Commercial Vehicle Accidents

A Georgia Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer

Commercial vehicles on the road are increasingly responsible for accidents that result in serious injuries and fatalities.

There are a great many vehicles on the road that are considered commercial vehicles, including:

• Large semi-trucks and 18-wheelers transporting goods
• Rideshare vehicles transporting persons
• Amazon trucks
• Delivery drivers for restaurants, automotive stores, and other businesses
• A broad variety of other vehicles on the road conducting company business

If you have been injured in an accident with the driver of a commercial vehicle, you could be entitled to compensation, generally from the insurance company of the driver’s employer. Determining when a commercial vehicle driver was at fault in your accident, then calculating and collecting the full compensation that you deserve can be a complex process. To learn whether or not you have a case and how much it might be worth, it is helpful to discuss your situation with a Georgia commercial vehicle accident lawyer from Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC.

Commercial Vehicles Cause a Great Deal of Road Fatalities and Injuries Each Year

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) notes that in 2020 there were 4,998 large trucks and buses involved in fatal crashes, while there were 108,000 crashes involving injuries. An investigation by ProPublica cited by the New York Times found that in just June of 2015, Amazon delivery contractors were involved in more than 60 accidents, many of which resulted in serious injuries, including 10 deaths.

Drowsy Driving is a Leading Cause of Commercial Vehicle Accidents

While personal vehicles are driven for personal use when individuals have free time, commercial vehicles are used for work, and work can be tiring. Some workers are not given sufficient time off between shifts to be adequately rested, while others are overworked on extended shifts. When a worker is fatigued and is required to get behind the wheel, they could be engaging in drowsy driving. Drowsy driving is an unsafe road behavior that will often make the driver and, in the instance of commercial vehicles, their employer liable for any damages that result from accidents they cause.

The National Highway Safety Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes that drowsy or fatigued driving is a serious issue that results in thousands of automobile crashes each year. Crashes that result from drowsy driving are likely to be serious, leading to injuries to the parties involved in the accident in addition to property damage.

Some of the leading causes of drowsy driving for commercial drivers include:

• Driving a substantial number of miles each year
• Driving a significant number of hours each day
• Driving extended periods without taking a break

When drivers are required to drive for extended periods and without sufficient breaks, the likelihood of getting into accidents increases. According to our Georgia commercial vehicle accident lawyer, drowsy driving is one of the main causes of commercial vehicle accidents.

Amazon Delivery Drivers are Increasingly On the Road and Causing More Accidents

As shopping malls and in-person shopping have led to fewer personal motor vehicles on the road, the number of Amazon trucks providing goods to these stay-at-home shoppers has been multiplying exponentially with every passing year. The New York Times reports that the demands placed upon Amazon drivers are often too difficult to handle without sacrificing safety on the roads.

For example, in January 2019 a 9-month-old baby was killed when her mother’s jeep was struck by an Amazon worker in a 26-foot rented box truck. The driver of the Amazon truck cited being in a rush to meet deadlines as the cause for his failure to spot the mother’s vehicle in enough time to prevent the crash. When the girl’s parents tried to collect compensation for their damages, Amazon put its attorneys to work in an attempt at avoiding liability for the damage caused by their driver. Having your own Georgia commercial vehicle accident lawyer is key in situations like this.

Insurance Companies Work For-Profit, Not Injured Persons

Commercial companies employ attorneys to protect themselves from direct liability for damages when accidents happen. If you are injured in a car accident with a commercial vehicle, you will generally be filing a claim with the company’s or employer’s insurance company. These insurance companies are for-profit and increase their profits by decreasing their costs, including payments to injured persons like yourself, as much as possible.

The insurance company’s attorneys and claim analysts will scrutinize your claim and the related evidence in an attempt to you as little as possible on your claim, or they may deny it altogether. You can only collect compensation for damages that you can prove with evidence, and having a Georgia commercial vehicle accident lawyer put together the strongest possible claim or case from the start will support the speed and amount of your settlement.

What Damages Can I Collect for Commercial Vehicle Accident Injuries?

Whatever kind of commercial vehicle you were hit by, if you were injured and experienced costs, you could have a claim to collect compensation. The compensation that you can collect is meant to put you in as close a financial position as possible as though the accident had not happened. While accidents and the injuries that result cannot be reversed, the economic damages, pain and suffering, and other damages they cause can be assigned a financial value that you can recover through an insurance claim or lawsuit.

Your damages include the short- and long-term medical costs linked to your injuries, in addition to any lost wages and work benefits after your injury and any change in your earnings ability and capacity to enjoy life in the long term. Collecting your damages requires evidence and the drafting of a claim, and your local Georgia commercial vehicle accident lawyer can help.

Connect with a Georgia Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been injured in an accident with a commercial vehicle like a truck, rideshare car, or other, you could be entitled to compensation. A Georgia commercial vehicle accident lawyer from Michael M. Day Law Firm, LLC, is available to review your case. Call (404) 480-4284, or visit our website to schedule your free consultation.