Sandwiched between Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and U.S. 23 — and with I-85 just to the south — Norcross is constantly surrounded by semi-truck traffic. As a result, the small city sees a surprising number of serious accidents every year.
Large commercial semi-trucks, tankers, and other vehicles can all cause significant damage when they get into an accident. Not only are vehicles totaled, but spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other severe injuries can occur. Some individuals tragically pass as a result of their truck accident injuries.
If you have been hurt in a truck accident in Norcross, you are likely facing large medical bills and other costs. You could find financial relief in pursuing a personal injury claim against all at-fault parties.
Andersen, Tate & Carr, P.C., provides aggressive yet compassionate legal representation to the victims of truck accidents in Norcross. Our Norcross truck accident lawyers use every available legal strategy to help you pursue the full extent of compensation you need to move on with your life following your unfortunate crash.
Speak to one of our experienced truck accident attorneys in Norcross to learn more about what options you may have available to pursue compensation through a claim against all at-fault parties.
Call us at 770-237-9860 or contact us online to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation today.
Damages Available After a Norcross Truck Accident
If you have been hurt in a truck accident in Norcross, you could be eligible to file a claim to recover all of your losses. In legal terms, these losses are referred to as “damages.”
There are two main types of damages in a truck accident injury case. The first group is financial damages, meaning the money you lost as a direct result of your injury. These are called “special damages,” and they can include:
- Medical bills, past and future
- Out of pocket expenses
- Lost wages
- Future injury treatment or rehabilitation costs
- Vehicle repairs
- Personal property replacement
- Loss of income earning potential, in the event of a debilitating or disabling injury
The second category of damages is non-economic losses, called “general damages.” They include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Compensation for permanent disability or disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship or emotional support of family members
Wrongful death cases can pursue most of these damage types on behalf of the deceased victim or their family. In addition, they can include:
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Loss of benefits
- Loss of income of the deceased
- Loss of companionship for family members
Accurately estimating all of your damages after your truck accident is difficult, and it may require the input of medical and economic professionals. The Norcross truck accident lawyers at Andersen, Tate & Carr, P.C., use their experience and past case rulings to determine a formula for accurately estimating all such damages. These services reduce the odds that you will receive an unfair settlement offer, and they can also prevent situations where you realize you have additional losses after you have already settled.
Proving Negligence After Your Truck Accident
Most truck accident injury cases will be built on the legal basis of negligence. Negligence cases have four main components:
- Duty of care: The truck driver or their employer had an obligation to obey laws, regulations, professional standards, and to exercise “ordinary care” as a “reasonable person” would
- Breach: The defendant breached their duty of care, either by acting in a way that created an unreasonable risk of harm or by failing to conform to expected standards
- Injury: The breach in the defendant’s duty of care directly caused an injury and other forms of harm
- Damages: The injury and harm caused by the accident led to damages that can be recovered through the legal system or an insurance settlement
Truck drivers and the companies that employ them have numerous duties of care they must uphold. They are required to obey federal and state trucking laws and regulations. They must also drive cautiously while taking extra care not to do anything they know can increase the risk of an accident.
Similarly, employers must hire qualified drivers. These drivers must be supervised to ensure that they do not exceed the hours of service regulations. They must drug test their drivers on appropriate occasions, including before making a final hiring decision.
Any time a company or its driver fails to uphold these laws, the company itself will likely assume liability for the accident.
In some cases, multiple companies may be named as at-fault for their role in causing the truck accident. For instance, a truck maintenance company may have failed to inspect the brakes on a vehicle. Or, the manufacturer of a truck axle could have created a defective product that had an unacceptable risk of structural failure.
The possibility for multiple claims against large companies with extensive legal resources is why it can benefit injury victims to seek legal representation from an experienced Norcross truck accident law firm.
Common Types of Truck Driver or Hauling Company Negligence
Hundreds of thousands of truck accidents happen every year, and many of them have fatal consequences. In 2017, the FMCSA reported that “4,889 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes, a 9-percent increase from 2016.”
Many of these accidents could have been avoided if the driver or their employer had not acted negligently.
Common causes of truck accidents that can be attributed to negligence include:
- Distracted driving
- Failure to maintain lane
- Failure to properly secure trailer or link brake lines
- Driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol, prescriptions, or over the counter remedies
- Hiring unqualified drivers
- Failure to obey hours of service regulations, leading to fatigued or overstressed drivers
- Following too closely
- Failure to yield
- Failure to adequately maintain the vehicle or its safety systems
- Defective tires
- Defective brakes
- Failure to obey safety regulations regarding the transportation of hazardous materials
- Exceeding weight limits
- Sudden maneuvers leading to overturning
Hire Experienced Norcross Truck Accident Attorneys
Andersen, Tate & Carr, P.C., will not be intimidated by high-powered legal teams hired by trucking companies or the insurers that represent them. We fight on behalf of all of our clients, seeking the full extent of compensation available under the law.
Most importantly, we provide legal services on a contingency basis, meaning you don’t pay for your attorney if they are unable to win your case.
Find out why so many Norcross truck accident victims trust our personal injury attorneys and learn what strategies could help you win your case. Contact us now when you call 770-237-9860 or use our online contact form to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.