Alpharetta Truck Accident Lawyer

Commercial trucks drive through Alpharetta at all hours of the day. These vehicles transport freight from other states, or from Alpharetta to distant points in the United States. Any commercial trucking accident can turn deadly, especially for those in lighter passenger vehicles.

If you were struck by a tractor-trailer or other large truck, contact Ponton Law today. Our Alpharetta truck accident attorney will go over the accident in detail and begin analyzing your legal right to compensation. The trucking company involved in the crash will have a legal team already working around the clock for them. You need someone who has your back.

Common Truck Accidents

Truck accidents can happen anywhere in Alpharetta. You might confront a large vehicle on the interstate or when it is pulling up to a business to offload cargo. The most common accidents include:

• Jackknife: A trailer can swing out to the side and mow down any car in its way. Jackknifes often result from going too fast or having a lot of cargo in the trailer.
• Rollover: A tractor-trailer can roll onto its side when cargo shifts or is loaded improperly. The trailer can smother any car in an adjacent lane.
• Underride: Smaller vehicles can slide under the trailer and become stuck there. These are terrifying accidents since the edge of the trailer often peels off the roof of the smaller car. A trucker can cut off a motorist, leading to an underride.
• Override: A truck can ride up onto any car in front of it when the trucker can’t stop in time. These accidents can crush people.
• Backing-Up accident: A truck has large blind spots, including directly behind the truck. Someone shuttling past the truck could get run over as the driver is backing into a loading bay.
• Blown Tire Collision: Tires on large trucks are under constant stress. Any blown tire can render the truck immediately unstable. Some trucking companies do not replace tires or keep them properly inflated.

What Causes Commercial Trucking Accidents?

Truck accidents are usually caused by:

• Trucker negligence, including fatigue, intoxication, speeding, or failure to observe surroundings.
• Environmental factors, such as fog, rain, or snow.
• Improperly loaded cargo, can shift the truck’s center of gravity and lead to a crash.
• Truck defects, such as faulty repair work or manufacturing or design defects.
• Motorist negligence, where the driver who is struck contributes to a crash

Our law firm is committed to analyzing all facts to uncover what really happened. We can review any evidence you collected at the scene, such as pictures of the vehicles and the identities of witnesses. Any statements made by a truck driver are also helpful.

Who is to Blame for Truck Accidents?

You can receive compensation if you can establish fault for the crash. The most common parties at fault include:

• Truckers
• Trucking companies
• Mechanics
• Loading companies
• Motorists
• Municipalities

Drivers

If the truck driver was negligent, then you can typically hold his employer liable as well. Georgia’s “vicarious liability” law makes employers responsible when their employees negligently injure someone while working. Adding a trucking company helps us seek maximum compensation.

Trucking Company

Trucking companies can also be independently liable if they fail to use care when hiring, supervising, or training their truckers. The federal government requires that employers follow certain rules, including required drug tests after many accidents. Some trucking companies flout the rules because they can’t find enough drivers or because they are too lax at enforcing the law.

Truck Accident Injuries Are Painful

Getting struck by a large vehicle can lead to very serious injuries. Some of the most difficult injuries to recover from will include:

• Concussion
• Whiplash
• Cervical fracture
• Chest injury
• Vertebral fracture
• Bulging or herniated disc
• Shoulder sprain

These injuries are disruptive. Many people cannot work while they recover from an injury, so their household sees a dramatic drop in income. Many injuries also have an emotional component, since bodily limitations cause anger, sleeplessness, and anxiety. No one should minimize the pain and suffering you endure following a truck accident.

Your Right to Compensation for a Truck Accident

If you can establish that someone else is at fault, we can seek compensation from that person for the accident. We often pursue compensatory damages for a variety of losses, such as:

• Medical care,
• Future medical care, if necessary
• Lost income when you cannot work following an accident
• Loss of earning capacity for serious injuries
• Pain and suffering
• Damage to your car and other property

A common question is “How much can I receive?” This will depend on many facts, which differ from case to case. One factor is your out-of-pocket expenses to pay for car repairs and medical care. Preserve your medical bills and body shop bills to help your lawyer.

The most subjective factor is your physical pain. Many insurance adjusters discount the pain our clients feel, but you deserve money, even if it can’t really make up for your suffering. Ponton Law has negotiated so many settlements over the past 20 years that we know what a meaningful amount of compensation to request.

How Comparative Fault Can Affect Your Case

Georgia has a modified comparative fault statute. Under this law, you can seek compensation so long as you are not 50% or more responsible for the crash. In effect, you must be less at fault than the defendant.

It isn’t unusual for a motorist to make mistakes that can contribute to an accident. For example, you might have been distracted on the highway or speeding, which means you were not following the rules of the road. In other cases, you might have cut off a truck, but the trucker was traveling much too fast.

If your fault is less than 50%, you can still seek compensation, but the amount is reduced proportionally. Someone who is 33% to blame will receive one-third less of their compensation. Go over 50% and you’ll receive nothing.

Comparative fault is a contested issue in many cases. The reason is simple: we rarely have video of the crash, so each side blames the other. Our law firm is committed to minimizing your own contributions to any accident.

Truck Accidents Are Not Like Car Accidents

Some people have handled a small car accident claim, so they wrongly believe they can handle their truck accident case. We recommend calling Ponton Law instead.

Here are the main reasons to reach out to an attorney:

• There are more potential defendants in truck accidents. You might end up suing the trucking company or a loading company. In car accidents, the other driver is usually the only defendant.
• Trucking companies aggressively fight personal injury claims. They realize how much money is on the line. You can expect them to immediately begin gathering evidence to use against you.
• Truck accident injuries tend to be more serious. For this reason, you’ll probably need to focus 100% on your recovery. Let one of our lawyers handle your case.
• Truck accidents are often factually complex. It’s hard to really understand what happened, especially when a large truck is involved.
• Evidence is harder to find. The trucking company might have relevant evidence in the form of company records, performance reviews, drug tests, and electronic data from the rig. You need a lawyer’s help to gain access to this evidence.

Call to Speak with an Alpharetta Truck Accident Attorney

Ponton Law is proud to help injured accident victims in Alpharetta. We have obtained many favorable settlements for truck accidents, and we can bring our experience to work for you. Please call us today at (404) 418-8507 to schedule a free consultation.