Lawrenceville Truck Accident Attorney

If you were hurt in a Lawrenceville truck accident, you may not know what to do or where to turn for help. Bridger Law Group can answer your questions and provide high-quality legal representation throughout every aspect of your claim.

We can discuss whether you have grounds for a claim, who may be liable for your injuries, and how much compensation you might be able to recover. Contact our personal injury law firm in Lawrenceville, GA today to begin the process with a free case review. 

Why Choose Bridger Law Group?

Choosing a lawyer is one of the most important decisions you can make after a truck accident. Trying to handle your injury claim alone can be overwhelming and confusing, and it’s not uncommon for insurance companies to try to deny your claim or pay as little as possible. 

At Bridger Law Group, we work day and night to make sure individuals get the fair treatment and compensation they deserve. Here are some reasons to consider working with us:

• More than 20 years serving injury victims. We bring decades of knowledge to every case and work to anticipate legal tactics that could impact your results. 
• More than $60 million won. We fight hard against insurance companies to get you what you deserve.
• Full support in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Help should never get lost in translation. Our multilingual team is ready to communicate in the language you feel most comfortable using. 
• More than 4,000 clients helped. People throughout the Houston area know they can turn to us during this difficult time in their lives.  

Our attorneys will handle all contact with insurance representatives and will manage the paperwork from start to finish. We do not charge a fee unless we recover money for you, and the consultation is free. Reach out today so we can talk about what steps you should take to move your claim forward.

How to Prove Negligence in a Big Truck Accident Case

Big truck accident cases usually bring more complications than a typical car crash. There are federal laws to consider, large companies that have lawyers to defend them, and often more severe injuries because of the nature of truck accidents.

However, with an experienced Lawrenceville accident lawyer, victims can get the compensation and justice they’re entitled to. To prove negligence, you need to provide evidence of the following four elements:  

Duty of Care 

Truck drivers and trucking companies must follow strict safety rules when driving. They have a duty of care to keep others around them safe, so this is a pretty easy element to prove. These rules often come from government agencies, and can cover things such as how many hours a driver works, regular vehicle inspections, or loading practices. Truck drivers and companies have a duty of care to abide by these rules. 

Breach of Duty 

Once you can show that the responsible party had a duty of care to act responsibly, you need to show that they violated this duty. This could be by driving too long without rest, texting behind the wheel, rushing through a delivery, or skipping pre-trip maintenance checks. Surveillance, police reports, and data from the truck’s black box can help you with this.  

Causation 

In a truck accident case, you will always have to prove that the breach of duty actually caused your injury. If the truck driver did something negligent but you weren’t injured, you can’t recover damages. This could include showing that a truck tipped over because the company didn’t load it right, causing an accident with other vehicles on the road.  

Damages 

The last thing you need to prove is that you actually suffered damages as a result. This usually means you have injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and sometimes emotional injuries like pain and suffering. 

If you’re not sure whether you have a case, reaching out to a Lawrenceville truck accident lawyer who understands these cases can point you in the right direction.

Evidence Commonly Used To Prove Negligence in Truck Accident Cases

Understanding the elements you have to prove is a good start, but it can be helpful to get a better idea of what evidence is needed. This usually includes some or all of the following:  

• Police Reports 
• Photos and Videos of The Scene and Your Injuries 
• Witness Statements 
• Driver Logs and Company Records 
• Black Box 
• Data Medical Records 

Having the right evidence is critical to proving negligence and getting financial damages so you can focus on your recovery. 

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Due to the significant difference in the size and weight of commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles, truck accidents tend to result in severe injuries, including:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Amputations
• Crushing injuries
• Internal organ damage
• Severe burns
• Multiple and complex fractures

These injuries can be expensive to treat, but you may be able to recover significant compensation from the parties responsible for your injuries. 

Who Is Responsible for My Truck Accident Injuries?

Trucking companies, truck drivers, and other parties must comply with various rules that affect everything from identifying qualified drivers to limiting the number of hours drivers can work. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your accident, one or more of the following parties may be to blame:

• Truck drivers
• Truck companies
• Cargo companies
• Maintenance companies
• Other motorists 
• Vehicle or parts manufacturers

Our investigative team of truck accident lawyers in Lawrenceville can determine who is responsible for your truck accident and pursue maximum compensation from them. 

What Is a Truck’s “Black Box Data” and How Can it Help?

Most commercial trucks on Georgia roads are equipped with an Electronic Control Module, commonly called a black box,  that continuously records data about how the vehicle is being operated. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, this device can be one of the most valuable pieces of evidence available to you. 

The black box captures information like vehicle speed in the moments before impact, whether the brakes were applied and how hard, engine RPM, throttle position, and how long the truck had been in operation. In accidents where the driver claims they were driving safely or that the truck malfunctioned, this data can directly contradict or confirm that account.

Statute of Limitations on Trucking Accidents in Lawrenceville, GA

The statute of limitations is the deadline for filing a lawsuit after a trucking accident.  If you wait too long and miss this window, the court will refuse to hear your case and you won’t be able to recover payment for your injuries. No matter how strong your claim would have been, you will be out of luck. 

In most Georgia trucking accidents, you have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury claim. 

§ 9-3-33. Injuries to the person

Except as otherwise provided in this article, actions for injuries to the person shall be brought within two years after the right of action accrues

However, sometimes, this deadline can change, either being extended or shortened:  

Discovery Rule

If you did not know right away that you were injured (for example, symptoms appeared later), the clock may start running from the date you discovered or should have discovered the injury, not the accident date. 

Minors or Incapacitated Individuals 

For people under 18 or those declared mentally incapacitated when the accident occurred, the deadline usually does not start until the disability passes or the minor turns 18. Government involvement: If the at-fault party is a government employee or vehicle, you may have to follow different notice rules and shorter deadlines, sometimes six months after the crash. 

Concealment or Fraud

If someone hid facts about the accident or lied, Georgia courts may let the deadline begin at the time the deception was uncovered or when it should’ve been uncovered. It’s always a good idea to act quickly. 

Even when exceptions apply, waiting too long can hurt your case  and make collecting strong evidence much more difficult. A truck accident lawyer in Lawrenceville, GA familiar with Georgia law can look at your case and determine what the deadline is. 

Financial Compensation for Truck Accident Victims

Commercial truck drivers, trucking companies, and other parties may be responsible for the injuries you sustained. Through a truck or car accident claim, you can seek compensation with the help of a Lawrenceville car accident lawyer for the full extent of damages you’ve suffered and recover money for: 

• Medical expenses – You can seek compensation for past and future medical expenses, including ambulance charges, hospital stays, surgery costs, specialist visits, and follow-up care. 
• Lost income – Your personal injury claim can demand compensation for the wages you lost while you were receiving medical treatment or recovering from your injuries. You can also seek compensation for the loss of future income and earning capacity you’ve suffered if you sustained a permanent disability or other injury that impairs your long-term earning capacity. 
• Pain and suffering – You have the right to recover compensation for the less tangible damages you’ve sustained due to the truck accident, including your pain and suffering. 
• Emotional distress – Truck accidents can cause significant psychological trauma. You can seek compensation for the PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other negative effects of the accident. 
• Loss of enjoyment of life – Truck accidents can have a devastating effect on your life. They can prevent you from enjoying your favorite pastimes and your relationships with others. You can recover compensation for these losses.

Our experienced Lawrenceville truck accident lawyers can determine the value of your case after thoroughly investigating the circumstances surrounding it. If your loved one was fatally injured in a truck accident, contact our Lawrenceville wrongful death lawyers at Bridger Law Group today. We’ll help you fight for your rights and get the best possible outcome for your pain and suffering.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Georgia?

Truck accidents rarely happen because of a single split-second mistake. In most cases, there are contributing factors that developed well before the crash, and identifying them is a key part of building a strong injury claim. 

• Driver fatigue: Federal regulations limit how many consecutive hours a commercial truck driver can operate, but those rules get violated. A fatigued driver at the wheel of an 80,000-pound vehicle is one of the most dangerous situations on any highway. 
• Speeding and aggressive driving: The pressure to meet delivery deadlines pushes some drivers to speed or follow other vehicles too closely. At highway speeds, a fully loaded semi needs significantly more distance to stop than a passenger car. If this space isn’t respected, it can lead to serious accidents. 
• Improper cargo loading: Cargo that is overloaded or unevenly distributed can cause a truck to handle unpredictably, shift during braking, or tip during turns. This can lead to collisions as well as spills that cause other cars on the road to crash. 
• Distracted driving: Dispatchers communicate with drivers through onboard devices while the truck is moving. Combined with phones and GPS units, the cab of a commercial truck has a lot of distractions that can cause drivers to crash. 
• Poor vehicle maintenance: Trucking companies are required to keep their fleets in safe operating condition. Brake failures, tire blowouts, and steering defects that result from skipped inspections or repairs that are pushed too far out are a preventable cause of serious crashes. 
• Impaired driving: Substance use remains a documented problem in the trucking industry despite federal drug and alcohol testing requirements. Some drivers also rely on stimulants to push through exhaustion on long hauls. 
• Inadequate training: Operating a commercial truck takes skill that goes well beyond a standard driver’s license. When companies rush drivers through training or place drivers on routes they aren’t prepared for, accidents may occur. 

Understanding these causes allows victims to figure out who may be to blame for these accidents and who they can collect compensation from.

How Much Does a Truck Accident Attorney Cost?

One of the most common reasons people hesitate to contact an attorney after a truck accident is the assumption that legal representation is expensive. In reality, the way personal injury attorneys charge for truck accident cases makes it accessible to virtually anyone, regardless of their financial situation.

Most truck accident attorneys, including our firm, work on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay nothing upfront and nothing out of pocket during the case. The attorney’s fee comes as a percentage of the settlement or verdict if your case is successful. This percentage is usually between 33 and 40 percent of the recovery. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney’s fees.

Contact Our Lawrenceville Trucking Accident Lawyers Today

If you were injured in a truck accident, you have the right to demand the compensation that will make you whole after suffering serious injuries. Contact our truck accident attorneys at Bridger Law Group at (404) 482-3330 for a free case review to discuss your claim with an experienced lawyer.