At some point in our lives, most of us will be involved in some kind of motor vehicle accident. Thankfully, most of these are minor. However, some of these accidents are serious, even life changing. One of the most dangerous types of accidents are tractor trailer accidents. If you’re involved in this sort of accident, you’ll be lucky to walk away from the crash. Many of the clients our Atlanta truck accident lawyers represent have suffered some pretty serious injuries. Not surprisingly, many of these clients are entitled to a significant amount in damages.
Here, we’ll explain why tractor trailer accidents are so dangerous. We’ll also discuss what your truck accident attorney in Georgia will have to do to prove your case. Finally, we’ll describe what kind of damages your attorney can demand on your behalf.
Since we offer our new clients a free, initial consultation, it’s worth your time to sit down with one of our attorneys. Let them review your case and determine if you have a valid claim. If so, they’ll likely be willing to represent you in tractor trailer accidents lawsuits against the defendant. If your claim doesn’t appear to have merit, they’ll let you know this too. They don’t want to get anybody’s hopes up unfairly. And, since the consultation is free, you have nothing to lose.
The Sheer Size of the Tractor Trailer Increases the Odds that You’ll Be Seriously Injured
When you think about it, a tractor trailer is about ten times the size of a passenger car or SUV. This doesn’t include the heavy load the truck is carrying. When a vehicle of this size smashes into your passenger car, the impact is incredible. It doesn’t matter if you’re going 25 miles per hour or 55 miles per hour, there’s a good chance your car will be destroyed. Sadly, there’s also a good chance you and your fellow passengers will be seriously injured as well.
Our Atlanta truck accident lawyers met with victims who required multiple surgeries to repair their injuries. Many of them also endure months of physical therapy. Depending on the nature of their injuries, they may never be able to work again. Unfortunately, there are some truck accident victims who don’t survive tractor trailer accidents. Their injuries are just too severe for them to overcome.
Your Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyer Will Still Have to Prove Fault
Given the size differential involved in truck accidents, one would assume that the trucker is always at fault. And, while it is true that tractor trailer drivers are the culprit in truck accidents, your truck accident attorney in Georgia still has to prove fault. They do this the same way they do in any other sort of accident – by proving negligence.
In order to collect damages, your lawyer will have to demonstrate the following:
- The truck driver owed you a duty of care – This shouldn’t be that hard to prove. All drivers owe a duty of care to other drivers. At a minimum, all drivers must obey the traffic laws. However, for commercial drivers, the duty is much greater. They also have to follow the guidelines set forth by the Federal Motor Carriers Association. If they violate any of their rules, they will be deemed in breach of their duty in causing tractor trailer accidents.
- You must also show that the trucker breached their duty of care – Your lawyer must submit evidence showing that the defendant specifically breached a certain duty. You can do this by submitting a copy of the police report.
- Of course, you must prove that you were injured – As long as you went to the emergency room immediately following your truck accident, this shouldn’t be an issue.
- Your injuries must have been caused by the defendant’s breach of duty – Unless the defendant can show that something other than the crash intervened and caused your injuries, this will not be hard to demonstrate.
Once you’ve proven negligence, you’ll need to prove your damages.
Not Surprisingly, the Damages in Tractor Trailer Accidents are Significant
Unlike many other motor vehicle accident cases, the damages in tractor trailer accidents are usually significant. Given the nature of severity of the injuries involved, this should come as no surprise. In most tractor trailer accident cases, our clients are entitled to some or all of the following:
- Medical bills – The defendant (or their employer) will be held liable for any medical bills you incur as a result of the crash.
- Future medical bills – If your doctor believes you’ll need future surgeries or other care, the defendant will be held accountable for the costs of this care.
- Lost wages – if you miss more than a week from work, the defendant will have to compensate you for any lost wages.
- Lost future income – if your injuries are so bad that you can’t do the same kind of work after the accident, you can demand compensation. Your Atlanta truck accident lawyer will demand that you be paid the difference between what you would’ve earned and what you will now earn given your injuries.
- Property damage – If your car or SUV was damaged or destroyed, the defendant must pay to fix or replace it.
- Pain and Suffering – Most truck accident cases involve a significant amount of pain and suffering. These damages are meant to compensate you for any mental or physical anguish caused by the accident.
Our Seasoned Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyers Will Fight to Get You the Money You Deserve
We understand why so many truck accident victims retain our truck accident attorneys in Georgia. The injuries suffered in this kind of accident are tremendous. There is no way an accident victim would be able to fight with the insurance company in this condition. It’s important that you be able to focus on getting better. The last thing you need is dealing with insurance claims and lawsuits related to tractor trailer accidents. Our Atlanta truck accident lawyers have decades of combined experience handling these types of cases. Not only do they know the law, but they also know how to negotiate a settlement with the insurance adjusters.
We recommend that you contact our office as soon as possible after your crash. Since there will likely be more than one defendant, it can take some time to prepare your case. You don’t want to wait until the last minute to hire an attorney. The longer they have to work on your case, the better prepared they will be. This will also give them time to gather the evidence necessary to prove your case.
We offer all new clients a free, initial consultation. You should take advantage of this. Sit down with someone who will work hard to get you the compensation you deserve. You can bet the defendant will have a team of lawyers working for them and you should too.
