When driving in Georgia, you have to share the road with big trucks. Even if you’re simply in the passing lane, this may be nerve-wracking. When you’ve been struck by a truck, you want to know that your case is in good hands. Accidents involving trucks may be considerably more severe and difficult than car crashes.
Truck accidents are unfortunately common, resulting in hundreds of injuries and deaths each year across the country. Marc Brown Law Firm works for fair compensation for truck accident victims.
Georgia Trucking Laws
Car accident victims in Georgia are entitled to compensation for injuries caused by careless drivers under Georgia law. Georgia’s basic traffic regulations must be followed by all drivers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations apply to both commercial truck drivers and the firms that employ them. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations limit how many hours truckers can travel in a single day. They also make it illegal for drivers to operate a commercial truck if they are too sick or tired to do so safely. Many drivers, in any case, exceed the number of hours they’re supposed to be on the road.
A valid commercial driver’s license is required for commercial truck drivers. They may require certification for the truck they are driving. They must demonstrate that they are medically fit to operate a truck. Commercial drivers are required by federal law to have liability insurance with minimum amounts ranging from $750,000 to $5,000,000, depending on the type of driving they do.
After A Truck Accident, What Should You Do?
Stop your car and, if feasible, move it off the road to a safe location. If anyone involved in the collision requires immediate medical attention, dial 911. If no one needs immediate assistance, contact the local police department to have an officer dispatched to the location. Fill out an official Georgia accident report with the officer and make sure you save a copy.
It is also critical that you photograph the accident site as many times as possible. This enables you to completely depict what occurred. It’s also crucial that you don’t depart without giving the truck driver your insurance information.
Take down the names and contact information of any witnesses to the accident. Get medical attention as soon as possible following the accident. Last but not least, contact the Marc Brown Law Firm in Georgia to hire a Georgia truck accident lawyer.
In the event of a trucking accident in Atlanta, Georgia, you may be entitled to compensation.
After suffering catastrophic injuries or losing a loved one in a trucking accident, it’s normal for a trucking accident victim to feel overwhelmed and terrified. It just takes a fraction of a second for a person’s life to be forever altered. If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident, you do not have to deal with the courts and settlements on your own. Our Georgia truck accident lawyers understand how traumatic being involved in a truck accident can be and a wrongful death lawyer in Georgia can navigate any fatal injury resulting from a truck accident.
Common Causes of Georgia Truck Accidents
Trucks can legally weigh up to 80,000 pounds, far exceeding the 4,000-pound weight of smaller vehicles. A truck accident can cause severe or catastrophic harm to those in smaller, lighter vehicles. The most common causes of truck accidents in Georgia include the following:
- Speeding
- Unsafe lane changes (blind spot accidents)
- Distracted driving
- Improper merging
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Tailgating
- Wide turns
- Improper braking
- Tire blowouts
- Improper passing
- Mechanical failures
- Defective parts
- Impaired driving
- Drowsy driving
In some cases, truck accidents result from factors unrelated to the trucking industry. For example, when a road maintenance agency neglects to repair a pothole, uneven lanes, missing guardrails, or other dangerous road conditions, or when a road planning agency designs a dangerous intersection.
An experienced truck accident attorney investigates the accident to determine the cause, the negligence that led to the accident, and the liable party. An injury victim’s attorney’s goal is to prove liability and protect their client’s best interests throughout the process. Meanwhile, the insurance companies involved investigate the accident, with protecting their profits as their primary objective.
Why Truck Accidents Are More Serious Than Other Accidents
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), over 70% of truck accident injuries and fatalities occur to motorists in other vehicles, not to the truck drivers. Because of the immense size and weight disparity, cars absorb the brunt of crash forces, often causing the vehicle’s structure to collapse. In some cases, smaller vehicles become wedged below a truck’s trailer during a collision, causing severe trauma to the motorists’ heads and upper bodies. Override accidents may also occur when a truck’s large tires cause it to roll over a smaller vehicle.
Truck accidents often trigger multi-vehicle crashes because their extended length blocks multiple lanes of fast-moving traffic.
Finally, some truck accidents in Georgia impact entire communities by spilling toxic chemicals or causing explosions.
Types of Georgia Truck Accidents
Trucks are unwieldy, make wide turns, and require extensive braking time. They also have extended blind spots on both sides, increasing the risk of an accident, primarily when driven by an inexperienced or fatigued driver. The most common types of truck accidents include the following:
- Sideswipes
- Rear-end collisions
- T-bone accidents (angle collisions or broadside accidents)
- Head-on collisions
- Rollover accidents
- Tire blowout accidents
- Underride accidents
- Override accidents
Multi-car pileups are also often attributable to truck accidents on multi-lane highways when other vehicles are unable to stop in time to avoid adding further collisions to an accident scene.
Truck Accident Injuries In Georgia
Because truck accidents cause extensive damage to other vehicles, injuries are often severe. Even a truck accident victim who is fortunate enough to escape with few injuries may quickly face financial consequences from a single emergency room bill and a few days of lost pay. In other cases, a truck accident victim may face catastrophic, life-altering injuries. Common injuries named in Georgia truck accident cases include the following:
- Single or multiple bone fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries, such as sprains, tendon injuries, and torn ligaments
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- External head, facial, and dental injuries
- Internal organ injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Traumatic amputations
- Burns
- Toxic exposures
In the worst cases, truck accident injuries result in the wrongful death of a motorist. While no legal process can erase the harm caused to grieving loved ones, a wrongful death claim can recover financial compensation and a sense of justice to those left behind after a fatal truck accident.
Who Is Liable In a Georgia Truck Accident Claim?
The trucking industry is complex, requiring multiple parties to ensure trucks are well-maintained, safely loaded, and driven by qualified, alert drivers. When a trucking company cuts corners, deviates from FMCSA regulations, or otherwise fails to take reasonable actions, they are liable for damages to injury victims directly harmed by their breach of the legal duty of care.
Common liable parties in Georgia truck accident cases include the following:
- Truck drivers
- Trucking companies
- Truck maintenance companies
- Freight loading companies
- The manufacturer of a defective truck tire or part
- A third-party driver
In other cases, a liable party in a truck accident case could be a road maintenance or road-planning agency if they caused or contributed to the accident. A Georgia truck accident attorney pursues compensation from all liable parties in an accident claim under the state’s modified comparative negligence laws.
Economic And Non-Economic Damages
When one individual or corporation is to blame for an accident, however, the wounded plaintiffs have the right to seek financial compensation for a variety of economic and non-economic losses, including:
- Medical bills, such as fees for mobility assistance, prescription drugs, surgery, and medical equipment
- Burial expenses if another person has died in the accident
- Lost wages and future income loss
- Expenses for rehabilitation and therapy, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, and other types of treatments
- Compensation for loss of consortium, pain, and suffering, support, guidance, and loss of comfort
- Catastrophic injury damages for life-altering permanent injuries, such as disfigurement, permanent scarring, the loss of an organ, traumatic limb loss, vision damage, loss of hearing, loss of enjoyment of life, or diminished quality of life
- Wrongful death benefits to a surviving family member
A skilled truck accident attorney consults with medical experts and occupational therapists to maximize the compensation available for an injury victim’s damages after a truck accident in Georgia.
How Can a Georgia Truck Accident Lawyer Help Me?
Trucking companies often fail to cooperate with investigations and may even hide evidence, such as black box data and driving logs. Even worse, their powerful insurance providers are not on the injury victim’s side. Their goal to protect profits conflicts with your right to full and fair compensation for your losses. A truck accident lawyer from Marc Brown Law Firm will do the following:
- Handle all communication with the defendant and insurance companies
- Protect your interests throughout every stage of the process
- Conduct an independent investigation into all aspects of the truck accident
- Identify one or more liable parties
- Document evidence of liability to make a compelling claim on your behalf
- Carefully calculate damages to maximize the amount available to you in your claim
- Send their findings to the insurance company and then begin assertive negotiations to seek the maximum compensation for your damages
- Advise you about a settlement on your behalf
Less commonly, a truck accident claim requires court litigation to secure the compensation an injury victim deserves through a jury award for their damages. Over 90% of truck accident cases end with settlements, but a trial-ready attorney from Marc Brown Law Firm will determine whether a lawsuit is appropriate in your case. If so, the next step is to develop and execute a strong strategy to recover your losses in court if the insurance company fails to offer an acceptable settlement for your damages.
Contact Our Georgia Truck Accident Lawyer Today
You and your family may hold the negligent people and/or company accountable while also ensuring you receive the financial compensation you need to go ahead with your life by filing a Truck accident claim. Truck accident lawsuits are extremely tough to win in court, but with the assistance of our skilled Atlanta injury attorneys, your claim can be successful.
We have the proven experience you need to handle truck accident cases at Marc Brown Law Firm.