Articles Posted in Truck Accidents

Commercial truck drivers are an essential part of the nation’s economy, transporting materials and goods to and from points both near and far. In doing so, the average trucker drives between 2,000 and 3,000 miles each week. That works out to a lot of time on the road. Some truck drivers may spend even more time behind the wheel due to a per-mile—rather than hourly—pay system, unrealistic employer expectations, and companies that incentivize completing tasks ahead of schedule.

Sound exhausting? It is—and it can lead to deadly accidents. Research shows that driving while fatigued can be just as impairing as driving under the influence of alcohol. And when the driver of an up-to-80,000-pound truck dozes off behind the wheel, the results can be absolutely catastrophic.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration limits how many hours truckers can drive—which is now a maximum of 70 hours during an 8-day period—and requires them to keep daily logs of their activities. However, truck operators often find ways to falsify these logs to stay on the road longer, such as making a second, “clean” set of logs. While the introduction of electronic logging devices, or ELDs, has made it slightly more difficult to create fraudulent logs, drivers can still unfairly and unsafely game the system.

Large truck accidents can leave victims seriously injured, unable to work, and facing mounting debt. If you or someone you love was hurt in a crash caused by a dangerous commercial driver, you may be entitled to compensation from the at-fault trucker, as well as the trucking company that employs him or her.

Crashes involving commercial trucks and passenger vehicles are often extremely serious, with passenger vehicle drivers and occupants sustaining the brunt of the injuries and damages. Though truckers might have made careless or dangerous mistakes behind the wheel, they often lack sufficient insurance coverage or assets to fully compensate victims for their losses.

Fortunately, thanks to vicarious liability laws, if a truck driver causes a crash while carrying out employment duties, you may also be able to hold the transportation company accountable.

Motorists might not realize that many of the large commercial trucks sharing the roads with them are transporting dangerous cargo, such as explosives, gases, radioactive materials, flammable liquids or solids, corrosive substances, or other hazardous materials.

Though the trucks, trucking companies, and drivers who transport these substances must adhere to extremely strict state and federal safety regulations, accidents can—and do—still occur.

In fact, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, hazardous cargo is a factor in approximately 4 percent of fatal large truck crashes and roughly 2 percent of large truck injury accidents each year.

Large commercial trucks transport goods to and from points all across the country. In doing so, drivers of these massive vehicles spend much of their time on rural roads.

Though one might assume that it’s crowded urban areas where big rigs and 18-wheelers are at the greatest risk of being involved in an accident, research shows the exact opposite is true.

Not only do most accidents involving large trucks occur in rural areas, but 61 percent of rural road truck crashes result in fatalities, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

An Athens, Georgia Truck Accident can cause a variety of serious injuries or even the death of a loved one. The laws in Georgia say that truck drivers and trucking companies are required to compensate victims or family members if the driver and/or trucking company’s negligence causes a truck crash. To learn more about your legal rights or for help making your case after a trucking crash, contact the Athens, Georgia Truck Accident Attorneys at Van Sant Law, LLC today by calling us toll free at (855) 424-6587. Our experienced Trucking Accident Attorneys handle cases through the State of Georgia and we will come to you should we determine you have a viable claim.

Athens, GA Truck Accidents

Athens, Georgia is located in the northeastern part of Georgia and is considered a college town as it is the location of the University of Georgia. Athens, Georgia has formed a unified government with nearby Clarke County and together the consolidated city-county had a population of 115,452 as of the 2010 census. This makes Athens-Clarke County the sixth largest city in the state of Georgia.

If you or a loved one was involved in a Marietta, Georgia Truck Accident, you may be coping with devastating injuries or even the devastating loss of a loved one. The laws in Georgia mandate that truck drivers and trucking companies responsible for a crash compensate you and your loved ones for both physical and emotional damage the crash causes. The Marietta, Georgia Truck Accident Attorneys at Van Sant Law, LLC, can assist you in getting the compensation you deserve. We have collected millions in compensation for clients handling cases throughout the State of Georgia and will come to you for a free consultation.

Marietta, Georgia is the county seat of Cobb County and is considered to be a suburb of metro Atlanta. The family-friendly climate and the easy commute to Atlanta has made the city a popular place to live and the recent Census indicated that there is a population around 57,000 people in the city limits and many more in the surrounding area.

An Augusta, Georgia Truck Accident can cause serious injuries or the death of a loved one. If you or someone in your family was hurt in a truck accident, you have legal rights under Georgia law. Contact the experienced Georgia Truck Accident Attorneys at Van Sant Law, LLC, today toll free at (855) 424-6587 for help making a case and recovering the compensation you deserve. While we are based in Atlanta, we handle cases throughout Georgia and have handled many in the Augusta CSRA area. Furthermore, if we determine that you have a viable truck accident case, we will come to you for a personal face to face meeting.

Augusta, GA Truck AccidentsAugusta, Georgia lies on the Georgia €“ South Carolina border and is located at the head of the navigable portion of the Savannah River. With an estimated population of 556,877 as of the 2010 census, Augusta is the third-largest city in Georgia and is the second largest metro area, following only Atlanta.

Because Augusta is such a large and bustling city, trucks come into the area to deliver goods and raw materials every day. When trucks travel on the roads of Augusta, there is a risk of a serious truck accident occurring if drivers are negligent or fail to properly maintain their tractor trailers.

Victims of Savannah, Georgia truck accidents have certain legal rights under Georgia law. If your accident was caused by a driver’s negligence or wrongdoing, you can obtain compensation for all of your losses. Contact the Georgia Truck Accident Attorneys at Van Sant Law, LLC today for help understanding and enforcing your legal right to monetary damages. We handle trucking cases throughout the state of Georgia and we will come to you for a free no obligation initial consultation.

Savannah, Georgia Truck Accidents

Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia and was the first state capital in Georgia. Today, millions of visitors come to Savannah to enjoy the historic buildings and beautiful architecture in the city. Savannah is also a key seaport on the Atlantic and is considered to be a major industrial center.

If you or a loved one were injured in a truck accident, you may be able to make a claim for monetary damages. To obtain the compensation that Georgia law allows, get help from an experienced Atlanta, Georgia truck accident lawyer at Van Sant Law, LLC Give us a call toll free at (855) 424-6587 today to learn how we can assist with your truck accident claim.

Truck Accidents in the United States

Each year, trucks throughout the United States move approximately 11 billion tons of freight. This freight moves throughout the entire United States and, as the American Trucking Association indicates, about 80 percent of all communities in the U.S. receive all or most of their goods and raw materials via truck.