Failure To Yield Accidents

Georgia Yield Law

Under Georgia law, a driver must yield the right of way to all approaching vehicles when they are about to enter or cross a roadway from a non-roadway. For example, Georgia drivers must yield when:

  • Entering a highway or other street
  • At four-way stop signs
  • Arriving at an unmarked intersection at the same time as another driver
  • Encountering emergency vehicles
  • Pedestrians are crossing the street in sidewalks
  • Making left-hand turns

You should also use common sense when considering whether to yield while driving. Drive defensively and always assume the other vehicle will not see you or will not stop.

Why You Should Contact an Injury Lawyer

If you have been injured in a failure-to-yield accident as the result of another’s negligence or recklessness, you should contact an injury lawyer as soon as possible. An injury lawyer can determine whether you might succeed in a case and assess what types of damages you might be able to recover.

Zach Pritchard at Pritchard Injury Firm is a passionate and community-oriented Georgia injury attorney. He understands the frequency of failure-to-yield accidents in the North Georgia area and the effect they can have on an individual and their family. He will strive to get you the compensation you need.

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North Georgia Failure-To-Yield Accident Attorney

Failure-to-Yield Accidents in Georgia

Failure-to-yield accidents occur when drivers fail to properly yield the right of way while driving. Examples include running red or yellow lights, not yielding when merging onto a highway, and not yielding at an intersection.

Failure-to-yield accidents are a common cause of car accidents in Georgia. Drivers usually fail to yield due to their negligence or recklessness.

Common injuries resulting from failure to yield the right of way accidents include:

Succeeding in a Failure-to-Yield Case

Generally, failure-to-yield cases fall into two categories: negligence and gross negligence. To receive compensation in a failure-to-yield case, you must prove that the other driver caused your accident.

Negligence

Most of the time, causing an accident while failing to yield constitutes negligence. To recover damages when injured in a failure-to-yield accident, you must prove that the defendant’s failure to yield actually and proximately caused your injuries.

Proving actual cause requires you to show that but for the defendant’s failure to yield, you would not have suffered the injury. Proving proximate cause requires you to show that your injuries are a foreseeable result of the defendant’s failure to yield.

To prove negligence, you must show:

  1. The at-fault driver (the defendant) owed you a duty of care
  2. The defendant breached that duty
  3. You (the plaintiff) were injured
  4. Your injury is the result of the defendant’s breach

Our North Georgia failure-to-yield accident lawyer can help you make a convincing case for negligence.

Gross Negligence

You can also receive compensation for your injuries when a driver fails to yield due to their gross negligence. Gross negligence typically involves a more careless failure to yield, like when drivers fail to yield because they are drunk or under the influence. The actions of a grossly negligent driver must amount to a conscious disregard for your safety. A court might even award you punitive damages in this type of case, which are designed specifically to punish the wrongdoer and prevent similar behavior in the future.

You should talk to an injury lawyer to find out whether you might be successful in a failure-to-yield case.

Damages

In a failure-to-yield case, as in other injury cases, you can recover economic, non-economic, and sometimes punitive damages.

Economic damages include compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and diminished earning capacity. Non-economic damages include compensation for intangible harms, such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.

Punitive damages are available in cases where the defendant’s conduct was egregious. In Georgia, they are limited to $250,000 unless the defendant acted with a specific intent to harm or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

We will pursue all relevant damages in your case and fight to maximize your award.

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