Truck Accidents Attorneys
At The Werner Law Firm, we recognize that handling these cases requires a thorough understanding of commercial vehicle regulations on both the federal and state levels. Trucking companies are required to follow Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations concerning their equipment and their drivers’ hours of service. In Georgia, the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety is also charged with the task of adopting regulations regarding the safety of motor carriers (O.C.G.A. § 40-16-2). Driver fatigue is a common problem, as hours-of-service regulations are routinely violated. Careful examination of records after an accident often reveals serious, and even fraudulent, violations of safety regulations. However, trucking companies are only required to maintain many of those records for six months. Without obtaining those records before they are destroyed, the injured person or survivors of a person killed in a truck wreck have a much more difficult time proving the trucking company’s negligence. That’s when it becomes crucial to have an experienced
Georgia trucking accident attorney on your side.
The following presents facts and figures on large truck accidents and the serious damage they cause to our roadways each year. One out of nine traffic fatalities in 2007 resulted from a collision involving a large truck. In 2007, 413,000 large trucks (gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds) were involved in traffic crashes in the United States; 4,584 were involved in fatal crashes. A total of 4,808 people died (12 percent of all the traffic fatalities reported in 2007), and an additional 101,000 were injured in those crashes. In 2007, large trucks accounted for 8 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and 4 percent of all vehicles involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes. Seventy-five percent (75%) of fatalities in large truck crashes were occupants of other vehicles involved in the crash. Only 17% of fatalities involved drivers or occupants of large trucks.
Large trucks were much more likely to be involved in a fatal multiple-vehicle crash – as opposed to a fatal single-vehicle crash – than were passenger vehicles (82 percent (82%) of all large trucks involved in fatal crashes, compared with 59 percent (59%) of all passenger vehicles). Most of the fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred in rural areas (62%), during the daytime (66%), and on weekdays (78%). The percentage of large-truck drivers involved in fatal crashes who had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher was 1 percent (1%) in 2007. The BAC limit for all commercial vehicle operators in every state in the U.S. is 0.04 g/dL, half the legal limit of 0.08 for all other drivers.
A tractor-trailer accident lawyer in Atlanta knows that in all automobile accident cases, it is essential to take prompt measures to preserve evidence, investigate the accident, and enable physicians or other expert witnesses to thoroughly evaluate any injuries.
If you or a loved one is a victim of an automobile accident and needs a commercial truck crash attorney in GA.
Call The Werner Law Firm now at 770-VERDICT (770-837-3428).
The initial consultation is free,+ and if we agree to accept your case, our truck wreck lawyers will be near you.
We will work on a contingent-fee basis, meaning we are paid only if there is a monetary award or recovery of funds.
Don’t delay! You may have a valid claim and be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but a lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations expires.