How a Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help You
If you are involved in a truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation. It is important to know how to file a claim, the time limit for doing so, and how much you may be eligible for. In some cases, you may be able to secure a settlement without having to go to court. Georgia’s negligence laws refer to the failure to exercise ordinary care in similar situations. This means that the truck driver in question was not upholding their duty to drive with ordinary care and diligence. The failure to uphold this duty can lead to a truck accident.
Driver error
A Georgia truck accident attorney will take a look at the role of the trucking company and driver’s behavior in causing the crash. Whether the trucking company failed to monitor the drivers’ blind spots or allowed an untrained driver to drive on the road, driver error may be a factor. Additionally, the trucking company may be responsible for the accident by not following federal rules regarding the number of hours a driver can work in a shift.
Tired truck drivers
A tired truck driver is a huge problem for your case – it will be difficult for you to find the right attorney to handle the claim if the driver was asleep at the wheel. In such cases, a Georgia truckaccidentlawyer will help you determine which party was at fault for the accident. It is also essential to keep in mind that a truck driver’s hours of service must be within the legal limit. This rule is especially important when the driver is driving for longer hours than is safe.
Speeding in a tractor trailer
A truck accident can be deadly. Statistically, someone dies in a truck accident every 16 minutes. In Georgia, about 50% of tractor trailer accidents are caused by out-of-state carriers. Nationwide, approximately 500,000 trucking accidents occur each year and 5,000 of them result in fatalities. Nearly 68% of these accidents occur on weekdays and occur in rural areas. Approximately 27% of drivers of tractor trailers have had at least one speeding conviction.
Punitive damages
If you are wondering whether you can collect punitive damages in a Georgia truck accident case, you need to be prepared to argue for these claims. Punitive damages are typically awarded for the negligence of a defendant. For example, drunk driving, or hit-and-run incidents, may not warrant punitive damages. These types of claims, however, are intended to punish bad behavior and discourage similar behavior.