Atlanta is one of the busiest cities in the United States, home to large corporations like the Coca-Cola Company and Delta Air Lines, and hosting one of the largest airports in the country, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Commercial trucks are crucial to the supply and transportation network of the Atlanta area, but if you are hurt in an accident with one of these vehicles, you need to talk to an Atlanta commercial vehicle accident lawyer right away.
Representing Victims of Commercial Vehicle Accidents in Atlanta, GA
The attorneys at Hall & Lampros, LLP, have decades of proven experience helping injured vehicle accident victims recover in Atlanta and the surrounding communities of Georgia. In every case we accept, we focus on the client’s individual needs and develop a case strategy tailored to helping them recover as much as possible.
Commercial vehicles like delivery trucks, tractor-trailers, and other large vehicles are particularly dangerous due to their size. Commercial vehicle drivers, therefore, have a higher duty of care to drive safely compared to most individual drivers, and the companies that manage commercial trucks must ensure their drivers possess the requisite experience and training to handle their job duties safely.
According to the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, 14% of all traffic fatalities in the state during 2021 involved at least one large truck. Two hundred forty-four people died in commercial truck accidents, and among the victims of commercial vehicle accidents, 76% were occupants of other, smaller vehicles.
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The National Safety Council reported that in 2023, there were 5,375 large trucks involved in fatal crashes and more than 114,000 large trucks involved in crashes resulting in nonfatal injuries. Throughout the United States, the victims of these accidents are most often occupants of passenger vehicles.
When you have been injured in a commercial vehicle accident on I-20 or on a smaller local road in the Atlanta metropolitan area, you need to hire a commercial vehicle accident lawyer who can help you recover compensation for your damages. These cases can raise complex disputes of liability and often entail substantial damages. The right attorney can help you make sense of your legal options, prove fault for the accident, and recover compensation.
Proving Fault in a Commercial Vehicle Accident Case
In Georgia, all vehicle accidents are resolved based on fault. When multiple drivers are involved in an accident, whoever caused the accident is liable for the resulting damages. This means that before you are able to recover compensation for your losses, you must first prove exactly how your accident happened and identify the party or parties responsible.
Where commercial vehicle accidents often differ from standard car accident cases is the issue of vicarious liability. While fault for your accident could fall to the commercial vehicle driver, it is also possible for their employer to bear vicarious liability for the accident under certain conditions. It is also possible for another driver to have caused an accident or for multiple drivers to share liability.
Your Atlanta commercial vehicle accident lawyer can help you prove the exact cause of your accident and identify the party or parties responsible for causing your damages. Once you have established liability, your attorney can then determine your most viable path to recovering compensation for you.
Filing an Auto Insurance Claim for a Commercial Vehicle Accident in Atlanta
Georgia law requires every driver to have auto insurance that meets minimum coverage requirements. When a driver is found liable for an accident, their insurance policy can pay for the resulting damages up to the coverage limits of the policy. Commercial vehicles like tractor-trailers are often covered by commercial auto insurance that provides more coverage than the average individual driver’s policy.
However, it does not mean you should assume that filing your claim will be easy and that the defendant’s insurance will fully cover your damages. Dealing with insurance companies is often challenging because insurers typically do everything they can to minimize claim payouts. Do not wait for an insurance company to devalue or deny your claim to talk to an attorney. Hire a commercial vehicle accident lawyer before this happens so they can fight for you.
The team at Hall & Lampros, LLP, has years of experience confronting insurance carriers on behalf of our injured clients, and we know the tactics that insurance companies typically use against injured accident victims. We can help you file your claim with all necessary supporting documentation, and we can be ready to resolve any disputes the insurance company raises against you.
Maximizing Your Compensation for a Commercial Vehicle Accident
You may need to prepare a personal injury case to recover your damages, in which case you must identify the defendant responsible for causing your damages and prove they are solely responsible for causing them before you can recover any compensation. Additionally, you must be prepared to prove the full extent of the economic damages you suffered:
- Commercial vehicle accidents have a high chance of resulting in severe injuries, including broken bones, brain injuries, internal organ damage, and spinal cord injuries. Victims are typically able to recover compensation for all immediate and future medical expenses incurred from a serious accident if they are able to establish fault.
- The victim of a commercial vehicle accident may be unable to work while they recover. In this case, the defendant is liable for the income the plaintiff is unable to earn during this period.
- When the plaintiff has suffered a permanent injury of any kind, they may also be able to claim compensation for their lost future earning capacity. Your Atlanta commercial vehicle accident lawyer can help you calculate your lost future earnings and add these as economic damages to a personal injury claim.
- You have the right to seek full compensation for the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle. Insurance may provide up to the actual cash value of the vehicle, and a plaintiff may also be able to recover the cost of any personal property lost in the accident.
Beyond these economic damages, it is also possible for the plaintiff in a Georgia personal injury case to claim compensation for their pain and suffering. If you want to maximize your compensation, it is crucial to hire a commercial vehicle accident lawyer you trust as soon as possible after your accident.
The team at Hall & Lampros, LLP, is confident we can deliver positive results for your case. We have successfully resolved many commercial vehicle accident cases for clients throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area, and we are ready to leverage this experience for you. You have limited time to pursue compensation for your losses, so reach out to our team quickly so we can begin working on your case.
FAQs
Q: How Do You Prove Fault for a Commercial Vehicle Accident in Atlanta?
A: You can prove fault for a commercial vehicle accident in Atlanta using various forms of evidence that a seasoned attorney can secure for you. Trucking company documentation, vehicle computer data, cell phone records, police reports, and testimony from eyewitnesses could all be crucial evidence for proving fault.
Q: How Much Is a Truck Accident Case Worth in Atlanta?
A: The value of a truck accident case in Atlanta depends on the severity of your injuries. If you are able to establish fault, a good attorney can help you recover full compensation for economic damages and maximize the amount of pain and suffering compensation you secure from the defendant. Generally, victims who have suffered life-changing injuries can seek substantial compensation for related economic and non-economic damages.
Q: What Happens if I’m Partially Liable for a Commercial Vehicle Accident?
A: If you are partially liable for a commercial vehicle accident, you could be assigned a fault percentage and will still be able to recover compensation from the defendant if they are found more at fault. Under Georgia’s comparative fault rule, a plaintiff may still seek compensation for damages as long as they are less at fault than the defendant, but their case award is reduced by their fault percentage.
Q: Why Should I Hire a Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer?
A: You should hire a commercial vehicle accident lawyer to have the greatest possible chance of not only succeeding with your recovery efforts but also of maximizing your total compensation. The right attorney can help you prove fault for the accident, resolve any disputes of liability, accurately assess the full scope of your claimable damages, and determine the most efficient path to claiming compensation.
Q: What Does It Cost to Hire a Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer?
A: The cost to hire a commercial vehicle accident lawyer will amount to a percentage of your case award or settlement if you choose Hall & Lampros, LLP, to represent you. We take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, so there is no fee unless we win your case. If we do win, our contingency fee is a percentage of the total amount we recover for your damages.
The attorneys at Hall & Lampros, LLP, are ready to answer your questions in the aftermath of a commercial truck accident. Whether you are seeking compensation for your own damages or acting on behalf of a critically injured family member, trust our firm to do everything we can to help you resolve your case efficiently. Contact us today and schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Atlanta commercial vehicle accident lawyer.
