Commercial trucks with long or short commutes are often large and heavy, which makes them difficult to drive safely. Even though truck drivers are specially trained in driving their massive trucks, accidents can and do happen.
If you or a loved one are injured in a commercial truck accident in the Sugar Hill or Atlanta area, contact “The Strong Arm” John Foy from John Foy & Associates. John Foy is a professional and highly experienced Sugar Hill truck accident lawyer who is closely involved in the Georgia community.
Types of Sugar Hill Truck Accidents
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) identified common causes of large truck accidents. Accidents can be caused by distracted or impaired truck drivers, badly maintained trucks, truck drivers speeding, or truck drivers driving so unsafely that it endangers everyone on the road. Other times, trucks can even be fitted with faulty brakes or tires, or other defective equipment.
Some common types of truck accidents are:
- Head-on accidents: Studies show that truck drivers cannot see cars closer than 20 feet away. At night, visibility is even worse, and deadly head-on accidents can happen.
- Jackknife accidents: Trucks are very heavy. When conditions force a truck to slam on brakes, the trailer can slide away from the cab, causing major accidents.
- No-zone accidents: A large truck has large blind spots on all sides. Regular vehicles in these spaces cannot be seen by truck drivers, putting them at risk of being hit.
- Rollover accidents: Sometimes, cargo can shift in the back of the truck. A sudden shift can cause the truck to flip over and roll into other vehicles.
- Side impact accidents: When a truck driver doesn’t pay enough attention at an intersection, they can strike other vehicles, resulting in “T-bone” accidents.
- Underride accidents: Large trucks require special guards on the backs of their trucks to be able to stop in time. Sometimes, truck companies do not install these special guards, which can cause them to be unable to stop in time if they are following too closely behind another car.
These types of accidents can lead to very complicated and very time-consuming lawsuits. Trucking companies can have deep pockets and hire large teams of attorneys who will work together to make sure you get paid as little as possible.
Fighting these companies is very difficult. You need a skilled and experienced Sugar Hill truck accident attorney on your side.
How the Truck Accident Claims Process Works
The first thing that you should do after you or a loved one is injured in a truck accident is contact a truck accident lawyer in Sugar Hill. Most truck accident claims work the same way. First, after looking over your claim, your lawyer will make a demand for payment from the company responsible.
At this point, there is normally negotiation between your lawyer and the lawyers working for the company or their insurance provider.
Filing the Lawsuit
If your lawyer cannot negotiate an acceptable agreement, they will file a lawsuit. Surprisingly, your claim usually will not have to reach the lawsuit stage. Large companies are forced to pay expensive attorneys expensive hourly rates to fight your claim.
While they want to pay you as little as possible, it is in their best interest to settle the claim quickly, because a long and drawn-out legal proceeding can end up costing them more in legal fees than they would have paid you to start with. If a lawsuit does have to be filed, negotiations will continue. Very few cases actually reach trial.
This is because reaching trial is a process that can take several years and is very expensive for anyone who pays their attorneys by the hour. If your case does go to trial, this means that a jury will hear evidence from both sides’ lawyers and then decide who was responsible for the accident and how much the trucking company should pay. Juries are normally sympathetic to regular people fighting against large companies.
Sugar Hill Truck Accident Lawyer Near Me 404-400-4000
Damages Available
According to the FMCSA, there were 5,417 settlements arising from large carrier truck accidents alone in the last year the statistic was measured.
Injuries in large truck accidents can be catastrophic, causing serious disability or even death. Awards for victims of these accidents can be hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. Every case is unique, however, and your recovery will depend on your case.
Your lawyer can help you put together a list of all of your injuries. These injuries can be broken down into two types of damages: economic damages, which are damages that have a set and easier to calculate the amount, or non-economic damages, which are more subjective. The types of compensation usually sought in truck accidents are damages such as:
Economic:
- Lost wages
- Hospital bills
- Travel costs, if you need to go out of town to see the doctor
- At-home nursing care
- Costs of physical therapy or rehabilitation
- Medical devices
- Repair or replacement costs for your car
- Coverage for household services (cleaning, cooking, etc.) if you are disabled and have to hire someone to perform these duties.
Non-economic:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Scarring
- Disfigurement
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of enjoyment of life
When gross negligence, like drunk driving, is involved, it might also be possible to get punitive damages. These are extra damages that are meant to punish the defendant and deter future similar conduct.
Contact a Truck Accident Attorney in Sugar Hill
If you or a loved one were the victims of a truck accident, it can be scary or overwhelming to go up against a large company. You need the help of an experienced and professional truck accident attorney to get the justice that you deserve.
“The Strong Arm” John Foy is very experienced in truck accident cases. John Foy has won many large settlements and verdicts for his clients. He is closely involved in the Atlanta area and Georgia as a whole. He cares deeply about the struggles of everyday Georgians who were injured in truck accidents. John Foy has almost 30 years of experience fighting for his clients.
Call or text 404-400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form