No two trucking wrecks are the same. Each incident involves its own complex issues of commercial carrier ownership and insurance, complicated state and federal regulations and unique issues of injury, loss and causation.
Causation is often not immediately apparent in a truck wreck. Several factors may be to blame — and those who are responsible can only be held accountable once the cause or causes of the collision are identified and linked to the offending parties and circumstances.
Hiring a law firm that knows how to investigate truck wreck cases and identify what led to the wreck is crucial — you need an experienced team of lawyers who know the trucking industry inside and out. At Malone Law, our truck collision lawyers draw on over 50 years of institutional knowledge in every truck and automobile wreck case we take.
Why Do Truck Wrecks Happen?
Our attorneys provide personalized, practical advice in all truck wreck cases — including those involving the most common causes of truck collisions, including:
- Truck driver fatigue — Driver error, including fatigue, is 10 times more likely to be the cause of a truck crash than any other factor.
- Brake failure — Truck equipment failure, including bad brakes, is the second leading cause of truck collisions.
- Overloaded trucks — Although regulations dictate how much weight a truck can carry, they are often overloaded, which can affect the truck’s maneuverability and performance.
- Improper truck driver training — Drivers who don’t receive adequate training in how to handle and maneuver a commercial truck are a leading cause of truck wrecks.
- Distracted driving — Distractions such as roadwork, accidents and phone usage can take a truck driver’s attention away from the road and lead to a collision.
- Rollovers and jackknives — Trucks that rollover and jackknife — often due to improper loading or distracted driving — can cause catastrophic wrecks and injuries.
- Road rage — Aggressive driving is not limited to automobile drivers and is partially to blame for almost 10 percent of all truck wrecks.
- Improper truck maintenance — Commercial trucks are subject to strict maintenance regulations — and when these regulations are not followed, tragedies can occur.
- Truck driver drug and alcohol abuse — Alcohol, and prescription and illicit drug use affect a truck driver’s reaction time and play a role in over 25 percent of truck crashes.
- Speeding truck drivers — Studies show that the force of impact from an 80,000-pound truck is made more deadly with each mile of increased speed.
- Adverse weather conditions — Because trucks cannot stop or steer as easily as cars, braking distance and navigability is often hampered by bad weather.
- Load shift — Improper loading of a truck can result in an unbalanced load — that can cause a truck to tip over — or a load that cannot be properly secured.
- Company negligence — All too often shippers contract with truckers or trucking companies without checking their credentials or compliance with safety regulations.
We Have The Resources And Knowledge To Help
A Georgia law firm with experience dealing with the complexities involved in a truck wreck case can thoroughly investigate your crash and explore your options for recovery. With a tradition of excellence that stretches back over half a century, Malone Law is ready and willing to assist you in making it through this difficult period in your life.
We have helped thousands of families who have been involved in a car crash, auto accident or truck wreck — and we can help your family too, in situations involving a head-on collision, t-bone accident, hit and run, and a multitude of other catastrophic situations.
For more information, call our Atlanta office at 770-390-7550 or reach out to us online by filling out our contact form.
