Auto/Trucking Accidents
The Plaintiff in automobile/trucking cases must prove, at a minimum, negligence — which in Georgia is the absence of due care or that care which would be exercised by a reasonable person under similar circumstances. These cases often involve violations of the “Rules of the Road” and/or federal regulations and statutes pertaining specifically to semi-tractor trailers. There are special rules about proving various kinds of damages which are known as special, general and punitive damages. Most cases involve subrogation issues related to payments by health insurance carriers/Medicare/Medicaid. Oftentimes, there are issues regarding driver training, guest passengers, driving history, aggravated/gross negligence, DUI drivers, talking on a cell phone/texting, or leaving the scene of an accident.
Representative Cases
- Death of young mother of two when she struck a vehicle that had become disabled on the highway as a result of poor maintenance of the vehicle and inadequate training of the driver.
- Severe brain damage to an individual when she collided with a poorly lit tractor trailer which pulled out from a chicken farm, blocking her lane of travel with the trailer.
- Failure to properly mark a disabled semi tractor-trailer with the required triangles/ warning devices on the interstate, causing a working father to strike the rear of the truck resulting in catastrophic head and facial injuries.
- Tragic accident on Christmas Eve, when a beer delivery truck crossed the centerline striking our clients’ vehicle, killing their two year old baby and causing massive orthopedic injuries to the mother.
- Family of ten and two foreign exchange students going on vacation to the beach when a tractor-trailer driver lost control, crossed the median and struck the van, killing eight members of the family including both parents, one of the exchange students and seriously injuring the remaining three passengers.
- Numerous state and federal tort claims actions, including one against a GBI agent who crossed the centerline and killed a young woman.
- An undercover police chase resulted in an intersection collision catastrophically injuring mother and her daughter.
- Numerous motorcycle accidents involving the death of a family member and/or serious permanent injury to our clients operating the motorcycles.
- A high wage earning pharmaceutical saleswoman exiting the bathroom stall of interstate rest stop when an elderly man, attempting to park, crashed through the wall and into the bathroom, pinning her against the sink, resulting in a crushed pelvis and other significant orthopedic injuries.
HELPFUL LINKS
- www.nhtsa.gov – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- www.ntsb.gov – National Transportation Safety Board
- www.recalls.gov – Recalls
- www.autosafety.org – Center for Auto Safety
- www.iihs.org – Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- www.crashsafety.com – Crash Safety
