Toledo Car Accident Lawyers

A car accident can happen in the time it takes to glance at a phone or misjudge a stop. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that someone in the United States is involved in a motor vehicle accident roughly every ten seconds, and the Ohio Highway Patrol investigated 244,485 automobile crashes across the state in 2020 alone. Behind every one of those numbers is a person dealing with pain, confusion, and a growing list of decisions they never expected to make. Knowing who to call can make the difference between a fair outcome and a settlement that falls short of what you actually need.

Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott, LLC has been representing car accident victims since 1973. For over five decades, our firm has primarily focused on vehicle accidents and insurance claims, giving us a deep understanding of how these cases work and what it takes to win them. We know how insurance companies operate, how to build a strong claim, and how to fight to recover every dollar our clients are owed.

If You’ve Been Hurt in a Car Accident, We Can Help

At Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott, LLC, we want all car accident victims to know that we’re on their side and that they don’t have to accept an insurance company’s definition of the word “fair.” That’s why we serve:

• People struck by reckless, impaired, or law-breaking drivers. You believe another driver was texting, on their phone, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, speeding, tailgating, failing to yield, running a red light, ignoring a stop sign, or driving unsafely in some other way before the crash.
• People injured in all types of collisions. You were hurt in a rear-end, T-bone, head-on, rollover, sideswipe, merging, highway, parking lot, work zone, or chain-reaction crash. Determining fault may hinge on traffic signals, right-of-way rules, blind spots, road conditions, vehicle positions, or the actions of multiple drivers.
• People dealing with insurance disputes, fault disagreements, or evidence challenges. The insurance company is disputing liability, requesting a recorded statement, downplaying your injuries, placing partial blame on you, or offering less than your claim is worth. You may need help collecting and preserving photos, video footage, police reports, witness details, medical records, or vehicle data.
• Victims of hit-and-run or uninsured and underinsured motorist crashes. The driver who hit you fled the scene, carried no insurance, or lacked sufficient coverage to pay for your losses. You want to know what insurance options remain available and how to protect your claim going forward.
• Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and other road users struck by vehicles. You were on foot, on a bike, riding a motorcycle, or using a scooter when a car, truck, or other vehicle hit you. You need help sorting out fault, insurance coverage, the extent of your injuries, and what to do next.

Insurance companies will act fast to protect themselves, so if any of these situations sounds like yours, talk to our attorneys before signing anything regarding an auto insurance claim.

What You Need to Know About Car Accident Claims

How Fault Works in Ohio

Ohio follows a modified comparative negligence rule. In practical terms, this means you can still recover compensation even if you share some responsibility for the accident, as long as you are not more than 50% at fault. Your share of fault reduces your compensation by that percentage. For example, if you are found 20% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you could still recover $80,000.

Because fault directly affects how much you can recover, insurance companies often look for any reason, however small, to shift blame onto you. This is one of the main reasons accident victims benefit from having an attorney review the evidence early, before a fault percentage gets locked in against their interests.

How Can I Prove the Other Driver Caused the Accident?

Proving fault typically comes down to evidence, and the sooner that evidence is gathered, the stronger your case tends to be. Useful sources include:

• The police report from the scene of the crash
• Photos and video of the vehicles, road conditions, and any visible injuries
• Statements from witnesses who saw the crash happen
• Traffic camera or dash camera footage, where available
• Vehicle data, such as information from a car’s event data recorder
• Cell phone records, in cases involving suspected distracted driving

An attorney can help track down and preserve this evidence before it disappears, which happens more often than most people expect. Traffic camera footage gets overwritten, vehicles get repaired or scrapped, and witnesses become harder to locate the longer a case sits.

Why Let Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott, LLC Handle Your Car Accident Claim?

When you are choosing an attorney after a car accident, you want to know that your lawyer has the experience to handle the problems that can arise in your case. At Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott, LLC, we have spent decades representing people injured in vehicle accidents and dealing with the insurance companies responsible for paying their claims. Here is what you can expect when you work with us:

• Trial-tested lawyers. We prepare every case with the assumption that it could go before a jury. That preparation often leads to better settlement offers, because insurance companies know we are ready to take a case to trial if they will not negotiate fairly.
• A proven track record. We have secured over $100 million for our clients, and our attorneys are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization limited to attorneys who have won million-dollar verdicts or settlements.
• Open and clear communication. We keep you informed at every stage of your case in plain language, so you always understand what is happening and why.
• A process built around your comfort. You can be as involved in your case as you would like, whether that means reviewing every detail or letting us handle the legal work while you focus on recovering.
• No upfront fees. We handle car accident cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we secure a settlement or verdict on your behalf.

From the initial investigation through settlement or trial, we will handle the legal work and keep you informed about your case.

Take Action Before the Insurance Company Takes Advantage

After a car accident, the steps you take early on can shape the rest of your case. Before you speak further with an insurance adjuster or sign anything related to your claim, talk to an attorney who can explain your options. Contact Lafferty, Gallagher & Scott, LLC to schedule a free consultation with a car accident lawyer who will put decades of trial experience to work for you.