Macon, GA Truck Accident Lawyer

Macon, GA Truck Accident Attorney

Have You Been in a Truck Accident in Macon, GA?

Truck accidents often result in some of the most serious injury cases that lawyers handle. While there are many similarities with other motor vehicle accidents, truck accident cases are often far more complex. Your future is at stake – you need an experienced Macon truck accident lawyer from Merritt & Merritt Law Firm on your side if you have been injured in a truck accident. We are on your side, call us at 478-845-6464.

Macon, GA Truck Accident Statistics

Statistics compiled by the Georgia Department of Transportation reveal a sobering picture:

• There were 336 tractor trailer accidents in 2021, 4 of which resulted in fatalities
• There were 153 single-unit truck accidents in 2021, 69 of which resulted in injuries
• There were 67 panel truck accidents in 2021, 26 of which resulted in injuries

The statistics involving tractor trailers are the most concerning, as they are the largest, and arguably most dangerous trucks on the road. Statistics also indicate that 2021 saw the highest number of truck accidents going back to 2013, the earliest statistics currently available through their website.

These statistics emphasize how common truck accidents are in the Macon area, and just how serious they can be. If you have been injured in a truck accident, the best thing you can do is contact a Macon truck accident lawyer as soon as possible.

A Macon, GA Truck Accident Lawyer Handling All Types of Truck Accident Claims

While accidents involving semi-trucks or tractor-trailers tend to get the most attention, there are many different types of truck accidents that can be just as serious. We help people who have been injured in all types of truck accidents, including the following:

• Box trucks
• Flatbed trucks
• Lowboy tractor-trailers
• Cement trucks
• Garbage trucks
• Tanker trucks

The type of truck that caused your accident can play an important role in establishing the cause of the accident as well as who should be held accountable. However, what happened during the accident can be just as important. We have deep experience in handling the following types of truck accidents:

• Override accidents where the truck rear-ends another vehicle and the cab of the truck crushes the other vehicle
• Underride accidents where your vehicle goes under either the side or rear of the truck
• Rollover accidents where the truck turns over and becomes a hazard to other vehicles on the road
• Jackknife accidents where the trailer swings out from the cab similar to a knife blade opening from the handle, causing the driver to lose control of the truck
• Head-on collisions where the truck drives into oncoming traffic
• Sideswipe accidents where the truck collides with a vehicle in the next lane, often due to unsafe lane changes
• Side-impact or “T-bone” accidents where a truck collides with another vehicle traveling in a perpendicular direction such as at an intersection
• Wide turn accidents such as when a driver veers left when attempting to make a right turn

Understanding how the type of truck and the type of accident can affect your case is vital to the success of your claim. This is why you should contact an experienced Macon truck accident lawyer if you have been injured and are worried about your medical bills and other losses.

What Makes Truck Accidents Unique?

A common mistake that many truck accident victims make is to assume that any personal injury attorney is qualified to handle their case. While there are many similarities with the typical passenger vehicle accident case, truck accidents are unique in many fundamental ways. Without a Macon truck accident lawyer, you could undermine the value of your claim and perhaps jeopardize your rights. Some of the factors that need to be considered in your case include the following:

• The size and weight of the truck mean that they are harder to maneuver and take longer to stop. In the event of a collision, they can exert tremendous force upon the driver and occupants of the other driver, resulting in very serious injuries that may or may not be immediately apparent.
• Driver experience and training play a crucial role in operating a truck safely. When trucking companies fail to hire drivers who have sufficient training and experience, they put everyone on the road at risk.
• Many truck accidents are caused by mechanical failures. Trucking companies have a legal obligation to perform routine maintenance and take steps to ensure that their trucks are in good working order.
• The trucking industry is subject to state and federal trucking regulations. Proof that the driver or the trucking company was operating in violation of those regulations can be powerful evidence in support of your claim.
• Truck drivers spend long hours behind the wheel and are therefore much more likely to drive while drowsy. Even if they weren’t falling asleep at the wheel, fatigue can impair the driver’s judgment, perceptions, and reflexes.
• The question of who may be liable for your truck accident is far more complicated than in a passenger vehicle accident. You may have a claim against the driver, the trucking company, the mechanic, or several other potential parties. In fact, you may have a claim against more than one party.
• Many truck accidents involve multiple vehicles. This can make it difficult to untangle who is responsible for causing the accident. It also means that several parties may have competing claims.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, you need an attorney who knows how to navigate these issues so that you can get the compensation you need to rebuild your life.

The Freight Pressures That Push Truckers Beyond Safe Limits

Many accidents involving trucks sadly are predictable results of intense freight pressures that push companies and their drivers beyond safe limits. This does not in any way excuse dangerous behavior behind the wheel. It does, however, explain why so many truck accidents are preventable. It also shows why responsibility for truck crashes often extends far beyond the people who operate big rigs.

Truckers are simply a cog in a much larger machine, the global logistics and delivery network. Our Macon truck accident lawyers find that industrywide demands trickle throughout this network and frequently cause shipping and trucking companies to force unreasonable delivery timelines on truckers. These companies exert pressure on drivers by threatening consequences for those who fall behind. This puts everyone on the road at risk.

The Need for Speed

The global freight system is built around just-in-time delivery. This is a lean inventory strategy in which materials, components or finished products are delivered to customers only as they are required. That is, instead of being delivered to customers who store the materials in large quantities to have on hand when needed.

The just-in-time approach is meant to improve efficiency and cut down on waste. But it requires a high level of precision when it comes to freight management. Manufacturers operate with minimal inventory and retailers rely on rapid restocking. Warehouses expect trucks to arrive at specific times. When schedules slip, even slightly, the pressure cascades down to truck drivers responsible for hitting tight time windows.

The problem is that just-in-time scheduling often does not account for traffic, weather and mechanical issues that can cause delays, not to mention bottlenecks and waiting times at loading docks. Instead, truck drivers typically are expected to “make up” time by driving longer hours, skipping breaks and driving faster. Truckers routinely are pushed harder that is safe for themselves and their vehicles.

The result is a wide range of aggressive driving tactics and risk-taking that increases the chances of collisions. Just-in-time pressure often rears its ugly head in the form of truckers who:

• Speed in heavy traffic
• Follow other vehicles too closely
• Make frequent, unsafe lane changes
• Drive while exhausted
• Continuing to drive in bad weather

Each of these behaviors dramatically increases the risk of serious injury when something goes wrong.

Truck drivers losing control of their big rigs is the leading cause (30%) of single-vehicle crashes statewide, according to data from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. For collisions involving trucks and other vehicles, the top two factors are following too close (22%) and improper lane changes (21%).

Trucking companies that are under the gun to meet aggressive deadlines may also skimp on routine inspections and maintenance. That means rushing drivers hit the road in potentially malfunctioning trucks.

Fatigue Is a Killer

A tired trucker is a serious threat to everyone on the road. Fatigue is one of the most common outcomes of freight pressure. It is also frequently the cause of crashes that cause catastrophic injuries or fatalities.

Driving while fatigued or exhausted is often likened to getting behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol. Tired drivers have slower reaction times, weakened judgment and reduced awareness. They also are much more likely than others to doze off while driving.

This is an all too familiar scenario on highways in Georgia and across the country.

Five Georgia Southern University nursing students were killed in 2015, for example, when a tractor trailer slammed into their car on I-16. The truck driver involved in the accident reportedly had a history of falling asleep behind the wheel, including previously crashing a truck into a highway guardrail after nodding off four years earlier.

Two people were killed in a tragic 2022 accident near the I-95 Georgia Welcome Center in Port Wentworth. The fiery crash reportedly happened when a fast-moving 18-wheeler slammed into another truck, creating a chain reaction that ultimately involved six vehicles. Police said at the time they were looking into whether the truck driver who caused the accident was asleep or experiencing a medical emergency at the time.

Federal law imposes detailed hours of service rules on truckers and their employers, restrictions that are meant to cut down on exhaustion and get tired truck drivers off the road. Truckers can drive up to 11 hours within a 14-hour duty window, if they have had at least 10 hours off before they start. They cannot drive more than 60 hours in a seven-day period or more than 70 hours over eight days. That clock does not rest until the driver has at least 34 hours off.

Fatigue remains widespread across the industry, despite these rules. Truckers are routinely pushed by their employers to go right up to the limits of the rules, and often to blow through them. Even if it means lying about how much time they are on the road in logbooks and using dangerous stimulants to try to stay awake.

Driver fatigue is a contributing factor in up to 40% of all heavy truck accidents, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of truck drivers across the country report they often or sometimes feel drowsy behind the wheel, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration survey data show. About half of all truckers report falling asleep while driving.

Cutting Corners on Maintenance

Keeping trucks on the road is expensive. Companies dealing with intense freight demands may delay or minimize inspections and maintenance to avoid downtime for their trucks. That may work in the short-term, but it is likely to eventually have devastating consequences.

Common maintenance issues in truck crashes include:

• Worn brakes
• Bald tires
• Steering failures
• Lighting problems

Trucking companies are legally responsible for ensuring that their vehicles are in safe working condition. That means addressing defects, malfunctions and mechanical issues that the company knows about, as well as those that the company should be aware of through reasonable inspection. They cannot avoid liability by simply shifting that responsibility to drivers and others.

Call a Macon, GA Truck Accident Lawyer at Merritt & Merritt Law Firm to Discuss Your Case

If you have been injured in a truck accident, a Macon truck accident lawyer from our firm can get you the help you need today. Reach out to us at 478-845-6464 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case and how we can help you start moving forward.