As much as we rely on the goods and services brought into our communities by large commercial trucks, motorists in average 4,000-pound cars face a risk of serious and catastrophic injuries in fatalities in a collision with a truck, which may weigh as much as 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. Sadly, there were 5,837 large truck accidents with fatalities in the U.S. in a single recent year.
If you or a close family member suffered injuries in a truck accident in Duluth or the surrounding area, call the truck accident lawyers at González Torres Law for experienced representation by a law firm with exceptional results.
Why Choose Us for Your Truck Accident Lawyers In Duluth?
Truck accident claims present unique challenges due to the multiple possible liable parties. Instead of leaving your truck accident claim up to chance—or worse, up to the insurance company—choosing representation by González Torres Law provides the following advantages:
- First, a free evaluation of your case and representation at no cost to you until after we recover your compensation
- An experienced investigation to determine the cause of the accident, pinpoint the liable party, and present compelling evidence of liability
- Our over 20 years of combined experience behind your case
- A Duluth injury attorney dedicated to crafting a strong strategy tailored to the unique circumstances of your truck accident case
The bilingual law firm of González Torres Law welcomes clients from diverse populations. Let our knowledge, experience, and access to accident reconstruction experts, crash forensics specialists, and medical experts strengthen your claim.
What Causes Truck Accidents In Duluth?
Trucking companies, drivers, and other entities associated with the trucking industry must follow regulations put in place by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Unfortunately, it only takes a single act of negligence or corner-cutting to result in a devastating accident. The most common causes of truck accidents in Georgia include the following:
- Distracted driving
- Drowsy driving
- Speeding
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Unsafe lane changes
- Improper merging
- Improper passing
- Unbalanced or improperly secured loads
- Inadequate maintenance
- Defective parts or tires
- Impaired driving
- Inexperienced or under-trained driver
It typically requires a skilled investigation into all aspects of the accident to determine the cause, pinpoint the negligence that generated the cause, and identify the liable party and the appropriate insurance company.
What Types of Truck Accidents Result from Negligence or Reckless Actions?
When a driver, trucking company, negligent freight-loading company, or other entity causes a truck accident, it’s often destructive, causing many injuries and sometimes danger to entire communities. Common types of truck accidents seen in Duluth and throughout Georgia’s busy communities and congested roadways include the following:
- Rear-end collisions
- Sideswipes due to blind spots
- T-bone accidents in intersections
- Wide turn accidents
- Tire blowout accidents
- Truck rollovers
- Jackknife accidents
- Underride accidents (a car lodges under the truck’s trailer)
- Override accidents (a truck collides with a smaller car and rolls up and over it)
- Multi-vehicle pileups
- Truck-tire debris accidents
- Fuel spills
Truck accidents cause serious injuries and endanger communities when they carry toxic chemicals or combustible fuel products.
What Types of Injuries Happen in Commercial Truck Accidents In Duluth?
Accidents between trucks and smaller vehicles place the occupants of the smaller vehicles at a heightened risk of injuries or fatalities. About 70% of truck accident injuries occur to those in smaller vehicles and not to the truck driver. Common injuries include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures, including of the hips, limbs, ribs, pelvis, clavicle, and vertebrae
- Facial, dental, and external head injuries
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Burns
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Lacerations, contusions and abrasions
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Traumatic limb loss
Even those lucky enough to escape a truck accident with less serious injuries deserve compensation if they experience any financial losses, such as emergency room bills and the loss of a week’s pay. Those with catastrophic, life-altering injuries deserve the maximum compensation available for their losses.
If a loved one died in a truck accident in Georgia, the wrongful death lawyers at González Torres Law are ready to help close surviving family members recover compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit.
Proving Liability In a Georgia Truck Accident Case
It takes an array of entities to put a well-maintained, properly loaded truck on the road with a well-trained driver behind the wheel. When an accident occurs, common liable parties include the following:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- A negligent truck maintenance company
- A negligent freight loading company
- The manufacturer of a defective tire or part
In some cases, a meticulous investigation reveals responsible parties outside of the trucking industry, such as a road maintenance company that left a road hazard, a city road planning agency that designed a confusing intersection, or a third-party driver.
Proving liability for a truck accident requires showing evidence that the at-fault party owed a duty of care to others on the road, including the injury victim, they violated that duty, the violation directly caused the injury, and the injury victim suffered damages from the injury.
Proving and Recovering Damages In a Truck Accident Claim In Duluth
The final aspect of a successful truck accident compensation claim is proving that you suffered economic and non-economic damages from the injury. An experienced attorney from González Torres Law will examine your medical records and medical bills and consult with medical experts to determine any future costs as well as the level of pain you’re expected to experience until reaching maximum medical improvement.
Common damages recovered in successful cases include the following:
- Property damage
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Anticipated future medical costs
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss or diminished future earning capacity in disability cases
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for any catastrophic injury damages like loss of limb, disfigurement, vision or hearing loss, scarring, PTSD, or diminished quality of life
If you lost a loved one to fatal injuries in a truck accident, your family could receive wrongful death benefits from the at-fault party’s insurance or through a direct wrongful death lawsuit.
Call the Duluth Truck Accident Lawyers at González Torres Law Today
Suffering the pain and trauma of a truck accident with serious injuries and an uncertain future is overwhelming enough. By putting your claim in the hands of González Torres Law, you can focus on your physical and emotional recovery while we put every effort into achieving the best possible financial recovery in your Duluth truck accident claim. Call (770) 475-8186 today.