Car Accidents
- 400+ Jury Trials
- Over $100 Million Recovered
- 110+ Years Combined Experience
We Take Serious
Cases To Trial
McDonald & Cody does not handle every car accident. They handle serious ones. Spinal cord injuries. Traumatic brain injuries. Permanent disability. Wrongful death. Cases where the insurance company’s offer is a fraction of what the case is actually worth, and where going to trial is the only way to close that gap.
If your injuries are severe and permanent, if someone you love was killed in a collision, or if an insurance company has already lowballed you, call us. We will tell you honestly what we think your case is worth and what it would take to get there.
Table of Contents
What Cases Does McDonald & Cody Handle?
McDonald & Cody is selective. They decline multiple cases every week. That selectivity exists for a reason: every case the firm takes gets deep investigation, full litigation resources, and a genuine commitment to trial. That is not possible with hundreds of files.
The car accident cases this firm handles involve serious, permanent harm. Spinal cord injuries that result in partial or full paralysis. Traumatic brain injuries that change how a person thinks, works, and lives. Severe burns. Amputations. Wrongful death. Cases where a family’s financial stability has been destroyed along with their health.
If your injury is serious and permanent, McDonald & Cody wants to hear from you. If your case is a minor soft-tissue claim that resolved quickly, this is not the right firm. They will tell you that honestly if you call.
What Makes a Car Accident Case Worth More?
Two car accident cases involving the same collision can be worth very different amounts. What drives that difference is not the accident itself. It is the preparation, the investigation, and the willingness to take the case to trial.
McDonald & Cody investigates every case as if it is going to a jury. That means gathering every piece of evidence early, before it disappears. Event data recorders, where present, capture speed, braking, and steering inputs in the seconds before a collision. Surveillance footage from nearby cameras. Cell phone records that show whether the other driver was distracted. Medical records that document the full scope of the injury. Expert witnesses who can explain to a jury exactly what was lost and what it will cost.
That level of preparation changes the dynamic with insurance companies. When they know a firm is genuinely ready to try a case, the settlement conversation changes. When they know a firm needs to close files quickly, they offer less. McDonald & Cody does not need to close files quickly. They have the resources to wait for the right number.
Why Insurance Companies Offer Less Than Cases Are Worth
Insurance companies employ teams of lawyers, adjusters, and analysts whose job is to pay as little as possible on every claim. They are good at it. They know which firms will accept a low offer rather than prepare for trial. They know which firms have too many cases to take any one of them seriously.
McDonald & Cody is not one of those firms. The table below shows documented side-by-side comparisons from real cases. In every case, the trial verdict came back 2 to 4 times higher than what the insurance company originally offered.
What to Do After a Serious Car Accident
- Get medical attention immediately, even if you feel fine. Many serious injuries, including spinal cord damage and traumatic brain injury, do not produce severe pain right away. A medical record from that first visit is critical evidence.
- Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company, including your own, before speaking with an attorney. Insurance adjusters are trained to use what you say against you.
- Preserve all evidence you can access. Photographs of the vehicles, the scene, road conditions, and your injuries. Get the other driver's insurance information, license plate, and contact details.
- Look for cameras. Traffic cameras, business surveillance cameras, and doorbell cameras near the scene may have captured the collision. That footage is often overwritten within days.
- Keep records of everything. Medical bills, prescription receipts, travel to appointments, missed work. Document how the injury affects your daily life in a journal. These records build the damages picture.
- Contact an attorney before you sign anything from an insurance company. A signed release can end your legal rights permanently.
What to Watch Out For
- Early settlement offers are almost always low. Insurance companies move fast when they know the case has value. An early offer is a signal the case is worth more, not a reason to accept it.
- Comparative fault arguments. Georgia follows a modified comparative fault rule. If an insurer can establish that you were partially at fault, your recovery is reduced by that percentage. McDonald & Cody investigates and counters these arguments before they take root.
- Gaps in medical treatment. If you stop treating for a period, the other side will argue your injuries were not serious. Stay consistent with your medical care and document why if you cannot.
- Social media. Photographs and posts showing you active, social, or minimizing your injury will be used against you. Say nothing about the case online.
- Georgia's statute of limitations for personal injury is generally two years from the date of the collision. Missing that deadline ends the case entirely. Do not wait.
Why Choose McDonald & Cody
- 400+ jury trials. 100% trial win rate. Over $100 million in total recoveries. When an insurance company knows McDonald & Cody is on a case, the dynamic shifts.
- The firm documented an automobile collision case where the insurance company offered $1.5 million. McDonald & Cody went to trial. The jury returned $4 million. That is the difference preparation makes.
- We have the financial resources to take any case to its conclusion without being forced into a cheap settlement. We pay every litigation expense except medical bills. No loans. No advances against fees.
- Attorneys outnumber staff. You speak directly to your lawyer throughout your case, not a case manager or call center.
- Three generations of Georgia trial lawyers since 1969. Deep roots in this state's courts, communities, and legal landscape.
- Most cases conclude in approximately 18 months.
What Separates McDonald & Cody From Other Georgia Firms
Billboard and TV firms handle hundreds of car accident cases at once. Their business model depends on fast settlements. Every case they settle, even for less than it is worth, generates revenue. That works for them. It costs the client tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes hundreds of thousands, in recovery they were owed.
McDonald & Cody operates on a different model entirely. Fewer cases. More resources per case. Full trial preparation on every file. When the insurance company makes an offer, the firm evaluates it against what the case would likely return at trial and makes a recommendation based on that analysis. They do not recommend settling cheap because litigation is expensive. They settle when the number is right and go to trial when it is not.
That approach has produced documented results that run 2 to 4 times higher than initial settlement offers. It is not a coincidence. It is the direct result of how this firm operates.
Our Notable Case Results
$33 Million
non-confidential settlement
$17.2 Million
VERDICT (2025)
$14.5 Million
Confidential Settlement
$13.1 Million
Confidential Settlement
Call Us to Discuss Your Case
We review every inquiry at no charge. If we can help, we will tell you. If we cannot, we will say so.
You pay nothing unless we win. We pay every litigation expense except medical bills.
North Office: 838 U.S. Hwy 441 Business, Cornelia, GA 30531 | 706-778-7178
South Office: 4005 Hwy 365 South, Alto, GA 30510 | 706-778-5291
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