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Truck Accident
Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyer
Not surprisingly, large truck accidents account for some of the worst – and most fatal – vehicle collisions on the roadways. If you or your family member have been hurt or even killed in a trucking accident, experienced Atlanta tractor trailer accident lawyers can help.
While it may seem straightforward that an accident involving a large tractor-trailer is more likely to cause severe damages, obtaining adequate compensation for your injuries is not always simple. Insurers for trucking companies notoriously undervalue claims, even for victims who have been seriously injured or killed.
- Delivery Trucks
- Overloaded Trucks
- Federal Trucking Regulations
- Unsafe Lane Changes
- What to Do After an Accident
- Top Ten Causes
Trucking Accident Facts
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (pdf) – the federal agency responsible for tracking highway collision data – 3,921 people were killed in the United States in 2012 in large truck crashes, and 104,000 people were injured. The organization defines large trucks as those vehicles weighing in excess of 10,000 pounds. During the same year, there were roughly 333,000 large tractor trailer collisions.
If you or a loved one were one of the hundreds of thousands of people involved in a trucking accident, our Atlanta personal injury lawyer can advise you of your rights.
Trucking Company Responsibilities
When a trucking company puts a truck driver on the road, the company has a duty to the public to make sure that its drivers are qualified and well-trained, and that its company policies encourage safe driving behaviors.
They also have a responsibility to conduct adequate background checks of a driver’s record, including any past alcohol or drug-related driving convictions or loss of commercial driver’s license status.
Unfortunately, many trucking companies fall short of or deliberately ignore this goal. Tractor trailer drivers are sometimes forced to drive for unreasonably long periods of time without rest in order to boost the company’s bottom line with quick deliveries.
These drowsy drivers are much more likely to cause a collision on the road, and when truck drivers take drugs or supplements – whether legal or illegal – to stay awake, the risk is even greater.
Trucking Company Safe Driving Practices
Because dangerous company policies promoting unsafe driving have landed some trucking groups in hot legal water in recent years, companies may have developed policies that are safer.
But if these safer policies are not actually followed or companies take advantage of policy loopholes, the move toward safer driving is only theoretical. Providing bonuses and incentives to truck drivers who exceed their driving-time goals, for instance, can be just as unsafe as having an official policy that does not allow for much rest.
How Can an Atlanta Truck Accident Attorney Help?
Skilled tractor trailer accident lawyers in Atlanta have experience analyzing trucking company policies and practices and assessing proper adherence to safety regulations.
We will thoroughly investigate whether the trucking company’s negligence or harmful actions contributed to causing your accident and negotiate compensation that is just and fair or ask the court to award the damages you deserve.
But if these safer policies are not actually followed or companies take advantage of policy loopholes, the move toward safer driving is only theoretical. Providing bonuses and incentives to truck drivers who exceed their driving-time goals, for instance, can be just as unsafe as having an official policy that does not allow for much rest.