ATLANTA TRUCK ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS
MILLIONS RECOVERED FOR SEMI TRUCK ACCIDENT VICTIMS
Damages suffered in any type of motor vehicle accident can be devastating, but the injuries suffered in a truck accident are almost certain to be catastrophic. Due to the massive size of an 18-wheeler vehicle, passenger vehicles and motorcycles have a very slim chance of emerging from a collision unscathed.
If you have been seriously injured in a truck accident, you should seek the help of an attorney as soon as possible. Do not try to handle your claim alone. The Kalka Law Firm in Atlanta can help to hold the negligent parties responsible and seek the financial compensation you require. Meanwhile, you focus on recovering.
On This Page
- What to Do After a Semi-Truck Accident
- Common Reasons for Trucking Accidents
- Let Us Be First on the Scene to Help You Win Your Case
Contact an Atlanta truck accident lawyer for a free consultation. Call (404) 835-8072 today!
Insurance adjusters and attorneys who work with trucking companies have plenty of experience working on cases like yours because truck accidents are so common. They know how to handle these cases to their own benefit, not yours. They will probably offer you a tempting settlement while acting charismatic, charming, and helpful. Be cautious. If they ask you for a recorded statement or your signature on a few forms, then you should disengage immediately and inform them that your attorney will be in touch.
Whatever you do, do not give any statements and do not sign paperwork before consulting with a knowledgeable attorney.
Injuries can be caused by a wide range of truck accidents, including:
- T-bone collisions
- Blindspot/no-zone accidents
- Head-on collisions
- Brake malfunctions/lack of braking
- Rollover or under-ride accidents
- Jackknife accidents
Other issues that can lead to accidents include:
- Drowsy or tired driving
- Inattention or distraction
- Failure to brake properly
- Texting or talking on the phone
- Eating or drinking
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Vehicle defects
- Speeding or reckless lane changing
You may be wondering, “Should my Georgia injury claim be different because I was hit by a tractor-trailer as opposed to a smaller vehicle?” Traffic accidents in Georgia—no matter if a car or truck is involved—produce injuries. Although truck wrecks and car crashes have similarities in that they both can cause injuries and the other drivers may have been responsible for the crash, truck accidents in Georgia are also different in a number of ways.
Accidents involving semi-trucks are different because other factors could have contributed to the crash, including:
- Did the trucker drive too many consecutive hours?
- Was the truck’s load balanced?
- Did the cargo exceed the maximum weight limits?
- When was the last time the truck went in for maintenance?
Trucks are subject to strict federal regulations that other drivers don’t have to abide by. Because of this, there are more rules that a truck driver or his trucking company could have broken, making those parties liable for your truck accident injuries. Although trucks carry a higher amount of insurance coverage, it doesn’t mean they will hand over a larger check for your injuries.
This is why you should engage a skilled truck accident attorney to make sure you seek the right amount of compensation from the trucking company. Additionally, there could be more than one party liable for your accident including the truck driver, trucking company, cargo loader, trailer owner, trailer or truck manufacturer, and more.
You will not pay anything until we recover compensation for you and your first consultation is completely free of charge. Allow our top-rated Atlanta trucking accident lawyers to come to your aid and secure the compensation that you deserve.
Driver fatigue results from lack of sleep, too short of breaks, excessive driving, or exhaustion. When truck drivers ignore regulations on driving hours or fail to get the proper amount of sleep, it can often lead to serious accidents. These accidents may lead to devastating injuries for other drivers who share the road with drowsy truck drivers.
The federal government has taken note of the number of accidents caused by tired truck drivers and has worked to try and reduce these numbers. New federal laws state that a truck driver may not drive more than 11 consecutive hours without taking at least a 10-hour break between driving shifts. In addition, they can only clock a maximum of 14 hours (max of 11 hours on the road), per day. In a seven-day stretch, they can drive no more than 77 hours. Furthermore, commercial truck drivers who have passengers in their vehicles must not drive more than 10 consecutive hours in a shift.
While these rules attempt to help, they have not curbed the number of truck accidents as much as the government had hoped. Drivers still ignore the rules to meet their quotas or make more money. Unfortunately, this puts many other drivers on the road at risk.
We can review the following to determine if a driver is at fault:
- Hours on the road
- Logbook
- Driving record (including accidents)
- Amount of sleep driver claims to have had
- If any alcohol or drug use was involved
- Length of breaks and days off in between shifts
Hiring a knowledgeable attorney is essential for obtaining a favorable outcome. Without having the proper legal representation, you can get stuck settling for a claim that is much less than you truly deserve.
At our firm, you can work with an attorney who does the following:
- Responds 24/7 to catastrophic truck crashes.
- Preserves the evidence of the accident scene.
- Performs a full investigation into your case, ensuring the driver was properly screened, passed all mandatory drug tests, and was in full compliance with all federal and state regulations.
- Performs an accident reconstruction so that you can download the Qualcomm and Electronic Control Module (ECM) data that could prove to be vital in your case.
- Provides you with inside information.
For nearly half a decade, Attorney Tony Kalka worked as an insurance company lawyer. He worked for one of the largest defense law firms in the southeast, representing the very trucking companies and truck drivers that you may be fighting today. Because of his extensive inside knowledge and experience, he knows how these companies work and can anticipate their every move.
Tony Kalka is experienced in each and every aspect of truck crash cases and has a full understanding of state and federal rules and regulations for both interstate and intrastate truckers. He understands the importance of an accident reconstruction so that you can download the Qualcomm and Electronic Control Module (ECM) data to use in your case. He knows how crucial it is to act quickly before vital evidence is erased or lost.
If you have been injured in a semi-truck accident, it is important to understand what you will encounter in the aftermath. The trucker typically calls the accident into the truck company and sometimes that company has lawyers, insurance adjusters, or a crash investigation team on the scene within the hour. The company wants any evidence that will help its case and limit its liability. Because truck companies are typically big corporations, they have advantages over you. Therefore, it is important to hire an injury lawyer as soon as possible following your accident.
An attorney from The Kalka Law Group can help you:
- Collect and preserve the accident evidence: Hiring a lawyer who is experienced in 18-wheeler collisions is critical, as he or she will know what to look for and how to preserve the evidence that is essential to your case. This may include the truck driver’s logbooks, witness statements, police reports, and even the truck’s black box. Most trucks are equipped with an electronic control module, which could be vital to your case, as it contains important details about the truck before the crash.
- Negotiate with the insurance company: Hiring a skilled attorney will help in your negotiations with the insurance company. The insurance adjusters are trained to settle your case for as little money as possible. You will most likely receive less of a settlement if you face the insurance company alone, as opposed to working with a knowledgeable attorney.
- Get excellent medical care: Experienced personal injury lawyers who are familiar with the local community will know the best doctors to consult for the best medical treatment. Some doctors testify at trial better than others and are more meticulous about writing medical reports that insurance companies will understand.
Here’s why you can benefit from hiring one of our Georgia trucking accident lawyers: Typically, the truck company has its own insurance company and accident response team. Within an hour of the truck crash, the team of investigators is sent immediately to the accident site to be on hand for the truck company and the truck driver. Their only goal is to gather “evidence” from the scene to protect the company and driver that they represent. As the insurance companies become more involved, the victim is seemingly edged out more and more. Larger trucking companies generally use the information pulled from the truck’s onboard computers and satellite communication systems, according to the Truck Safety Coalition. These companies do not hold this kind of information for a long period of time due to record retention policies. An expert trucking accident attorney steps in on the victim’s behalf-
- Using available resources to attain the same evidence that the trucking companies have.
- Knowing the ins and outs of Georgia trucking laws
- Taking timely and appropriate action
The trucking industry is a large part of our national commerce. Tractor-trailers transport loads of things we might not even realize. Truck drivers really do have a difficult job. However, if they neglect their responsibilities, they are likely to cause serious accidents. One out of every nine traffic fatalities involves a truck accident. And, beyond that number, there are hundreds of thousands of more people injured as the result of a truck accident.
If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a truck accident, contact The Kalka Law Group. We will come to meet with you at home, in the hospital, or wherever is most convenient for you.
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- Three types of crashes unique to semi-trucks
Call our office at (404) 835-8072or fill out our online contact form today.
