Truck accidents have some of the most severe consequences in Georgia. Since semi-trucks are so huge, damage from truck accidents can be particularly extreme, causing painful injuries that require months or even years of recovery and sometimes even permanent disability or death.
No matter the degree of your injuries and other damages from a truck accident, you are entitled to recover money for what you suffered. It’s time to contact an Austell truck accident attorney at John Foy & Associates and file your claim for compensation.
Contact our Austell personal injury lawyer today to discuss the details of your case.
What Are the Most Common Types of Truck Accidents?
There are a number of ways a truck accident can occur that doesn’t happen with other vehicles on the road. Because 18-wheelers are so large, there’s more of them to collide with other objects on Austell roads. Plus, they tend to have big blind spots that can make it easy for small vehicles like cars to ride in a hazardous location.
Some of the most common types of accidents that involve trucks are:
Rollovers
If the truck driver loses control of his or her vehicle, the truck or its cargo can slide, tip, and start to roll over onto its side. If other motorists are on the road, it can easily be hazardous, even deadly, for them as the truck falls.
Jackknifes
A jackknife can occur if the truck driver brakes hard and fast, causing the truck’s trailer to skid outward and form a 90-degree angle with the truck’s cab. This can collide with or trap other vehicles nearby on the road.
Squeeze Plays
When a large truck is going to make a right turn, the driver has to swing left first to get enough room. If other motorists try to pass the truck driver on the right, they can collide with or get “squeezed” in between the truck and the side of the road. Many car accidents with trucks have resulted from squeeze play, and it’s an extremely dangerous type of collision.
Tire Blowouts
If the truck driver or truck maintenance company fails to properly check and maintain the truck’s tires, a blowout can happen after many hours on the road. This can lead the truck to swerve suddenly and hit others on the road.
Blind Spots
All vehicles have a blind spot (an area around the vehicle that can’t be seen directly by the driver), but truck blind spots are especially significant. A truck driver must be careful to account for this blind spot when changing lanes or turning. Otherwise, it puts other vehicles driving near the truck in severe danger of collision or being forced off the road.
Rear-End Collisions
With more weight comes more room needed for the vehicle to stop, and trucks weigh tens of thousands of pounds. This increases the chances of rear-end collisions for trucks. Either truck drivers themselves or another motorist can fail to recognize how much room the truck needs before it can stop, which can lead to a rear-end collision with those in front.
Under-Ride Collisions
Rear-end collision with trucks can lead to one of the most deadly types of truck accidents: under-ride accidents. This is when a semi truck is hit by a vehicle so small it’s near the same height as the truck’s rear trailer, causing the smaller car to go underneath it completely.
Brake Issues
Brake-related accidents can also happen with trucks. This can be due to either:
- Improper maintenance or installation of the brakes, or aging brakes that weren’t repaired soon enough, leading to brake failure on the road
- Bad braking technique from the truck driver, which can lead to brake failure and the inability to stop correctly, or at all
Any vehicle can be involved in an accident, but the sheer mass and size of trucks increase the chances of accidents, and those accidents are usually severe or even deadly for anyone involved. A number of factors can be involved in a truck accident, and a truck accident lawyer in Austell can get to the root of the issue to hold those responsible liable for your damages.
How Often does Driver Fatigue Play a Role in a Truck Accident?
Unfortunately, driver fatigue plays a very large part in truck accidents, more so than you’d think. Despite the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations on hours of service, truck drivers are often given long work hours and strict deadlines for moving their cargo.
Although they should be allowed time to rest and given proper breaks, the pressure to complete trips on time leads drivers to skip their breaks and push through instead. As a result, truck drivers are fatigued on the road and low on sleep and food. Even an experienced truck driver who is used to driving tired isn’t immune to making mistakes or falling asleep behind the wheel.
Working With an Austell Truck Accident Lawyer
Because every truck accident is different, legal expertise is necessary. In addition to conducting a thorough and timely investigation of the cause of the accident, there are many other factors Austell truck accident attorneys must focus on regarding a successful case. Those factors include:
- Their knowledge of federal trucking violations and Georgia road laws
- Understanding how to collect and preserve evidence
- Looking for evidence that could be lost by trucking companies
- Knowing what damages can be collected
While you try to figure out what your next steps should be, talking to a truck accident lawyer should be the first thing you do. When you work with an experienced truck accident legal team, you are getting every possible resource in Austell to build your case.
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Distance is no obstacle. We work with clients across the country and make sure every one of them feels taken care of, no matter how far the call travels.
Your Truck Accident Lawyer Represents You, Not the Insurance Company
To insurance companies, you are just another claim they need to get out of the way to save time and money. Shortly after being in a truck accident, the at-fault party’s insurance company will try to contact you and have you settle. You can accept the money from the insurance company, however, you could be missing out on additional compensation you’re eligible to receive.
Trucking companies and their insurance providers will try to avoid liability and, therefore, have entire teams of investigators and advocates on standby. This will give them an upper hand with their rebuttal against your claim, and it will be difficult to handle this case alone. An Austell truck accident attorney will make sure you do not face the insurance company on your own.
Talk to an Austell Truck Accident Lawyer for Free
Don’t suffer alone if you’re dealing with the aftermath of a painful truck accident. At John Foy & Associates, we’ve represented truck accident victims for more than two decades. From our humble beginnings, we’ve grown to be one of the most respected and largest law firms helping personal injury victims all throughout Georgia.
We are dedicated to helping personal injury victims, like yourself, get the money they need to cover overwhelming medical bills and other expenses related to the truck accident. For a FREE consultation with one of our truck accident attorneys in Austell today, call us or complete our online contact form.
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