Albany Truck Accident Lawyer Fighting for Truck Crash Victims in Georgia
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If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a truck accident in Albany or anywhere in Georgia, the Joe Durham Law Firm is here to help. Truck accidents involving commercial vehicles, tractor-trailers, and semi trucks often lead to catastrophic injuries, fatal accidents, and devastating truck crashes that change lives forever. Unlike ordinary car accidents, a collision with a large commercial truck can leave accident victims facing overwhelming medical bills, lost wages, and long-term physical and emotional suffering.
As experienced Albany truck accident attorneys, we know how to take on trucking companies, insurance companies, and negligent truck drivers to help our clients recover maximum compensation. Whether you’re dealing with a serious truck accident, a wrongful death claim, or severe truck accident injuries, our legal team will fight to hold every driver or trucking company accountable for the harm they caused.
At Joe Durham Law, we handle a wide range of truck accident cases, including those involving commercial truck accidents, passenger vehicles, and car crashes caused by driver fatigue, improper maintenance, or reckless driving in the trucking industry. We are committed to helping truck accident victims secure the financial compensation they deserve through aggressive truck accident litigation and, when necessary, a truck accident lawsuit.
When an accident occurs, it’s critical to speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer who understands truck accident liability, liability insurance, and the unique claims process associated with serious accidents and commercial vehicle accidents. We gather key evidence such as accident reports, medical records, and information from the accident scene to build strong cases for our clients.
If you or a family member suffered severe injuries or were involved in a Georgia truck accident, don’t wait. Contact our Albany truck accident lawyers today for a free consultation to discuss your personal injury claim, explore your legal options, and learn how we can help you recover compensation for medical expenses, financial recovery, and long-term care needs.
Call Joe Durham Law Firm now at 229-210-6226 to speak directly with an experienced attorney dedicated to helping you through this difficult time.
What Are Some Common Albany Truck Accident Causes?
Our truck accident lawyers in the city of Albany know the statistics. They are aware of how many people are hurt and killed by trucks every year in Georgia. Due to the high number of fatalities resulting from truck accidents, a Georgia 18 wheeler accident attorney is usually busy. They have spent decades handling truck accident cases.
Most truck accidents are caused by:
- Falling asleep at the wheel
- Drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Aggressive driving
- Inexperienced drivers
- Tire and wheel failure
- Overloading
- Unsafe road conditions
- Misjudging the gap between cars and overhangs
- Cargo shifts
- Equipment failure
- Improperly maintained commercial vehicles
As you can see, truck accidents are not much different than car accidents. Truck drivers work hard. Sometimes, they work too hard. After hours spent driving long distances, Georgia truck drivers are prone to accidents. The majority are caused by operator negligence, though product and maintenance issues can play a role.
One thing unique to a truck accident is that the truck driver maintains impeccable driving records. They have to log the hours and miles they drive every day. If they are extremely tired or overworked, their logs will usually reflect the long hours. Your truck accident attorney can gain access to these logs. This is something you may not know how to do on your own.
What if the Truck Driver’s Insurance Company Refuses to Pay a Claim?
Truck accidents are no easier to handle than car accidents. There is a presumption of negligence on the part of the truck driver. However, your truck accident lawyer will still need to prove your case. This is why it’s so important that you seek medical treatment immediately following your accident. You need to document your injuries for your insurance claim.
In an ideal world, your claim would be paid in full within days of the accident. However, there is a chance that the truck driver’s insurance company may deny your claim. If this happens, it is usually for one of the following reasons:
- The insurer claims you didn’t suffer injuries.
- The insurance company believes you were at fault.
- You have pre-existing conditions or old injuries.
- The commercial driver was not insured.
- You have a history of filing claims against commercial drivers.
- You were drunk or under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.
- The policy wasn’t valid.
Your Albany truck accident attorney will fight hard to get your claim paid. He knows that it’s in everyone’s best interests to settle your claim. If the claim isn’t paid, he will need to file a lawsuit.
Insurance companies want to avoid a lawsuit as much as you do. They are time-consuming, and they are expensive. They usually cost the insurance company more than it would have if they paid your claim in the first place.
What Evidence Will Your Truck Accident Lawyer Need?
Regardless of how obvious the truck driver’s negligence is, you still need to present evidence proving your case. The insurance company has a vested interest in denying your claim. Every dollar they pay out on a claim is a loss in profit.
So, even if it seems the evidence shows the truck driver is at fault, it will still be a battle. You will want an experienced truck accident lawyer there by your side to fight this battle. One thing you need to do is take pictures of the accident scene. Your truck accident attorney can use these pictures to demonstrate how the accident took place. If the truck driver was negligent, the pictures should prove it.
Your attorney can hire an accident re-creation expert to testify as to how the accident happened. If the truck was speeding, your trucking accident lawyer needs to prove that it was speeding. If it shifted lanes improperly, you need to prove it shifted lanes improperly.
The other thing you need to do is call the police. Even if the truck driver promises his insurance company will pay your claim, call the police. A police report serves as documentation of the accident. It usually includes information that you will not be able to get later on.
For example, the police report typically includes eyewitness information. If your case goes to trial, your attorney is going to want to talk to any eyewitnesses.
Your Albany Truck Accident Attorney Must Prove Your Injuries
The biggest mistake you can make is to refuse medical treatment after your accident. Seeing a doctor is the only way you can prove that you were hurt. It also helps prove that you got the injuries when you say you did. If you wait days after the accident to go to the hospital, you make your truck accident lawyer’s job harder.
By doing this, you give the insurance company a chance to say something other than the accident caused your injuries. They can claim that something happened between the time of the accident and your treatment and that caused your injuries.
Some of the most common injuries caused by truck accidents include:
- Back injuries
- Head and brain injuries
- Internal injuries
- Broken bones and lacerations
- Facial disfigurement
- Burns
- Spinal cord injuries
- Permanent disability
Any of these injuries alone can be painful. Combined, they can be devastating or even deadly. You may need surgery and physical therapy. If this is the case, you are going to rack up a lot of medical bills. The truck driver’s insurance company needs to be held accountable for these bills. It is your trucking attorney’s mission to get you compensation for your injuries.
How Will Compensation Will Be Determined After a Truck Accident?
The amount of compensation you get after a truck accident may depend on many factors. There are economic and non-economic damages in such a case.
Economic Damages
Your compensation as a result of a commercial truck accident will cover monetary costs such as:
- Current Medical Expenses – This includes all the fees for hospital care, emergency room visits, surgery, appointments with medical professionals, and assistive devices.
- Future Medical Expenses
- Lost Wages between the time of the truck accident and the settlement of your case.
- Loss of Earning Capacity if you are unable to do the same job or must work fewer hours
Non-Economic Damages
Non-Economic Damages That Can Result From The Accident:
- Pain and Suffering – Your lawyer will consider the extent of your injuries and the expected period of suffering when calculating your compensation.
- Mental Anguish – A victim will suffer emotionally after a truck accident apart from physical pain.
- Loss of Consortium – The defendant may have to pay compensation to the parents, children, and spouse in a wrongful death if the victim dies due to the truck accident.
If the lawyer proves that the offender tried to cause the accident willfully, there are punitive damages involved apart from economic and non-economic damages.
How Is Negligence Proven After a Truck Accident?
If someone that you know or you have sustained any type of injury after an accident involving a semi-truck, it becomes necessary to determine negligence on the truck driver’s behalf, along with any other party that you feel should be held responsible.
Your truck accident attorney will assist you in providing evidence that the driver failed to adhere to his or her responsibilities and duties, and the truck driver was negligent and the cause of the accident.
A few examples involving negligence that are applicable to commercial drivers of trucks include running a red light, speeding, texting while driving, and falling asleep while driving.
Due to the high-risk nature involved in commercial trucking, the FMCSA requires that the commercial drivers of these trucks need to adhere to the following regulations:
- Maintain a log-book with their driving hours
- Document every break that the driver takes and all services
- Keep up with the scheduled requirements for maintenance
- Adhere to the regulations on the correct loading procedure of hazardous materials and cargo
- Abstain from controlled substances, drugs, or alcohol while on the job
- Follow rules for maximum driving hours and rest breaks
How Is a Truck Accident Different From a Car Accident?
Commercial semi-trucks, often referred to as big rigs or freight trucks, can weigh more than 80,000 lbs. This is equivalent to the combined weight of 20 standard passenger cars, highlighting the immense force and potential danger these trucks pose on the road.
The sheer size and weight of these trucks mean that any collision with a smaller vehicle can have devastating consequences.
Understanding Trucking Regulations
Even though there are strict laws and regulations governing how long commercial truck drivers should be driving each day (typically no more than 10 hours), many drivers exceed these limitations for various financial reasons.
This non-compliance with regulations significantly increases the risk of accidents, putting the safety of other motorists at serious risk.
The Impact of Fatigue and Overworking
Truck drivers who ignore these regulations often suffer from fatigue, leading to slower reaction times and impaired judgment. Fatigued driving is a major cause of truck accidents, and when an accident involves a vehicle weighing over 80,000 lbs, the results can be catastrophic.
Our Albany truck accident attorneys understand the complexities of these cases and are dedicated to holding negligent parties accountable.
Bigger Insurance Policies
Truck drivers have insurance policies designed to cover all types of accidents, including truck accidents, auto accidents, and collisions. These policies are typically worth as much as 50 times the standard car accident policies and often amount to millions of dollars.
Due to the significant financial stakes involved, insurance providers named in these lawsuits are resourceful and meticulous in avoiding liability.
Seasoned insurance providers use various methods and techniques to avoid full payouts in truck accident cases. They might offer settlements that appear substantial but are significantly lower than the compensation you actually deserve.
These tactics are common in accidents involving semi-truck accidents, tractor trailer crashes, and other large vehicle collisions.
An experienced and trustworthy Albany truck accident attorney can assist you in navigating these challenges. Our Albany truck accident lawyers understand the strategies used by insurance companies and can help you avoid falling victim to their ploys.
We ensure that you fully understand each step of the process involved in your truck accident case.
Increase In Property Damage
The commercial 18-wheeler freight trucks translate into a hefty amount of weight in motion, which significantly outweighs the standard vehicles on the road. This in combination with the massive size of these trucks, usually means that damages to a surrounding area are always going to be much greater when compared to collisions between 2 or more standard-sized cars.
Truck Accident Injuries Are More Serious
The injuries sustained in car accidents can be severe, but when a commercial truck is involved, the consequences are often far more devastating. Accidents with large vehicles like semi-trucks and tractor trailers typically require extensive medical care and prolonged recovery periods.
Injuries from truck accidents can range from fractures and broken bones to whiplash and severe lacerations. When freight trucks are involved, the injuries are often significantly greater and can be life-threatening.
Medical Bills That Are Much Larger
With an increased likelihood of serious injuries, recovering from these types of accidents usually involves a lot more time off work and longer hospital stays. Truck accident victims often are unable to go back to work which translates into financial implications such as loss of earnings.
When you have a compassionate and trustworthy personal injury attorney like Joe Durham Jr. P.C. you are provided with an idea of the amount of suffering and pain, and the time your case is actually worth, to ensure your compensation is fair.
Increased Chance Of Death In Truck Accidents
Accidents that involve big rigs or semi-trucks also result in far higher fatality rates when compared to regular accidents with cars. The FMCSA released statistics that accidents involving trucks claim anything from 3,000 to 5,000 lives every year.
When taking these staggering and frightening statistics into consideration, and the resources that are available to the trucking companies along with their insurance providers, a reliable truck accident lawyer is your best chance of getting what you deserve.
An assessment at no cost of the case is the first important step that you need to take to choose whether you want to hire an attorney or not.
What Damages Will Your Truck Accident Attorney Demand?
After your truck accident injury while you focus on recovering your attorney will pursue compensation for the following damages that apply to your case:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills (past, present, and future)
- Diminished earning capacity
- Permanent disability
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
In order to do this, your lawyer needs to understand what happened. When you meet with a truck wreck attorney for your initial consultation, bring as much information with you as possible.
This is the first chance your truck accident lawyer will have to review your case. You want to give him as much time as possible to prepare your case against the insurance company. Make sure you remember to bring the following with you the first time you meet with your attorney:
- The accident or police report
- Contact information for all witnesses
- Medical documentation
- Pay stubs and tax records to prove wages and earning capacity
- Pictures of the accident scene
- Pictures of your injuries
- Insurance information for both drivers
Your Albany truck accident attorney is going to do everything he can to get you the compensation you deserve. He will negotiate with the insurance company and try to get you a fair settlement.
If he is unable to do so, he will prepare a lawsuit on your behalf. You only have two years to file a suit in Georgia. You, therefore, want to give your lawyer as much of a head start as possible.
Helpful Resources for Truck Accident Victims in Albany, GA
If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident in Albany or anywhere in Georgia, it’s essential to understand your legal rights, how fault is determined, and what kind of compensation you may be entitled to. Below are valuable resources that address some of the most important topics related to truck accident cases, trucking industry liability, and the role of an Albany truck accident lawyer.
Average Truck Accident Settlement in Georgia
Wondering how much your truck accident claim might be worth? Learn about the factors that influence settlement amounts, including medical bills, lost wages, truck accident injuries, and pain and suffering. This resource also discusses how insurance companies and trucking companies evaluate serious truck accident claims and what financial compensation victims may receive.
How to Prove Fault in Truck Accidents
Establishing truck accident liability is critical for recovering damages. This guide explains how Albany truck accident attorneys gather accident reports, medical records, and evidence from the accident scene to prove fault. It also covers issues like driver fatigue, improper training, and violations of federal trucking regulations, which often contribute to devastating truck crashes.
Under-Ride and Over-Ride Truck Accidents
Some of the most catastrophic injuries and fatal accidents in the trucking industry involve under-ride and over-ride accidents with semi trucks and tractor trailers. This article explains what these accidents are, how they occur, and why passenger vehicles are especially vulnerable in collisions with large commercial trucks.
Employer Liability in Truck Accident Cases
In many truck accident cases, not only the truck driver but also the trucking company may be held accountable. This resource dives into employer liability, covering how commercial vehicle accidents often involve negligent hiring, inadequate training, and failure to maintain commercial trucks, leading to serious accidents and personal injury claims.
What Does an Albany Truck Accident Lawyer Do?
If you’re unsure about how an experienced truck accident lawyer can help, this article outlines the role of an Albany personal injury attorney in truck accident litigation. From managing the claims process, dealing with liability insurance, to pursuing truck accident lawsuits, learn how a dedicated legal team fights for maximum compensation on behalf of truck accident victims.
Contact an Albany Truck Crash Attorney Today to Discuss Your Case
If you’ve been injured in an Albany truck accident, securing the services of a skilled Albany truck accident attorney is essential to getting the compensation you deserve. Truck accidents often result in severe injuries and significant property damage, making it crucial to have experienced legal representation by your side.
At Joe Durham Jr. P.C., our Albany truck accident lawyers are dedicated to fighting for your rights and ensuring you receive the maximum compensation for your accident injury.
Lastly, the next few months are going to be very difficult. Contact us at 229-210-6226 to speak with a truck wreck attorney if you want someone by your side who can make it easier for you. An Albany truck accident attorney can do this for you.
