Whitfield County Truck Accident Lawyer

Motor vehicle accidents are often traumatic, but a collision with a truck can be particularly brutal. You may have to deal with physical and emotional injuries, lost wages, and exorbitant medical expenses.

Truck drivers are trained employees who should be held to a high standard of safety and professionalism. The trucking industry as a whole is regulated by the US Department of Transportation which was enacted to manage truck drivers, their companies, the industry, and to maintain safety.

When truck drivers and/or their companies do not adhere to these safety standards, it is important to hold them accountable. It can be critical to retain the services of a Whitfield County truck accident lawyer. If you are unsure how to begin pursuing the compensation you deserve, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

What Are the Federal Safety Standards?

The US Department of Transportation issues detailed rules called the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. They refer to the distance truck drivers can travel during particular time periods, how many rest breaks they receive, what sort of cargo can be hauled in different sizes of trucks, and so on.

In any truck collision case, an investigative team should go to work immediately to discover whether the truck was in compliance with all federal rules, as well as any applicable state rules. Evidence that it was not in compliance can go a long way toward helping an injured party win a jury verdict or negotiate a substantial settlement.

However, trying to win compensation from a trucking company or its insurer can be more difficult than seeking damages after an accident with another driver. Trucking companies frequently respond to accident claims and will launch a full court press to try to show that their driver was not at fault. It can be beneficial for injured individuals to seel the legal advocacy of a Whitfield County truck accident lawyer.

Importance of Conducting Thorough Investigations

It is important to do a thorough investigation of the crash scene, including taking photographs and to examine the vehicles involved. Recording statements from all witnesses is also very useful. Witnesses to motor vehicle collisions can sometimes disappear, or their memories can fade. It is important to get them on the record as soon as possible.

One crucial piece of evidence to locate is the official driving logs that trucking companies maintain. These logs are designed to record which drivers worked certain highway routes, along with the amount of time the driver took for rest breaks. This is critical in showing whether the driver and the company were obeying the safety regulations.

The safety record of the particular driver involved in an accident will also be a very useful piece of information such as whether the driver has a history of carelessness, recklessness or refusal to follow the rules.

How a Whitfield County Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help

If the company’s management knew or should have known, that the driver was careless, then the company itself can be held liable. The company that leased the truck is another potential defendant. In some cases, a defect in the truck itself causes the accident – brake failure, for example, or inadequate headlights. If this is true, then the manufacturer of the vehicle may be ordered to pay damages.

As anyone injured in a truck accident may already be painfully aware, the physical harm caused by such a crash can be life-changing – broken bones, burns, spinal cord damage, head trauma, and paralysis, among others.

You may find that the personal injury protection limits on your insurance policy are overwhelmed by these costs. But you do not have to face these struggles alone. Contact a Whitfield County truck accident lawyer to can begin building a case for you.