Savannah Truck Accident Lawyers

Truck Accident Attorneys near Savannah, GA

Big Rigs Pose a Unique Risk on Savannah Roads

Although big trucks account for only 5% of all vehicles on the road, they cause 10% of all crashes annually. In 70% of those crashes, someone in the other vehicle suffers a serious injury or wrongful death. The trucking industry is aware of this data, so it is very aggressive in investigating accidents and defending trucking accident cases to prevent paying significant money to victims.

These accidents can take various forms, but there are two commonly seen types of truck accidents on Savannah’s roads:

Jackknife Accident

These crashes occur when the cab of a big rig bends back toward the vehicle’s rear, causing the truck to resemble a partially open pocketknife. Drivers cause these crashes when they fail to correct a skid in time, and the weight of the trailer pushes the cab into itself. These crashes can affect multiple cars and block entire highways.

Carriage Underride Accident

These truck accidents occur when a passenger vehicle slides under a big rig and is either crushed or has the top of the car ripped off. The vast difference in size between a big rig and a smaller vehicle accounts for this type of accident and the severity of the injuries.

What Causes Truck Accidents?

Truck accidents can be shocking because of their massive size. The damage they cause to other vehicles, infrastructure, and innocent people is staggering. Consequently, trucking companies, regulators, and fellow drivers want to know what causes these accidents and how they can be stopped.

In many cases, negligence may be the cause of the accident. Negligence is a legal term that describes a situation where a person or entity either acts or fails to act reasonably. Determining what is reasonable in a given situation is the role of truck accident attorneys.

This negligence may be on the part of the trucking company, the driver they employed, or both.

Trucking Company Negligence

Like any business, trucking companies seek to shrink costs while growing profits. When this motive meets the road, it can seriously harm other drivers. Agencies like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) establish specific duties for trucking companies. When these companies cut corners, they cause catastrophic consequences. Examples of their negligence include:

• Trucking companies that set unrealistic delivery schedules
• Failure of trucking companies to administer drug testing
• Failure to inspect commercial trucks
• Improper medical screening of drivers returning to duty after hospitalization or illness
• Defective truck components, such as product defects in tires
• Improper employment screening before hiring
• Poor tractor-trailer maintenance, including failure to perform brake maintenance
• Unsafe choice of routes, including steep grades

Truck Driver Negligence

The trucking company may follow all proper precautions and regulations in other instances. However, their drivers may act negligently and cause accidents. This can occur when:

• Commercial drivers are impaired by alcohol or drugs while driving
• Truck drivers are fatigued from failure to observe rest period rules
• Commercial drivers fail to check blind spots
• Truck drivers speed

A combination of negligent factors may have contributed to a Savannah truck accident. The trucking company may have failed to administer drug testing and allowed a driver onto the road while under the influence. Thoroughly investigating all sources of negligence to secure maximum compensation is how Montlick truck accident lawyers achieve justice for their clients.

Savannah Truck Accident Injury Attorneys

Navigating the Complex Aftermath

There’s a more than understandable amount of shock, fear, and grief immediately following an accident. In the days after, it’s not uncommon for uncertainty to rise. Your limited attention and energy get dangerously thin. It becomes hard to understand what’s important and what’s not.

Following an accident, the most critical concern for an injured victim should be their health. Recovery from truck accidents can be extensive, and it will take everything the victim has to come out on the other side.

Unfortunately, much gets in the way. For one thing, it’s hard not to focus on the enormous cost of care. Those costs have gone up an average of 6.2% every year since 1991. The worry over missed work is coupled with the anxiety of paying for medical expenses. When that stress builds, it’s time to talk to a lawyer. They know how to fight for just compensation from the insurance companies while letting you focus on recovery. Having you or a loved one contact a truck accident attorney straightaway gives your case the best chance.

Here’s why reaching out to representation quickly matters:

Don’t Take or Accept Blame

After a trucking accident, many companies and insurers blame the injured victim to minimize or avoid paying fair compensation. Georgia’s comparative negligence law states that if a victim is 51% or more to blame, they don’t receive compensation. Having an advocate in your corner can help protect you from unjustifiably accepting blame for the accident.

Document the Accident

Commercial truck accidents have unique pieces of evidence that skilled truck accident attorneys look for when substantiating personal injury claims. Having legal representation as soon as possible allows that lawyer to recover the truck’s computer systems, which contain essential data on the moments leading up to the accident. Additionally, they will have the best chance of collecting eyewitness statements and more time to call in expert testimony.

Filing a Claim

Because insurance companies are looking for ways to minimize your hurt and avoid compensation, it’s recommended that you consult with a trusted Georgia truck accident lawyer before speaking with the trucker’s insurance company.

Beware of Runners

Bringing in legal representation quickly doesn’t mean it should be done thoughtlessly. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous lawyers use the need for representation to line their pockets. While lying in a hospital bed trying to recover, you may be met with case-runners. These attorneys may hire paramedics and tow truck drivers to promote their undesirable services to recently injured victims. They often use false promises to lure injured victims seeking justice. These attorneys are not to be trusted.

Truck Accident Lawyers Fight For You

Trying to grapple with complex legal codes while combating the insurance company alone can be costly. The insurance company aims to minimize your pain and maximize their profits. Having skilled legal representation can help you get your life back on track. But how do you know when you’ve found the right team?

Finding A Winning Attorney

• Experience: One of the first questions you should ask your potential lawyer is what legal area they have the most experience in. You’d be surprised how many lawyers have never set foot in a courtroom. You want to be sure that your attorney has experience in the particular field and subfield impacting you.
• Resources: How well-resourced is the firm? Even the most persuasive attorneys need evidence to back up their claims. Finding, securing, and presenting evidence costs time, money, and people. You want to trust that your attorney is backed up by a reputable firm that can provide these resources upfront so you don’t have to.
• A Plan: Another important consideration is for the plan ahead. If your free consultation leaves you more confused than when you started, it might be time for a consultation with a different firm. Experienced truck accident attorneys will lay out the expected plan for your case and update you along the way.
• Fee Structure: Besides walking out of the consultation with a plan, you should understand how payment for these legal services works. A trusted attorney will proudly explain to you their fee structure and answer any questions you have..
• Contact Information: How easy was it to set up a free consultation? That process gives you a good idea of what it will be like when you try to contact your lawyer for important updates on your case or ask a question. This process can be confusing, but having access to your attorney brings clarity and avoids stress.

At Montlick, we believe in making it easy for injured victims to connect quickly and confidently with an experienced attorney who can handle their case. During our free and confidential consultations, our truck accident attorneys review their client’s cases, lay out a clear plan, and spell out our contingency fee structure. We don’t get paid until you win.

What is My Case Worth?

Every case is different, so providing solid numbers to answer this question can take time and effort. However, an experienced truck accident attorney will pursue all possible sources of compensation for their clients. Those include economic and non-economic damages caused by the accident. Economic damages include medically necessary care costs, lost wages, disability, and funeral expenses. Non-economic damages may compensate the injured victim for their pain and suffering. Last are punitive damages, which the attorney may pursue if the driver or company acted egregiously.

Some common types of damages for truck accidents include:

Economic Damages

Courts award economic damages to reimburse injured victims for the injury’s cost. They include:

• Medical Expenses: Medical expenses may include hospital visits, doctor’s appointments, tests, exams, and physical therapy associated with your recovery. They can also include long-term care as necessary.
• Lost Wages: In the United States, injuries cause the average worker to have 11 days of work. The severity of a truck accident may prevent a person from working for even longer than average. A truck accident claim can hold the negligent party accountable for those lost wages to keep a family afloat.
• Disability: Some may only be able to work at a reduced amount for the rest of their lives, and others may not be able to work again. In a claim, an attorney will look to recover the gap between wages before and after the injury.
• Wrongful Death: Unfortunately, there may be instances when the accident is so severe that remaining loved ones deserve to recover compensation for funeral expenses, the loss of the deceased’s income and more.

Non-Economic Damages

There are other damages where an attorney doesn’t necessarily have a paper trail to tally and add up. The courts can’t give you back your sense of safety and security on the roads, but they can award compensation for your difficulties after an injury.

• Pain and Suffering: According to GA Code § 9-10-184 (2023), attorneys can argue for compensation for injured plaintiffs who experience pain and suffering due to their injury. Pain includes physical discomfort, while suffering includes emotional distress or trauma. Having a skilled attorney is key since juries typically decide the award amount.

Punitive Damages

When the behavior that caused an injury is particularly reprehensible, juries may award punitive damages to punish that behavior. Pushing for punitive damages may be part of pursuing maximum compensation for our clients.

Insurance Companies Won’t Back Down

A truck accident causes severe injuries, enormous disruptions, and upends lives. Insurance companies fully know how serious these claims are and how much money an injured victim may be owed. Insurance company attorneys fight even harder to minimize compensation because these amounts can far exceed a typical claim.

They will try to get away with dangerously low offers to victims, or worse still, try to insist the accident was their fault. They may even try to get an injured victim to falsely accept some of the blame just to make their problem go away.

You know your pain.

Our Attorneys Know What it Takes to Win^®.

You need a fighter when the insurance companies belittle you and deny your rights. This accident has put enormous pain, strain, and stress on you and your loved ones. There is hope, though. You can hold the people who caused this pain accountable and get the compensation you need to put your mind at ease. It starts with Montlick.

At Montlick, we have a team of dedicated Savannah truck accident attorneys ready to fight on behalf of our clients. For over 40 years, we’ve stood on the side of justice, defending injured victims like you.

If you or a loved one has suffered a truck accident, call us at 1 (800) 529-6333 or dial #WIN (#946).

Get answers and gain confidence in a free consultation.