We’ve all experienced close encounters with a large, overpowering, 18-wheeler on the highway. It is a terrifying feeling. Tractor-trailer accidents are devastating. When a semi-truck crashes into a car, SUV or truck, the results can be catastrophic. Injuries include broken bones, cuts, bruises, whiplash, spinal cord injuries, brain damage, paralysis, disfigurement or death. With three major interstates running through Macon, Georgians see more than their fair share of trucking accidents and unfortunately bodily injury as well.
According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration statistics for truck accidents, 2018 saw over 5,096 fatal crashes involving large trucks and buses. In that same year, 112,000 large trucks were involved in injury crashes. Large trucks were also responsible for 414,000 crashes involving property damage only.
Macon Truck Accident Representation
Many factors can contribute to large truck accidents but when a commercial truck driver ignores the rules of the road, their actions can be considered negligent, especially when these actions affect other drivers on the road. There are safety standards set by the government as well as trucking or logistics companies. Violating these standards may be considered negligent acts. If you’ve been injured in a wreck with a commercial truck driver please give us a call. Our truck accident attorneys have decades of experience dealing with trucking companies and their insurance and legal representation. Let us access and navigate all the options for you to ensure you receive maximum compensation for your trucking injury case.
What are the leading causes of 18 wheeler accidents?
- Truck Driver Error: Driver error is a broad term that can encompass many actions, or in some cases, failures to act. Trucks travel long distances on highways and may need to travel at high speeds in order to meet their distances and drop-off deadlines. In addition, semitrucks require a great deal of care to handle, and this necessity of care is increased in poor weather conditions. Failure to take this extra care can result in accidents.
- Fatigued Driving: Many times, truck drivers drive long distances without breaks to meet deadlines. This presents a high danger of the driver falling asleep at the wheel. This can be disastrous enough in an ordinary car, but trucks present a much greater danger. At times, trucking companies require drivers to check in, or allot their drivers periods of rest in an effort to avoid these accidents.
- Poor Truck Maintenance: Trucks hauling products are often part of a greater fleet, which is often either leased by a separate company, or is part of a greater company selling these products. Due to the long distances trucks must travel, a lot of strain is placed on these vehicles. Many companies, and some states, have regulations for ensuring that these vehicles are in working order. Trucks that are in poor maintenance can blow a tire, or have their brakes fail. These occurrences significantly increase the likelihood that an accident will occur.
- Distracted Driving: When a truck driver is on the road, they should preoccupy themselves with making sure they do no not endanger themselves, their cargo, or anyone else on the road. Any distractions that a driver may expose themselves to can cause an accident.
- Poorly trained or unqualified truck drivers: A trucking company could also be negligent in hiring of truck drivers and their supervision.
Types of Injuries Seen in Semi-Truck Accidents
- Traumatic Injuries: A traumatic injury is any injury that may be likely to cause severe injury or death to a person. Due to the size, speed, and weights of trucks, when they collide with anything or flip over, they are bound to cause injuries to anyone caught within the radius.
- Fatal Injuries: Unfortunately, wrongful death can be more common in accidents involving commercial trucks and buses. For as many safety features as the modern automobile may employ, trucks have such heavy mass that they can easily destroy a car, which can seriously or fatally injure anyone who may be inside.
Truck Accident Lawsuits in Macon
When a person is injured in a truck accident, and the driver’s actions were in some way negligent, the injured party may be able to file a lawsuit. In truck accidents, the truck may belong to a fleet company, who may be responsible for ensuring that their drivers are properly trained, as well as given adequate time to rest, and that vehicles are properly maintained. It may be possible to name these companies as defendants in these lawsuits, especially if facts are uncovered that show unsafe behavior on their part.
Truck accident cases are similar to motor vehicle accidents but much more complex. If you’ve been injured or a loved one has died in a truck accident in Georgia it is very important to have an experienced truck accident attorney who knows how to handle the complicated process of truck accidents and how to win these cases.
What are the types of damages in trucking accident lawsuits?
When a person files a lawsuit over a trucking accident, there is often a wide array of damages they may claim from the results of the accident, due to the serious and heavily impactful nature of these incidents.
- Medical Bills: One of the most common causes for filing a lawsuit is for a person to get the individual responsible for their injuries to pay for the medical costs associated with the injuries. In truck accidents, individuals harmed in the accident can face very severe injuries, due to the nature of these incidents.
- Funeral Costs: A sad truth of this matter is that such an impactful accident can cause the loss of life. If the case is a wrongful death case, a deceased person’s family or another representative may seek damages for the funeral costs associated with the loss of their loved one.
- Loss of Property/Property Damage: Trucks are large vehicles carrying actual tons of weight. If a truck were to collide with a smaller car, through any means, the car is more than likely to be destroyed or rendered inoperable from the impact. In a case for a trucking accident, the plaintiff may demand damages for loss or damage to their vehicle.
- Loss of Income: Trucking accidents can result in severe injuries, and it is very possible that a person or a family may not have access to income following these accidents. This may warrant the demand for damages for loss of income. This is true in wrongful death cases as well and can take the form of lost income that the deceased person would have earned if they had lived.
Macon Truck Crash Attorney
Trucking accidents are specialized cases that need an experienced truck accident lawyer to ensure full financial recovery. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a trucking accident, contact Gautreaux Law immediately. Macon truck accident attorney Jarome Gautreaux has the experience and resources needed to develop your case and get you fully compensated.
Call 478-238-9758 or Toll Free 888-876-6935. Free consultation. No fees until we recover money for you.
