Most Common Truck Accident Injuries
Collisions involving large commercial vehicles frequently lead to common truck accident injuries like spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and neck and back injuries.
Along with physical pain and emotional suffering, truck accident injuries often end up causing severe financial hardship due to medical bills, being unable to work, or requiring family members to transition out of the workplace to provide care at home. If you or a family member has been injured in a commercial vehicle accident caused by the negligence or recklessness of a truck driver, you have the right to seek financial compensation from the driver, the trucking company, or other third parties.
The Georgia truck accident lawyers at The Graham Firm are committed to helping individuals who have suffered all types of serious and catastrophic injuries from truck accidents, including:
• Back And Neck Injuries
These truck accident injuries can range from minor neck and back strains to permanently disabling spinal cord injuries. Injuries to the back and neck can be debilitating and painful.
• Herniated Discs
A herniated disc or slipped disc is a type of back or neck injury. A herniated disc can occur in the neck, but most often occurs in the lower back. Arm and leg pain, radiating tingling, numbness, and weakness are common symptoms of herniated discs. If left untreated, a herniated disc can lead to permanent nerve damage.
• Amputation Injuries
Amputation injuries refer to the loss of arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, toes, and ears. Whether an upper limb or a lower limb, the accidental cutting off of a limb is a traumatic amputation. Along with being a catastrophic physical injury, the loss of a limb can be emotionally and mentally difficult.
• Head Injuries
Head injuries are some of the most serious truck accident injuries. A skull fracture, traumatic brain injury, or concussion can be life-changing. Even a seemingly minor head injury can have far-reaching effects.
• Wrongful Death
Unfortunately, some accidents are not survivable. The loss of a loved one in a fatal truck accident is heartbreaking and devastating. Family members may be able to receive compensation in a wrongful death claim against the driver, trucking company, or any liable third party.
What Causes Truck Accidents?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
- About one in four fatal large truck crashes occurs on an interstate freeway.
- 61% of fatal crashes involving a large truck occurs in a rural area
- 79% of fatal crashes involving a large truck occur on a weekday.
Common causes of truck accidents include distracted driving, fatigue, poor judgment in calculating distance or speed, and inexperience. A trucking accident is much more likely to be caused by a distracted truck driver, or a fatigued truck driver, than a drunk truck driver.
Although we do see the occasional drunk or impaired truck driver, impaired truck drivers make up about 2-3% of all drivers with BACs (blood alcohol concentration) of .08 g/dL or higher involved in fatal crashes.
Other causes of trucking accidents include manufacturing design issues, maintenance errors, and even roadway design defects.
Why Are Trucking Accidents A Serious Issue?
FMCSA is the U.S. Department of Transportation agency that regulates the trucking industry in the United States, states that large trucks are often 20 to 30 times heavier than passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. Any collision involving a large truck carries an increased risk of severe damage, injuries, and fatalities.
The FMCSA identifies some of the safety challenges of large trucks:
- Large Blind Spots: Commercial trucks have blind spots on all four sides of a vehicle. Remember, if you can’t see the driver in their side mirror, they cannot see you.
- Long Stopping Distances: Fully loaded trucks traveling at highway speeds need about the distance of two football fields to completely stop.
- Wide Turns: Large trucks need extra space, especially when turning right from a right lane. They may need to initially move left to allow enough room to turn.
The FMSCA also identifies the “Top 10 States for Large Truck and Bus Fatalities." Georgia made this list, along with California, Texas, Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, and Florida. A sobering statistic that highlights the dangers on Georgia roads and highways.
How Much Is Your Truck Accident Case Worth?
If you are involved in a crash with a large truck, you may be entitled to significant compensation. The amount of compensation is determined based on the severity of injuries. A person who suffers a permanent disability from a cervical spinal cord injury would be entitled to far more compensation than an individual who suffers a minor lower back sprain.
In order to operate, trucking companies are required to meet a financial responsibility required (49 USC 31139). The minimum amount of coverage - $750,000 - was set in 1980, and has not been increased.
Unfortunately, just because insurance coverage is available, does not mean you will be fairly compensated for your medical bills, lost earnings, or pain and suffering, and other damages. The trucking company may deny the driver was their employee, they may blame the victim or a third party for the accident, and even question whether the medical bills and lost wages claims are accurate. Trucking companies and their legal counsels are aggressive.
Get a Free Consultation With A Georgia Truck Accident Attorney
Having recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, we level the playing field for our clients and hold trucking companies accountable. To speak to a Georgia truck accident injury lawyer about your potential case and what kind of compensation you may be entitled to, call us at 888-404-PAID.
The team at The Graham Firm is available seven days a week to take your call and answer your questions. If you’d like to know how to recover maximum compensation after suffering one of the common truck accident injuries, or have any other questions about your potential case, contact our legal team today. If we represent you in your commercial vehicle accident case, you will not pay us anything unless we recover money for you.