Marietta Truck Accident Attorney
Experienced & Successful Marietta Truck Accident Injury Attorney
Semi-trucks and tractor-trailers can weigh 25 times more than a passenger car. When a big rig or 18-wheeler barrels into a smaller vehicle at highway speeds, the results are highly likely to end in catastrophic injury or wrongful death to the occupants of the car. Truck accident claims are typically more complicated than other car accident claims. They are also more costly and often more heavily defended by the insurance companies. It’s essential to have a skilled and experienced Marietta truck accident attorney handle your claim when you are hurt in a trucking accident.
Why should I choose The Strickland Firm after a Marietta truck accident?
Marietta personal injury attorney Ryan T. Strickland worked for years as an insurance defense lawyer, including being named as a partner in a major insurance defense law firm that focuses particularly on defending trucking companies. In those years, Ryan trained insurance adjusters on issues such as how to determine when truck or non-trucking coverage might apply. He also wrote the chapter on “Defending the Lawsuit” in the Motor Carrier Liability handbook, which was noted as a valuable transportation law resource by the Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA). He also wrote the Georgia State Law Summary for TIDA. With The Strickland Law Firm in your corner, you know you’ve got a personal injury attorney who understands truck accident claims from the inside-out and who knows how to negotiate a fair settlement or litigate your trucking accident case as necessary to achieve the best result.
What kind of insurance does Georgia law require for commercial trucks?
Most motor vehicle drivers in Georgia are required to carry 25/50/25 in liability insurance coverage. In other words, their insurance must pay up to $25,000 for personal injury in a car accident where one person is injured, $50,000 per accident if more than one person is injured, and $25,000 in property damage. For semi-trucks, the mandatory minimum requirements are much higher. The exact requirements depend on the truck’s gross vehicle weight (GVW), the type of cargo it carries, and whether the truck is moving in interstate commerce or strictly intrastate. In any event, expect the trucking company to cover at least $100,000 per person and up to a million dollars per accident.
With larger policy limits, you may think it will be easier to get your claim paid. Unfortunately, insurance companies instead fight that much harder when there is more at stake for them to pay.
What causes Marietta truck accidents?
Most truck accidents in Marietta are attributable to truck driver error, with truck driver fatigue or drowsy driving as a leading factor. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) limits how many hours a trucker can work without taking rest breaks or significant time off, but these “limits” are ridiculously light. Truckers can legally work 14-hour shifts with 11 hours behind the wheel, and they can work 60 or 70 hours over a seven or eight-day “week” until they have to take just 34 hours off before starting a new “week.” What’s worse, truck drivers routinely violate these rules and work even longer hours, sometimes falsifying records and logs to hide their behavior from the FMCSA. Working these punishing hours reduces a driver’s ability to stay alert, much less awake, and avoid costly or deadly crashes on the road.
The FMCSA also regulates truck drivers and trucking companies with a host of rules and regulations related to required training and alcohol/drug testing of drivers; required safety equipment; and weight, width and length limits for trailers. Other rules routinely violated by trucking companies relate to keeping trucks in safe working order. During annual roadside inspections, thousands of trucks are immediately pulled from service due to dangerously unsafe tires and bad or missing brake components.
Get Help from an Experienced & Successful Marietta Truck Accident Attorney
If you’ve been injured in a crash with a semi-truck in Marietta, call The Strickland Firm at 770-420-9900 for a no-cost consultation on your potential claims with a highly-experienced and dedicated Marietta truck accident lawyer.
