Atlanta Construction Truck Accident Lawyer

Georgia’s landscape is constantly evolving, marked by growth, development, and the steady hum of construction. While this progress builds our communities, it also brings inherent risks to our roadways. When accidents involving construction trucks occur, the aftermath can be overwhelming – physically, emotionally, and financially. If you are unfortunately injured by a construction truck, call our Atlanta construction truck accident lawyers at 404-975-1775. 

Navigating the complex legal landscape while recovering from serious injuries should not be something you need to do alone. Merritt & Merritt Law Firm stands as a committed ally for individuals and families across Georgia impacted by the unique devastation of construction truck accidents. Our firm understands the specific challenges these cases present and is dedicated to helping victims secure the justice and full compensation they rightfully deserve.

Common Causes: Why Construction Trucks Crash

Understanding why construction truck accidents happen is crucial for prevention and for establishing liability when negligence occurs. These incidents are often not caused by a single issue, but rather result from a combination of the inherent characteristics of the vehicles and specific operational factors or errors.

Common Construction Truck Accident Types

The sheer size, weight, and unique designs of construction vehicles contribute to specific types of collisions:

• Blind Spot (“No-Zone”) Accidents: Large trucks have extensive blind spots – directly in front, behind, and along both sides – where smaller vehicles disappear from the driver’s view.^vAccidents frequently occur when truck drivers fail to adequately check these “no-zones” before changing lanes, merging, or turning, colliding with vehicles they simply didn’t see.
• Sideswipe/Side-Impact (T-Bone) Accidents: Trucks drifting out of their lane due to driver fatigue, distraction, impairment, or oversteering can sideswipe adjacent vehicles. Running red lights or stop signs can result in catastrophic T-bone collisions at intersections.
• Underride Accidents: These horrific accidents occur when a smaller car slides underneath the higher chassis of a truck trailer, often during sudden stops by the truck or side impacts.
• Jackknife Accidents: This occurs when a truck’s cab and trailer skid and fold into an L or V shape, often caused by sudden braking, excessive speed on slippery roads or curves, or loss of traction. A jackknifed truck can block multiple lanes of traffic, leading to pile-ups.
• Wide Turn Accidents: Large trucks require significantly more space to execute turns and sometimes drivers misjudge the necessary radius or fail to account for the trailer’s swing (“off-tracking”), which can cause the trailer to strike vehicles, pedestrians, or fixed objects.
• Backing Accidents: Dump trucks and garbage trucks frequently need to reverse in congested areas or construction sites. Their poor rear visibility makes backing maneuvers inherently dangerous, increasing the risk of collisions with unseen vehicles or pedestrians.

Underlying Causes – Often Rooted in Negligence

While the mechanics describe how accidents happen, the underlying why of the accident often points to negligence on the part of the driver, the trucking company, or other involved parties. Many common causes are directly linked to violations of safety regulations designed to prevent these exact types of incidents:

• Driver Fatigue
• Inadequate Training or Experience
• Improper Loading and Securement
• Poor Vehicle Maintenance
• Speeding and Aggressive Driving
• Distracted Driving
• Impaired Driving (Alcohol or Drugs)

The prevalence of these factors, many directly tied to regulatory violations, indicates that a significant number of construction truck accidents are not unavoidable incidents but rather the predictable outcome of negligence. Economic pressures to maintain quotas often contribute to these factors, pushing drivers and companies to prioritize deadlines and profits over safety protocols. The Atlanta Construction Truck Accident Lawyers understand that these underlying causes play an important role in determining the amount of negligence in your case and how to maximize your compensation due to that negligence. Don’t let confusing legal standards hinder your ability to seek the compensation you deserve to recover, let our expert lawyers fight for you.

Injuries Sustained in Construction Truck Collisions

The immense difference in size and weight between a large construction truck (which can weigh upwards of 80,000 pounds when loaded ) and a typical passenger car means that collisions are rarely minor. The forces involved frequently lead to catastrophic, life-altering injuries for those in the smaller vehicle or pedestrians caught in the path.

Common severe injuries resulting from construction truck accidents that our Atlanta construction truck accident lawyer team regularly sees include:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Multiple Fractures / Broken Bones
• Internal Injuries
• Amputations / Loss of Limb
• Severe Burns
• Neck and Back Injuries
• Lacerations and Soft Tissue Damage

Beyond the physical trauma, the consequences of these injuries can be profound and long-lasting. Many of these injuries may not even present until much later on after the accident has occurred, leaving you questioning whether these injuries are able to seek compensation for. Victims can often face chronic pain, permanent disabilities that prevent them from returning to work or enjoying previous activities, and the need for lifelong medical care, assistive devices, and rehabilitation. This can make the financial burden overwhelming for you and your family, which is why it is important to  let us help you get the full compensation you need to recover.

Holding Negligent Parties Accountable: Georgia’s Trucking Laws

Operating large commercial vehicles, including the dump trucks, cement mixers, flatbeds, and heavy haulers common in construction, is a heavily regulated activity in Georgia. A complex framework of state laws and federal regulations, specifically the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR), governs nearly every aspect of the trucking industry. Georgia has formally adopted and enforces these federal safety rules for intrastate commerce, ensuring a high standard of care is legally required to protect the public.

Several key areas of regulation are particularly relevant in construction truck accident cases:

• Driver Qualifications and Licensing (CDL): Drivers operating commercial vehicles must meet specific qualifications, including age requirements (generally 21 for interstate, 18 for intrastate in GA), possess a valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) appropriate for the class of vehicle (e.g., Class A, B, or C), and meet medical fitness standards. Failure to employ properly licensed and qualified drivers can expose a company to liability.
• Hours of Service (HOS): To combat driver fatigue, strict rules limit how long commercial drivers can operate their vehicles and be on duty. These hours may be discarded or ignored intentionally to try and retain quotas. By ignoring these strict standards, it may cause drivers to continue driving when fatigued, which may lead to an increase in the chances of causing an accident due to negligence.
• Vehicle Maintenance and Inspection: Trucks must be maintained in safe operating condition at all times. Failure to maintain vehicles properly is a frequent cause of equipment failure accidents.
• Load Securement: Georgia law explicitly requires that loads be adequately secured to prevent dropping or shifting onto the roadway in a way that creates a safety hazard.
• Weight and Size Limits: Georgia establishes strict limits on the maximum gross weight, axle weight, width, height, and length of vehicles operating on Georgia roads as overweight or oversized vehicles can damage infrastructure and pose safety risks due to increased stopping distances and reduced maneuverability.
• Work Zone Safety: Georgia law allows for temporarily reduced speed limits in designated highway work zones and imposes heightened penalties (misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature) for speeding violations within these zones when warning signs are properly posted and either workers or specific hazards are present.

Under the legal doctrine of negligence per se in Georgia, if a truck driver or trucking company violates a safety statute or regulation (like the traffic laws or FMCSRs outlined above), and that violation directly causes injury or death, the violator is presumed to be negligent as a matter of law.

Schedule a Free Consultation with an Atlanta Construction Truck Accident Lawyer Today

Merritt & Merritt Law Firm has a strong track record of aggressively advocating for our clients’ rights. Our goal is to ensure you receive compensation for the full extent of your losses. This includes not only current medical bills and lost wages but also future medical expenses, and, in fatal cases, the full value of the life lost as defined under Georgia’s wrongful death statutes.

We understand the immense trauma a construction truck accident takes on victims and their families, which is why we provide compassionate, client-focused representation. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in an accident involving a construction truck or any type in Georgia, it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as possible. Strict time limits, or statutes of limitations, usually limit the time you have to file a compensation claim to two years after the date of the accident. Delaying can jeopardize your right to recover compensation. Prompt action also allows your legal team to preserve vital information needed for your case to succeed. At Merritt & Merritt Law Firm, we invite you to contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss the specifics of your case.

Call the experienced Atlanta construction truck accident lawyer team at Merritt & Merritt Law Firm today at our Atlanta office: 404-975-1775. Let us put our knowledge, experience, and resources to work for you.