Car accident lawyer in Madison, WI

What to do after a Madison crash

See a doctor within a day or two and continue as advised. Request the Madison Police, Dane County Sheriff or State Patrol report number. Photograph the vehicles, the road, the bike lane if one was involved, and the snow or ice. Take the other driver's details and note whether they were a student, a state employee in a fleet vehicle or a commercial driver. Collect witness names. Keep your bills and note the hours of work you lose. Wisconsin requires a crash report to be filed with the state when injuries or significant damage occur, so ask whether the police report covers it. Save any recorded statement to the other side for after you have had advice.

Madison roads and typical crash situations

The Beltline Highway on US-12 and US-18 wraps the south and west of Madison and is the city's main freeway, with closely spaced exits and daily rear-end crashes near the Verona Road and Fish Hatchery interchanges. I-39, I-90 and I-94 run together along the east side. On the isthmus, East Washington Avenue, University Avenue and John Nolen Drive carry the traffic that cannot go around the lakes. Madison has one of the highest rates of bicycle commuting in the country, and turning and dooring crashes are common. Badger football Saturdays and the Farmers' Market fill the streets around the Capitol and campus. Winter snow and black ice on the lakeside drives cause spinouts.

What the free case review covers

Someone answers and asks where the crash happened, what the report says, who was involved, your injuries, your treatment and your lost income. The free consultation also covers cyclists, Metro Transit buses, state fleet vehicles, students and trucks, and the photos or witnesses you have. Wisconsin's approach to shared fault is explained too. By the end you know whether a car accident attorney handling Dane County cases would likely take your matter, and what to gather in the days ahead. The review costs nothing and you are not asked to commit to anything.

How you are connected with a Wisconsin licensed attorney

Car Accident Lawyers Agency is a Legal Gridlock service that connects people with attorneys and is not a law firm. It matches you with an independent personal injury lawyer licensed in Wisconsin who handles Madison crashes like yours, whether a Beltline rear-end collision or a cyclist strike on University Avenue. Before you sign, you learn how the process typically unfolds and how the attorney is paid. The service is also honest when a case is not one to pursue, for example when injuries are minor and fault is genuinely shared, and tells you so rather than referring you anyway.

What usually happens once an attorney is involved

The attorney obtains the police report, medical records, bills, photographs and any footage from traffic cameras, buses or businesses, and notifies the other side that contact goes through their office. In Wisconsin your own policy may have reimbursement rights, which the attorney manages. You keep up treatment and keep your receipts. When the doctors can say how you have recovered, the attorney prepares a demand and negotiates. Many Madison matters resolve at this stage. If not, a lawsuit may be filed in Dane County Circuit Court and proceeds through information exchange, mediation and possibly trial, with the major decisions left to you.