If you or a loved one were injured in a truck accident, it’s important that you know who (and what) you’re up against. Trucking companies almost always have a battalion of lawyers to fight your claim, not to mention the tens of millions of dollars at their disposal. Don’t put your case in just anyone’s hands – you need a dedicated, competent Duluth truck accident lawyer to help.
The attorneys at Rafi, Brown, and Stokes are known throughout Georgia for their prowess handling truck accident cases. They have helped hundreds of injured people and their families to move past their accidents, earning them the financial compensation and peace of mind that they need.
Read on to learn more about truck accidents in Duluth and the factors that influence what you can recover in damages. From there, schedule a consultation with a Duluth personal injury lawyer at Rafi, Brown, and Stokes to explore options for your case.
When large trucks and buses hit traditional motor vehicles, the occupants of the motor vehicle face a significantly greater risk of injury or death. If you look around on any major road or highway in the United States, it can be almost alarming at times, as your view is often blocked by gigantic 18-wheeler trucks. When those truckers are not driving responsibly, people get hurt.
In 2019, large truck and bus accidents were responsible for the following on US roads:
- 127,000 injuries
- 414,000 accidents involving property damage alone
- 5,237 deaths
These statistics include truck accidents in Duluth. Rear-end truck accidents on Buford Highway are all too common, with irresponsible truck drivers causing many accidents on I-85 as well.
Why Are Truck Accidents Are So Dangerous?
Trucks are heavier and situated higher than traditional motor vehicles, increasing the likelihood that a motor vehicle will be ridden over or pulled under in an accident. Truck drivers are required to hold commercial driving licenses, which reflects a greater level of training and knowledge for operating larger, heavier, and more dangerous vehicles.
Truck drivers have a responsibility to other drivers on the road, and given the risks associated with accidents, their employers often use a black box to track their movements, as we’ll discuss below.
What is the Truck’s “Black Box,” and What Does It Track?
The black box is an electronic device that collects data about the truck’s movements and driver’s actions. Depending on what devices make up a truck’s black box, it can tell someone how long the truck was on the road, when it braked, or if it made other movements that could signal or cause an accident.
Your Duluth truck accident lawyer will use legal instruments like requests for production and depositions to collect data from the black box and other evidence in support of your case. Rafi, Brown, and Stokes is standing by for a free case consultation to discuss the cause of your accident and what damages you may be entitled to.
What Are Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Duluth?
Here are some common causes of truck accidents that your attorney will look out for.
Drowsy Driving
Truck drivers are especially at risk of engaging in drowsy driving given the nature of the industry. Truck drivers are often only paid for the miles that they drive, not for the time they spend maintaining their vehicles or resting between stops. Therefore, some truck drivers might stay on the road longer than allowed, leading to poor driving that causes accidents.
How do you know if a truck driver was drowsy in the moments before they hit you? The answer is evidence.
The black box in the truck is one place to start, the device that tracks the traveling time of the truck. However, this might not track the shifts of the driver.
Your Duluth truck accident lawyer will use legal instruments like depositions and interrogatories to collect information from the truck driver and their employer. This will help determine if the driver was given adequate rest between shifts, or if they were drowsy driving and liable for your damages.
Distracted Driving
Another common cause of truck accidents, and motor vehicle accidents in general, is distracted driving. In the United States, distracted driving killed 3,142 drivers in 2019 alone, and is involved in 9% of all fatal crashes.
Distracted driving is engaging in any activity that takes your attention away from the road, such as texting or using a cellphone while driving, fiddling with the radio, or even talking to passengers. In the moments it takes to read a text message, a vehicle moving at fifty-five miles per hour covers the distance of an entire football field, more than enough time and space for accidents to happen.
Trucking companies are beginning to employ technology that tracks whether their eyes come off of the road. The purpose of this is to track their productivity, but this is also information your Duluth truck accident attorney can collect and use in favor of your claim.
With an experienced Duluth truck accident attorney on your case as soon as possible after you have received emergency medical care, the best and fullest possible evidence can be collected in support of your damages.
What Are Common Truck Accident Injuries?
Truck accidents are more dangerous and deadly than most passenger vehicle accidents. If you were riding along in a Honda Accord when an 18-wheeler ran a red light and T-boned your vehicle, it is entirely possible your car could be broken in half. The impact causes broken bones, bruises, and emotional trauma. However, of all truck accident injuries, the most common and most troublesome is an injury to the brain.
One of the most common causes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is vehicle collisions, with truck accidents being especially dangerous given the scope of the collision when trucks hit passenger vehicles.
A traumatic brain injury happens when you experience a bump, blow, or penetrating wound to your head. In motor vehicle collisions, traumatic brain injuries can happen from the rapid deceleration involved in an accident that causes whiplash or from the head impacting the interior of the vehicle, windshield, or other surface.
Injuries to the brain can take time to develop and often require ongoing treatment, medication, and even rehabilitation.
After your accident, it is important to seek out emergency medical attention and speak with your local Duluth truck accident lawyer. They may help schedule follow-up appointments for you with medical and occupational experts.
Without evidence from professionals concerning the symptoms of your injuries in the future and how they might impact your ability to work, you cannot collect on these damages.
Injured in a Truck Accident in Duluth? Don’t Fall for Insurance Tricks
It is important to remember that the insurance company does not work for you, they work for profit. Like any other for-profit company, the insurance company seeks to maximize revenues while minimizing costs to support its margins.
For the insurance company, their revenues are the fixed amount paid in premiums by their insurance customers. Their costs are the amount of employee time invested and money paid out on claims to injured parties like yourself.
To collect compensation for your damages, you have to provide evidence. Insurance companies will reject claims or reduce payments for claims that do not have sufficient evidence. This includes not only emergency room bills and car repair estimates, but also opinions from occupational and medical experts determining the long-term costs associated with your injuries.
Your Duluth truck accident lawyer can help you obtain these expert opinions in addition to collecting evidence on what the truck driver was doing in the moments before they hit you.
The insurance company has full-time teams of claim analysts and attorneys working to deny your claim or pay you as little as possible. Having an attorney from Rafi, Brown, and Stokes helps to even the playing field and ensures that you collect the full amount you are entitled to.
Don’t Accept a Settlement Without Speaking With a Truck Accident Attorney in Duluth
The insurance company might present you with a quick offer of settlement. It might cover your emergency room bills, your vehicle repairs, and maybe even a bit more. The problem with accepting a quick settlement is that it cuts off your ability to collect anything further. Accepting a settlement is the end of your claim.
If it turns out that the bump to your head caused a traumatic brain injury, there could be long-term symptoms from the injury that requires ongoing medical care. If you already accepted a settlement offer, and then have thousands in medical bills and even more in lost wages, you will be on your own.
Your Duluth truck accident lawyer calculates the full amount of costs and damages associated with your injuries, then pursues them in full from the insurance company. With Rafi, Brown, and Stokes on your claim, you can focus on recovering from your accident.
Were You the Victim of a Truck Accident in Duluth? Let Us Help You.
If you have been hit by a truck, an experienced Duluth truck accident lawyer with the Rafi, Brown, and Stokes is standing by to provide a risk-free consultation on your case.
Call (404) 948-3311 or visit us online and schedule a consultation to discuss options now.
