Fulton County is located in the heart of Georgia. Full of major interstates and highways, residents of Fulton are used to encountering big rigs on the road. While Fulton County drivers may have experience driving next to truck drivers, negligent truckers can still cause serious accidents. If you or a loved one has been harmed because of a truck driver’s negligence, our Fulton County truck accident lawyer can help you recover rightful compensation for your injuries.
Bey & Associates, LLC fights for the rights of those who have been injured. We understand how devastating a truck accident can be. Because of a truck’s size and weight, there’s a higher chance of the accident resulting in catastrophic injury or death.
When our truck accident lawyers look into your case, we’ll look for what happened, who made the mistake, how it resulted in your injuries, and the total cost of the accident. Then we’ll fight to maximize your compensation. When we determine the type of accident that occurred, it could provide insight into who the negligent party is. Let’s take a look at the kinds of truck accidents that occur in Fulton County.
What Kinds of Truck Accidents Can Occur in Georgia?
Trucks can pose a bigger danger on the road compared to other vehicles because of the types of accidents they can be involved in. Unfortunately, once the truck driver loses control of the vehicle, there’s little they can do to reverse what’s happening.
- Rollover. In a rollover accident, the truck will tip over on its side. This is typically caused by something lifting the wheels of the truck off the road and the weight of the truck causes it to roll over. The driver could sustain serious injuries as well as any other drivers hit by the truck.
- Jackknife. A jackknife occurs when the trailer swings out from behind the tractor and moves forward. This can occur if the driver is speeding or if the cargo in the trailer isn’t secured.
- Override/Underride. When the front of a truck goes over the trunk of a car in front of it, or when the front of a car gets caught under the rear of a truck, the car can become stuck and the truck can shear off the top of the car. This can cause severe catastrophic injuries for those inside the car.
After we’ve determined the details of your accident, we’ll look into why it happened. There can be many reasons why your accident happened, but they’ll have one thing in common: negligence. Your accident and injuries were preventable, and our Fulton County truck accident lawyer is here to stand up for you.
Why Do Fulton County Truck Accidents Happen?
After a truck accident, you may think the person who caused the accident was the truck driver. If this was the case, they may have exhibited the following forms of negligence:
- Fatigued Driving. Truck drivers often have to drive for hours at a time over the course of multiple days. If they try to push through exhaustion to meet deadlines, they may be drowsy when they’re behind the wheel. This can lead to delayed reactions, poor decision making, and falling asleep at the wheel.
- Distracted Driving. A truck driver may be distracted by their phone, radio, food, or if they’re reaching for something in the seat next to them. When a driver is distracted, they often won’t see what’s happening in front of them and can veer out of their lane and cause an accident.
- Speeding. A Large Truck Crash Causation Study showed that most rollover crashes happened because of a truck driver failing to adjust speed when the road curved, mostly with on or off-ramps. Trucks need more time to slow down to come to a complete stop and need to safely turn the vehicle. If a truck driver takes a turn too quickly, they could lose control of the truck and it could roll over.
- Use of Drugs/Alcohol. Truck drivers may turn to illicit substance abuse or they could even be taking over the counter medicine that causes drowsiness. Drugs and alcohol severely impair a driver and they will not be able to make quick decisions when they’re behind the wheel. Over the counter medicine that makes the driver tired can also have a similar effect.
However, it’s possible the truck driver was not at fault for your injuries. The liable party may not be at the scene of the accident. If the trucking company was at fault, they may have made one of the following mistakes:
- Improper Loading. Trucks come in different sizes and this means certain trucks will only be able to carry a certain amount of cargo. Overloading the truck or failing to secure the cargo inside could lead to the driver losing control of the trailer and hitting other drivers on the road.
- Poor Truck Maintenance. Trucks are supposed to be inspected to make sure they’re road-ready. Skipping maintenance could mean putting a truck on the road with faulty or failing brakes, worn tires, or other mechanical issues, like with steering or the headlights.
If a faulty truck part failed while the driver was on the road, then the auto part manufacturer may be held liable for the accident and resulting injuries. No matter who the negligent party is, you need reliable Fulton County truck accident attorneys by your side who will represent your best interests.
How Can a Fulton County Truck Accident Lawyer Help You?
Seeking compensation after someone else caused your injuries can be more difficult than you’d think. The other party may try to place some of the blame on you. This way, they will not have to cover the full damages of the accident.
Because Georgia is a modified comparative negligence state, you can recover damages if you are found to be less than 50% at fault for the accident. However, if you were found to be 20% or 30% at fault for the accident, that percentage is taken out of your compensation. Having a lawyer to fight for you will give you the best chance of recovering 100% of the damages.
After an accident, you will have incurred economic and noneconomic damages. Your economic damages refer to any monetary losses from the accident. Your medical expenses and lost wages are major components in this, as you may require future care and could miss work while you recover. The other side of the losses you can recover is noneconomic damages, which cover items like pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. With our Fulton County lawyers from Bey & Associates, LLC are at your side, you’ll have peace of mind knowing we’re going to fight for you to receive maximum compensation.
Beginning your legal journey starts with a phone call. Call us today so we can schedule a free consultation to go over the merits of your case and the best way for you to proceed.
