Large commercial trucks are critical parts of the nation’s supply chain, bringing goods and services into and out of Georgia. Unfortunately, they are often involved in devastating collisions with other motorists. Commercial trucks, such as tractor-trailers, are immense and far outweigh standard cars, leaving motorists in smaller vehicles vulnerable to severe or catastrophic injuries in an accident.
If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries in an accident with a commercial truck, it’s crucial to have legal representation throughout the process of your injury claim to recover compensation.
Why Choose the Norcross Truck Accident Lawyers at González Torres Law?
Collisions involving commercial vehicles are much different than those involving passenger vehicles only. It’s important that you work with a Norcross injury attorney that understands this. In truck accidents, liability is complex due to the multiple potentially liable parties. They also deal with different laws and regulations, including those set by the FMCSA. By hiring a Norcross truck accident lawyer, you’ll have the following legal advantages:
- An investigation by a law firm with over two decades of combined experience to identify the negligence that caused the accident and pinpoint the liable party
- Access to resources such as the best accident reconstruction specialists and medical experts to provide the evidence you need for a compelling claim
- An assertive truck accident lawyer representing your best interests throughout negotiations for a settlement
- A trial-ready attorney preparing your case for court should the defendant’s insurance company deny or undervalue your claim
The attorneys at González Torres Law are ready to hear the details of your case in a free consultation and represent your interests at no cost to you until after we recover your damages.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents In Norcross
It takes many entities to keep a well-maintained truck with a properly balanced load on the road and operated by a qualified driver. If only one of those involved in putting a truck on the road violated their legal duty of care by cutting corners or acting carelessly, the results can be disastrous. Common causes of truck accidents in Norcross include the following:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Unsafe lane changes
- Improper merging
- Faulty truck tires or parts
- Inexperienced or under-trained driver
- Inadequate truck maintenance
- Unbalanced or improperly secured loads
After a truck accident, it takes an in-depth investigation to determine the cause of the accident, the correct liable party, and the appropriate insurance policy against which to file a claim. It takes clear evidence of liability to recover compensation for damages. Often, insurance companies point the finger at other parties or shift liability to the injury victim to protect their profits.
What Types of Truck Accidents Happen?
Trucks have extended blind spots, make wide turns, and require lengthy stopping times. It takes a well-trained driver with experience behind the wheel to minimize the risks of an accident. Still, in the U.S., there were 64 large truck accident fatalities in Georgia in 2022. The types of truck accidents seen in civil courts include the following:
- Rear-end collisions
- Sideswipes
- Forced roadway departures
- T-bone accidents
- Head-on collisions
- Rollover accidents
- Underride accidents (a car lodges below the truck’s trailer)
- Override accidents (a truck collides with a smaller vehicle and rides up and over the vehicle)
- Tire blowout accidents
- Cargo spill accidents
- Multi-vehicle pileups
Some truck accidents endanger entire communities, for example, when a fuel truck explodes after an accident or a toxic chemical spill during a crash.
Injuries In Norcross Truck Accident Claims
Motorists in family vehicles are at risk of severe or catastrophic injuries in an accident. Injuries in truck accidents range from mild injuries with temporary pain and a few days of missed pay with an emergency room bill to life-altering injuries leaving permanent disability or impairment. Injuries commonly cited in Georgia truck accident claims include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones, including limbs, hips, pelvis, ribs, clavicle, and vertebrae
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Internal organ injuries
- Burns
- Facial/dental trauma
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Spinal cord injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains and strains
- Traumatic limb loss
About 70% of truck accident injuries and fatalities occur to other motorists involved in the accident rather than the truck driver.
What Compensation Can I Expect From My Truck Accident Claim?
Truck accidents often cause economic hardship to families as well as physical pain, suffering, and sometimes disability and an uncertain future. A successful Norcross truck accident claim recovers compensation such as the following, depending on the circumstances of the case:
- Property damage
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss
- Lowered future earning capacity due to disability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for other damages that apply in some cases, including disfigurement, loss of limb, loss of vision, hearing loss, loss of consortium (the full physical and emotional relationship with another), or diminished quality of life
Tragically, a significant number of commercial truck accidents end in fatalities, leaving family members to suffer long-term economic damages as well as grief and anguish. In these cases, our Norcross wrongful death attorneys are here to help.
What to Do After a Truck Accident In Norcross
Truck accident scenes are chaotic and frightening. After an accident, you may be unable to do anything except wait for help; however, if you can safely use a cell phone—or ask an uninjured companion or bystander to use one for you—you can document critical evidence at the accident scene.
After a truck accident, take the following steps:
- First, call 911 to report the accident and request emergency services
- Use the phone’s camera to take photos of the damaged truck and your car
- Photograph the accident scene, including anything relevant like traffic signs, signal lights, debris, road hazards, or skid marks
- Take photos of visible injuries
- Add the contact information of the other driver
- Add the contact information of any eyewitnesses
Eyewitnesses are sometimes the key to a successful claim, especially when a truck accident happens in a place with no traffic cameras.
It’s important to go to a hospital straight from the accident scene for emergency treatment. Ask for a thorough medical examination to identify any injuries with delayed symptoms, such as whiplash, internal organ injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. Your medical report becomes critical evidence in a compensation claim.
However, in trucking collisions more than any other, it’s vital that you speak with a lawyer as soon as possible. In these situations, trucking companies and their insurance carriers have investigation teams that are dispatched to the scene almost immediately. If you don’t have a lawyer on your side, evidence may be lost as those companies build a case against you. Any attorney can preserve evidence and level the playing field for you and your family.
Reach Out to the Norcross Truck Accident Lawyers at González Torres Law
Truck accident claims require meticulous handling and assertive action to recover compensation through a settlement or court award for damages. Call González Torres Law for experienced representation in your Georgia truck accident claim (770) 475-8186.