If you’ve sustained injuries in a truck crash in Atlanta, hiring experienced legal counsel can give you the best chance of recovering compensation for your injuries and losses. Contact Ted A. Greve & Associates PA for a free initial case review with a lawyer for truck accidents to learn how our firm will pursue the financial relief you need.
Why Should You Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer in Atlanta?
Retaining a Georgia truck accident attorney can provide you with critical advocacy and support during your recovery from a catastrophic truck crash. Here’s why.
The Importance of Legal Representation in Georgia Truck Accidents
An attorney can handle the details of your case against a truck driver or trucking company so you can focus on your treatment and rehabilitation. A lawyer’s experience can also help you pursue maximum compensation for your ongoing and anticipated expenses or losses.
How an Atlanta Truck Accident Attorney Can Strengthen Your Case
An attorney can help you develop and pursue a compelling injury claim by thoroughly investigating the truck crash to secure evidence, identifying potentially liable parties, documenting your injuries and ongoing and future losses, evaluating your legal options, and preparing persuasive arguments to pursue maximum compensation at the negotiating table or in court.
Understanding the Complexity of Truck Accidents vs. Car Accidents
Pursuing truck accident cases can be more challenging than car accident claims for several reasons, including:
- Truck accidents tend to cause more severe injuries and property damage, resulting in claims involving higher compensation amounts
- Truck accidents can involve complex pieces of evidence, such as truck driver logs, cargo manifests, and event data recorders (“black boxes”)
- Truck accidents can injure multiple parties, slowing the claim resolution process as trucking companies negotiate with multiple victims simultaneously
- Trucking companies may have complex corporate or insurance structures that conceal liable parties or the amount of insurance coverage available to compensate injured victims
Key Causes of Truck Accidents in Atlanta
Truck accidents happen all over Atlanta, and for a variety of reasons. Here’s a closer look at this issue.
Common Causes of Trucking Accidents
Some of the most frequent causes of truck accidents include:
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Tailgating or following too closely
- Improper or illegal turns and lane changes
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Distracted driving
- Drowsy or fatigued driving
- Driving under the influence
- Unsafe cargo loading
- Inadequate truck maintenance
Atlanta’s Most Hazardous Intersections and Areas for Trucks
According to crash data from the Georgia Department of Transportation, some of the most dangerous intersections in the Atlanta metro area include:
- Covington Highway and Panola Road
- Covington Highway and South Hairston Road
- North Hairston Road and Memorial Drive
- Godby Road and Old National Highway
- Tara Boulevard and Veterans Memorial Parkway
Regulations for Truck Drivers in Georgia
Many truck accidents occur because truck drivers violate state and federal trucking regulations. Some of the top regulations applicable to truck drivers include the hours-of-service rules, which limit the time truck drivers may spend on duty or behind the wheel to reduce the risk of fatigue. Other truck driver regulations include the requirement to conduct daily post-trip inspection reports and to inspect cargo before getting on the road and during the daily shift to ensure that the cargo remains secured.
How an Atlanta Truck Accident Attorney Can Assist
A Georgia truck accident lawyer can help you pursue your legal claims in several ways, including:
Accurate Calculation of Damages
Atlanta truck accident lawyers can determine the full extent of your ongoing and future losses and fight for maximum compensation for your expected needs. You need to include compensation for your anticipated future expenses or losses in your truck accident claim, as once you’ve resolved your claim, you cannot demand more compensation from an at-fault party when those future expenses arise.
Contending with Insurance Companies and Legal Obstacles
An attorney can deal with insurance companies on your behalf so you can focus on your treatment and rehabilitation. Lawyers can deal with insurance adjusters to protect you from tactics that insurers use to delay or minimize the value of your claim.
Information to Share with Your Lawyer for a Strong Case
You can help your attorney pursue the financial relief you need after a catastrophic truck accident by providing them with information and evidence that can support your injury claims, such as:
- The police crash report
- Photos or videos you took at the accident scene
- Dashcam footage from your vehicle
- Contact information for any eyewitnesses you spoke to at the accident scene
- Medical records of your recovery
- Copies of bills, invoices, and receipts for recovery expenses
- Your pay stubs if you take time off work or transfer to a part-time or light-duty position during your recovery
Liability in Truck Accidents: Who Can Be Held Responsible?
Recovering the full compensation you deserve depends in part on identifying all the potentially liable parties involved in the accident.
Chain of Liability: From Drivers to Manufacturers
Depending on the causes and circumstances of a truck accident, various parties may bear liability for the injuries and losses you’ve suffered due to a truck accident, such as:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The truck’s owner (if a third party)
- The cargo or shipping company
- The truck’s mechanics
- The truck’s manufacturer
- Manufacturers of auto parts used on the truck, such as tires or brakes
Identifying All Potential Sources for Fair Compensation
A truck accident lawyer in Atlanta can review the circumstances of your case to identify all possible sources of compensation that you can pursue in a truck accident claim, including insurance policies held by a liable truck driver or trucking company.
Your Guide to Winning a Truck Accident Case in Atlanta
Taking prompt action after getting into a truck accident in Atlanta, Georgia, can put you in the best position to seek maximum compensation for your harm. Here’s what you need to keep in mind.
Recovering Damages: Insights into What Victims Can Anticipate
In a truck accident claim, you may have the right to recover compensation for financial and personal losses arising from the injuries and property damage caused by the crash, including:
- Medical treatment and rehabilitation expenses
- Costs of long-term disability care
- Vehicle repair expenses or reimbursement of the fair value for a totaled vehicle
- Ongoing and future losses of income
- Physical pain and emotional distress or trauma
- Lost enjoyment or quality of life caused by disabilities or significant scarring or disfigurement
Navigating Through Georgia’s Statute of Limitations for Truck Accident Lawsuits
In Georgia, the statute of limitations imposes a deadline for filing a lawsuit after suffering injuries in a truck accident. In most cases, you have two years to file a lawsuit against an at-fault truck driver or trucking company. Courts strictly enforce statutes of limitations, dismissing cases filed outside the limitations period. Filing a lawsuit after the limitations period expires on your claim risks giving the truck driver or trucking company a basis to ask the court to dismiss your case regardless of the merits of your claim.
Making Your Case: Strategies to Strengthen Your Position and Expedite Resolution
Strategies for strengthening your case and pursuing financial relief can include reporting the crash to law enforcement as soon as possible after an accident, seeking immediate medical attention, following through with your doctor’s recommended treatment and rehabilitation, and gathering all accident reports, medical records, and documentation of your expenses and lost wages.
Frequently Asked Questions About Truck Accident Claims Answered
Common questions that injured victims have about truck accident claims include:
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Can I sue the truck driver’s trucking company?
You may have the right to sue the trucking company for a truck driver’s negligence if the driver works for the trucking company as an employee rather than an independent contractor. Alternatively, you can sue the trucking company for its direct negligence that caused the accident.
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Should I give the insurance company a statement?
The trucking company’s insurer may ask you for a written or recorded statement, but you should consult your truck injury attorney before agreeing to give a statement. The insurance company wants a statement to use against you to deny your claim.
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What if I share some of the blame for the accident?
Under Georgia’s comparative negligence rules, you may have the right to file a truck accident claim if you bear less fault for the accident than the other at-fault parties.
Following a truck accident in Atlanta, don’t wait to seek help pursuing financial compensation and accountability from the responsible truck driver or trucking company. Contact Ted A. Greve & Associates PA today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an Atlanta trucking accident attorney to discuss your legal options.
Hiring Ted A. Greve & Associates, P.A. Law Firm to Represent You
Following a truck accident in Atlanta, don’t wait to seek help pursuing financial compensation and accountability from the responsible truck driver or trucking company. Contact Ted A. Greve & Associates PA today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an Atlanta trucking accident attorney to discuss your legal options.
