passengers and other drivers.  No one wants to be part of a serious accident "SAFETY FIRST" and be careful on our roads as school is back in session.