Truck Accidents Are Common

Truck accidents happen every day in Georgia and across the country.

Truck accident injury victims should be aware that truck drivers often have a company to answer to if they cause a accident that injures another person. Another important note–even if the accident isn’t their fault, truck drivers can still be held responsible for paying damages in a truck accident lawsuit.

Today we’ll share basic information about who is held liable in a truck accident and what you can do after an injury.

Who Is Liable In A Truck Crash In Georgia?

Trucking companies are required by law to maintain minimum levels of truck insurance coverage under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).  The minimum amount of liability that must be maintained by trucking companies is $750,000.

In Georgia truck accident cases–as in truck accident cases across the country–the trucking company’s insurance coverage is only one element of an injury case.  Since so many trucking companies are incorporated as separate businesses, truck drivers work for trucking companies and are often not trucking companies themselves.  The truck driver could be liable if he was negligent–and his negligence caused your injuries even if there isn’t any money left over after the trucking company pays its bills.

What To Do After A Truck Accident Injury

After you’ve been injured in a accident, you should take some basic steps that will help protect your claim later on:

1. Protect evidence – If possible, take photos at the scene of the accident to prove how the accident occurred.  Also, you should write down everything you remember about the accident as soon as possible–while it’s still fresh in your mind. You can complain later if they didn’t include something important in their report.
2. Call 911 – Even though you might feel fine right after an injury truck crash, call 911 immediately just to be on the safe side.  Often times injuries that look minor can cause internal bleeding or other problems that become more apparent hours after an accident takes place.
3. Seek medical attention – Call for EMS just in case something is wrong with you and you need to go to the hospital. Even if you’re not hurt, seek medical attention just to be safe.  After truck accident injuries, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.  If something turns out to be wrong with you after truck crash injuries, doctors can document your pre-existing condition which might play a role in the accident injury case later on.
4. Take pictures of the accident scene – If the truck driver was at fault for accident injuries, you should take photos at the scene of the truck crash to use as evidence.  Photos will help your attorney prove that the trucker was negligent and caused your damages through his negligence.
5. Collect contact information – If any witnesses saw how the accident occurred, their contact information is important to have on hand.  If a accident at-fault trucker has insurance, your truck accident attorney will want to speak with them.  Witnesses might be able to help prove that the truck driver was negligent, which means they were legally responsible for causing the truck crash injuries you suffered through their carelessness.

The Most Important Step After Medical Care

Talk to a truck accident lawyer – The first step in protecting your claim after an injury truck accident is calling a trucking company lawyer who knows how insurance companies think and can anticipate what they’ll do next.  It’s important to call a trucking company lawyer as soon as possible so they can begin assembling evidence needed to prove liability right away. Contact Chalker Injury for more information on how we can help you.