Mountain View, GA Truck Accident Lawyers

If you’ve ever seen a truck accident firsthand, it’s likely a sight you’ll never forget. The wreckage of a tractor-trailer, cargo across the road, totaled vehicles, and injured victims—these are just a few of the outcomes you’ll commonly see after a Mountain View truck collision. The cleanup can take hours or even days, especially if toxic chemicals are involved.

Fortunately, victims have options when they’re injured in a truck accident. They can demand full and fair compensation from the at-fault party. Let us help you seek justice; call Bailey Javins & Carter at 678-981-5370.

What Caused Your Truck Accident?

Figuring out what caused your truck collision can put you in a better position to determine the liable party and demand fair compensation. Luckily, there is a lot of research on truck accidents and what causes them. Some of the most commonly reported causes of crashes include:

• Congested traffic or trying to get around another collision
• Driving too fast for weather or road conditions
• Unfamiliarity with roadways
• Inadequate surveillance
• Fatigue
• Use of prescription or non-prescription medication
• Brake problems
• Distracted driving

A small percentage of crashes are the result of equipment failure. Trucks are under an enormous amount of strain every day, which makes equipment failures more likely. For example, overworked or overloaded tires may blow out, causing a truck to crash or even roll over. Brake failures may take away all driver control, forcing them to ride out their current momentum and hope that they don’t collide with anyone.

However, most crashes aren’t due to unsafe roads or equipment issues—they are due to human error. Drivers make mistakes every single time they get behind the wheel, and truck drivers are not immune to these mistakes. But when they drive while fatigued, impaired, or distracted, they take unnecessary risks that have a very real possibility of ending in fatalities.

The Catastrophic Damage Caused by Truck Collisions

In the aftermath of a truck accident, it’s easy to see how they can result in millions of dollars of damages. To start, consider property damage. Any vehicle that collides with a tractor-trailer is likely to need incredibly expensive repairs or be completely totaled. A multi-vehicle collision could leave numerous vehicles unroadworthy. And that’s before you consider damage to fixed structures, such as bridges, roadways, guardrails, medians, signs, and buildings. This damage isn’t quite so easy to repair—just one destroyed roadway can take months to repair.

Of course, the damage of a truck accident doesn’t stop with the property. Serious and fatal injuries are far more common in truck accidents than in other types of vehicle crashes. While there have been cases where truck drivers have sustained serious or fatal injuries, occupants of the smaller vehicle almost always fare the worst. Victims may be left with permanent injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, amputations, and damage to internal organs.

Because trucks can cause such serious damage, they carry much larger insurance policies than smaller passenger vehicles. This ensures that trucking companies can pay fair compensation to all injured parties after an at-fault collision.

Who’s Liable?

One of the difficulties of truck accidents is the fact that there are so many parties involved. Figuring out the liable party is a challenge because there are many mistakes that may have contributed to any given crash. Potentially liable parties include:

• Truck driver: In many cases, the truck driver is at fault for the accident. Any small mistake they make has the capacity to cause serious damage. If a driver is distracted, impaired by drugs or alcohol, or fatigued, they may cause preventable collisions. Drivers may also be at fault for accidents if they fail to operate slowly enough for weather conditions, do not use their side windows and safety gear to check their blind spots, or otherwise ignore the rules of the road.
• Trucking company: In general, trucking companies are liable for their drivers’ mistakes. Even if a driver is clearly at fault, their company will ultimately take the fall. In addition to being responsible for their drivers’ errors, trucking companies may make their own mistakes that lead to collisions. For example, imagine a trucking company that is severely understaffed to the point that they are turning away profitable hauls. In desperation, they lower their hiring requirements and even stop running full background checks on drivers. As a result, they hire a driver who has a recent DUI in their past. That driver goes on to drive drunk and cause a crash while on the clock. Another example: the company is responsible for upholding the FMCSA hours-of-service regulations. However, being late on a delivery costs them a significant amount of money. They urge drivers to drive outside their permitted hours, and as a result, one of their drivers falls asleep behind the wheel and crashes. In both cases, the trucking company’s mistake led to a collision.
• Cargo loaders: Cargo has to be loaded in a specific way to remain stable during transit. Cargo that is overloaded, unbalanced, or improperly secured can lead to preventable collisions.
• Vehicle manufacturer: Trucks must meet specific standards to be road-safe. When manufacturers fail to do proper safety testing and put out unsafe vehicles, they can be held liable for collisions.

Why You Should Choose Bailey Javins & Carter

The team at Bailey Javins & Carter is passionate about helping accident victims secure the compensation they deserve. We know how negligent drivers can turn your life upside down, leaving you with stacks of medical bills, unexpected time off of work, a totaled vehicle, and no clue about what comes next. From investigating your crash to demanding fair compensation from the liable party, we’ll take care of everything while you focus on recovering.

Contact Us Today—We’re Here to Help

The sooner you connect with Bailey Javins & Carter, the more time we have to investigate your crash and build a case for you. It all starts with a free consultation. Claim your consultation now by getting in touch online or calling us at 678-981-5370.