Gwinnett County Truck Accident Lawyers
Drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, pedestrians and other victims involved in Gwinnett County semi-truck accidents can suffer from a multitude of injuries. These painful and debilitating injuries may include fractured skulls, broken bones, internal bleeding, spinal cord damage, loss of organ function, back injuries and other life-altering injuries. As an accident victim, you will not only suffer from physical pain associated with the collision but also from the prolonged mental anguish that accompanies it.
Significant financial hardships only amplify the stress of recovering from these types of devastating injuries. Being in an accident can have prolonged economic effects upon you and your family. Unemployment with the specter of rising medical bills and unpaid family expenses can deflate your savings and create massive debt.
Our Gwinnett County truck accident lawyers at Montlick and Associates have been representing trucking accident victims for nearly thirty years. We understand the intricacies of trucking regulations, complex factual issues and the need for effective discovery to expose hidden or altered evidence.
Many trucking companies and their drivers utilize unsafe driving practices, marginal inspections and/or maintenance and unethical practices to increase their profit margin. After a serious Gwinnett County tractor-trailer accident has occurred, these unethical commercial carriers may destroy, manipulate or hide evidence that supports a finding of fault by their driver. Because our trucking accident attorneys have handled a broad cross-section of semi-truck accident claims during our nearly three decades in existence, we have the experience and knowledge necessary to counteract these unethical tactics and defenses.
Our attorneys are aware that some companies will alter the truck's black box event data recorder and may rush to repair trucks involved in an accident distorting evidence that may be important toward proving an accident victim's claim. Some unethical companies will destroy or alter log books, but these tactics can be exposed by fuel records, receipts for lodging and other similar evidence. Our Gwinnett County tractor-trailer accident law firm works diligently to develop a compelling case for imposing liability on trucking companies and their drivers.
Statistics Involving Trucking Accidents
Recent data has shown that there are about 2 million trucks driving on the American roadways. Of those, approximately 500,000 large trucks are involved in accidents on an annual basis. Because of the massive size of large trucks as compared to cars, nearly 98 percent of fatal trucking accidents result in the death of a passenger vehicle occupant. Furthermore, it is more common for a trucking accident to occur in a rural area as compared to an urban environment so less traffic does not equate to fewer trucking collisions.
Key Pieces of Evidence: Trucking Black Boxes and Logbooks
Logbooks contain critical information that is extremely valuable to most plaintiffs in trucking accident cases. These logbooks possess the hours the vehicle has been driven during consecutive hours or over a period of days. There are specific regulations that mandate maximum hours behind the wheel and minimum off-duty break periods. Because truck drivers may be penalized for late delivery or held to unrealistic delivery schedules, it is an industry-wide practice to distort these logs and violate anti-fatigue regulations.
Many semi-trucks are equipped with black box data recorders, similar to those on airplanes, which provide a way to cross-check driver logbooks. These electronic data recorders also provide information about the trucker's driving behavior immediately prior to a collision, as well as vehicle maintenance issues. Information relating to speed, braking, vehicle maintenance and other essential data may be stored in the black box. When Montlick and Associates represents clients in trucking accident cases, we take prompt action to protect valuable data from a tractor-trailer's electronic data recorder from being lost.
Our experienced attorneys have been handling trucking accident cases for nearly three decades in Gwinnett County and throughout Georgia. Trucking accident cases that we handle may involve the following:
- Distracted truck drivers using their cell phones
- Tired and fatigued drivers
- Drivers in violation of a regulation or company policy
- Overloaded trailers or unbalanced freight
- Trucks malfunctioning parts/components, lack of maintenance or failure to make necessary repairs
- Truck driver's failure to exercise safe driving practices
- Truck drivers operating commercial trucks in hazardous or poor conditions
If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious trucking accident in Gwinnett County, Montlick and Associates may be able to assist you. Our Gwinnett County truck accident lawyers represent our clients in seeking recovery of lost wages, pain and suffering, compensation for diminished earning capacity, medical expenses, impairment of one's quality of life and/or other forms of damages. Call our Gwinnett County big-rig accident attorneys today for your FREE CONSULTATION. Feel free to contact us 24/7, and we may even be able to pay you a visit if necessary. Call us anytime at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) for your FREE CONSULTATION. Furthermore, you can visit us online at www.montlick.com to utilize our FREE CASE EVALUATION FORM or access our 24-hour live chat service.