Our Douglasville Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help You

Legal Representation For 18 Wheeler Accident Cases in Georgia

Throughout Douglasville, Georgia and neighboring communities, large tractor-trailers roll through Interstate 20 and U.S. Highway 78, many of them bound for Atlanta or other parts of the country.

As a final stop just outside of Atlanta, Douglasville is quickly becoming a major hub of tractor-trailer activity. While this may be great for the industry, it can mean a lot more trucking collisions that have serious consequences for people in and around Douglasville.

At the law firm of Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., we pride ourselves on offering friendly and local legal representation to people who have suffered injuries in catastrophic truck crashes. For help after an accident, call us to speak with a truck accident lawyer right away. The claim review is free and comes with no obligations on your part.

Why Are Truck Accident Claims in Georgia More Complicated?

A number of factors make trucking crashes far more complicated than a typical car accident. Here are a few considerations:

  • Bigger injuries – Tractor-trailers and other massive commercial vehicles are significantly larger and weigh more than cars. This means the impacts are greater, and the injuries are generally much worse – especially for the occupants of a smaller car or other vehicle. This means a lot of money is at stake.
  • Complex federal regulations – Ordinary traffic rules are fairly simple for most people to understand, including juries. But when it comes to the rules that apply to trucking companies, the rules are anything but simple. For example, truck drivers are subject to federal and state hours of service regulations that dictate how long a driver can operate a truck without a break. There are also regulations for:
    • Performing proper pre-trip and post-trip inspections of a tractor-trailer
    • How much a truck can weigh loaded or empty
    • Which roads and bridges a truck can use, depending on weight, height, and width
    • The use of certain toll roads
    • The use of a cell phone or other device by a truck driver
    • How maintenance logs must be maintained
    • Proper and adequate electronic or paper logbooks
    • Proper labeling and hauling of hazardous chemicals
    • Training and CDL requirements
    • DOT requirements for a driver’s physical and mental condition
  • Trucking companies have a lot more resources – When you are engaged in a dispute with another driver, you both have a fairly equal playing field. The insurance policy that is involved will usually have limits somewhere between $25,000 and about $250,000. This means the insurance company’s risk is limited to its policy. But for a trucking company, they may have a policy in excess of $1 million, or they could be self-insured. Therefore, the stakes are huge for a major trucking company, especially when someone is seriously injured or killed by one of their drivers.

How Our Semi-truck Accident Attorneys Can Help You

After a crash with a tractor-trailer or other heavy truck, the clock is ticking to gather evidence while it’s still fresh. Major trucking companies will move very quickly to clean up wreckage, investigate, and in some cases, even destroy helpful evidence. You need to act fast if you’re going to protect your rights. When you call our firm, we can get to work protecting your interests. This means:

We Launch Our Own Thorough Investigation

A truck in a junk yard after a truck accidentWe don’t leave it to the insurance company or even the police to do our investigations. Instead of accepting their conclusions, we work closely with highly trained private investigators, talented forensic engineers and crash reconstruction experts. They have years of experience putting the pieces together to understand how a crash really took place and why it happened.

We Don’t Stop at Just the Scene of the Crash

lawsuit claims in file foldersGreat accident lawyers know that while much of the crucial evidence may still be on the side of the road at the crash scene (wreckage, skid marks, signs, etc.), a lot of evidence needs to be discovered through a painstaking process of careful investigation. Our law firm can track down witnesses, uncover driver’s logs and other records, and even look for traffic cameras and police investigation reports that may help to clarify details.

We Keep the Insurance Company and Collections Companies Away

lawyer on phone with clientThe last thing you and your loved ones need after a tragic accident is to deal with insurance adjusters and bill collectors. Our firm will work on resolving medical liens and protecting your rights. This also means making sure the insurance company has to talk to us instead of you.

Our Injury Lawyers Can Help You Get the Medical Care You Need

stethoscope on medical formIn many cases, medical providers will choose not to bill health insurance, or you may not have the right kind of insurance coverage to get the care you need. In some situations, we may be able to put you in touch with skilled doctors and physical therapists who can treat your injuries, even if you don’t have health coverage.

Our Injury Law Firm Will Handle All of the Settlement Discussions

lawyer removing paperwork from his briefcaseThere’s no substitute for a professional negotiator. Things that may sound important may have little effect on a trucking company’s willingness to settle. At the same time, an injury law firm in Georgia well-versed in personal injury laws can usually identify the keys to the case that will make the difference when discussing the value of your case with adjusters.

We Are Prepared To Fight the Trucking Company at Trial

If we can’t get the insurance company and negligent trucking company to see reason, and they won’t pay a fair settlement, there are times when it may be best to take the case to trial. Our experienced trial lawyers have fought and won many cases, and they’re not afraid to make a trucking company answer for its actions in court.

What Compensation Can Be Received for Truck Accident Injuries?

Compensation after a truck accident will vary based on the type of injuries you suffered and the cost of your medical treatment, as well as your lost wages and other factors. But in most cases, you could be able to claim the following types of compensation:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Medical expenses
  • Anticipated future medical costs
  • Emotional distress
  • Disability or disfigurement damages
  • Money to compensate for lost wages from work
  • Money to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses

If you’ve lost a close relative in a fatal trucking collision, you could be entitled to wrongful death damages. These are among the most serious and challenging cases an attorney can handle, so it’s important to work with a lawyer you trust, who can guide you through the process step by step.

What is the Statute of Limitations on Tractor Trailer Accident Claims in Georgia?

Georgia law limits how long you can wait to file a lawsuit for your injuries in a truck wreck. This is known as the statute of limitations.  The time limits vary slightly depending on the particular situation, but in general, here is what you need to know:

Motor Vehicle Collisions and Trucking Accidents: Two Years.

If your bodily injuries stem from a collision in Georgia, then the statute of limitations is just two years to file suit against anyone involved who you believe is responsible for your injuries. The clock begins ticking on the date of the crash. The time limit can be extended only under very narrow circumstances.

Property Damages: Four Years.

If your personal property (car and other personal items) is destroyed or damaged, the statute of limitations is just four years to claim compensation.

Wrongful Death: Two Years.

If a relative dies in a fatal trucking crash, you have two years from the date on which the incident occurred to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against those responsible for the crash.

Municipal Agencies and the Government: From Six Months to One Year, Depending on Location.

If the truck or other commercial vehicle that caused your accident was owned or operated by a government entity, such as a city or county government, things can be much different. In these situations, you could have as little as six months to put the government entity on notice of your claim. Therefore, you should act very quickly if you’ve been involved in a crash.

Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Semi-truck Accident?

In a trucking accident case, it’s not just the truck driver who can be held accountable for negligence. Consider that many accidents are the result of a driver error, yet the underlying cause may be linked to something that happened back at the company headquarters, the loading dock, or even in a repair shop.

For instance, the following are other parties who could be liable for your injuries:

  • Trucking company – When an employee (the truck driver) is negligent, then the employer is usually held liable under a theory known as respondeat superior, which is just a fancy way of saying the “master is responsible for the servant.” Some trucking companies may attempt to dodge liability by labeling their drivers as “independent contractors.” In many cases, a careful investigation reveals that an independent contractor was actually an employee, despite what the company called them.
  • Police investigating truck accident.Dispatchers/brokers – Sometimes dispatchers and freight brokers could be liable if they push drivers to perform beyond their reasonable limits or even the legal hours that they are allowed to drive, leading to asleep-at-the-wheel crashes.
  • Mechanics and repair companies – Most large trucking operations have their own maintenance teams who perform regular repairs, such as tire changes and brake jobs. Sometimes companies cut corners by using aftermarket parts or failing to repair broken air lines and brakes, just to save a buck. Other times, they may outsource repairs to other companies who work on bulk projects, often leaving necessary work unrepaired.
  • Warehousing companies/lumpers – When a truck driver gets a load at a warehouse, the company loading the truck is often not affiliated with the truck driver or the trucking company. Instead, these are customers who pay the trucking company to haul freight. Sometimes they get greedy and load more than what they are allowed to, just to save money. For instance, by loading an extra pallet (maybe an extra thousand pounds or so) on each dedicated load, a warehouse company could save tens of thousands of dollars or more each year. But this can cause the truck to be over its legal weight, and thus make it unable to stop in the event of a crash.

For these reasons, it’s important to count on a local and personalized law firm that has been doing business here in Douglasville since 1992. We have the experience and resources to tackle just about any size case, yet we believe in providing one-on-one, focused representation to each client. Call Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., today to speak with a truck accident lawyer about your case.

Help With Wrongful Death Claims After Semi-truck Accidents

Crashed car automobile collision accident at road.After a trucking fatality, it can be very hard for a family to think about the legal ramifications of the accident. All that surviving loved ones want is to grieve, heal, and spend time with family and friends.

The thought of speaking to a lawyer in a time of great personal grief can feel awkward or even embarrassing to some. Sadly, the law does not care if you are upset or going through the worst tragedy of your life. The law requires you to take some action, or else you will lose your rights forever.

Here are some things to consider if you’ve lost someone close to you:

  • How will you pay medical bills? Most trucking fatalities are very expensive and result in large final medical bills for the deceased person’s family.
  • Will there be enough money to raise the children or support the family? In some cases, the victim may be an income-earner for the family. If so, sudden and unexpected death can also be a financial disaster for the whole family.
  • Who will take care of the children? If the victim was a primary caregiver for young children or the principal homemaker, a surviving spouse may be amazed to discover how expensive it is to pay someone to replace those duties.
  • What will be left for the family? By the time final burial and funeral expenses are paid, medical bills are covered, and time is taken off work to grieve, how much will be left for the family’s future now that the loved one is gone?

wrongful death case is not about revenge. It is about helping a grieving family and an estate recover money due to the sudden and untimely death of a beloved member of the family. Nothing can ever replace a person who is torn from us prematurely, but compensation through a wrongful death case can help the family move on and find closure.

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Call Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., for Help After a Truck Wreck

After a truck crash, don’t delay getting the legal help you need. Put an aggressive and skilled team of litigation attorneys on your side to help you seek compensation. We never take a penny unless we can help you recover. Call the law firm of Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., today to schedule a free case evaluation, and put yourself on the road to recovery sooner.

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