Our Atlanta 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney Team
Collisions between 18-wheelers and passenger vehicles often result in traumatic injuries. Commercial vehicles are enormous, often weighing more than 20 times as much as smaller passenger cars. If you have been injured in an 18-wheeler accident, now is the time to seek help.
You could be entitled to a monetary award based on your injuries. With the help of an Atlanta 18-wheeler accident attorney, you could secure financial compensation and a measure of justice from the person or entity who harmed you. At Mabra Law, our attorneys have decades of experience representing men and women who have been injured in trucking accidents. We understand the frustration and confusion you’re facing in the aftermath of an accident with serious injuries. We can help. Reach out to learn about your legal options in a free phone consultation.
Understanding the Damages Available in an 18-Wheeler Accident Case
When you are injured in a truck crash through no fault of your own, you might be entitled to many different forms of compensation. While each type is different, they fall into two broad categories: economic and non-economic losses.
Economic losses are the monetary expenses caused by your accident, such as related medical costs, lost wages and damage to personal property. When your case is successful, recovered damages could return you to the financial position you were in before your crash. The value of economic loss damages can usually be calculated using documentary evidence, such as receipts or invoices.
Non-economic damages address the impact the accident or your injuries have on your physical, mental or emotional health. Losses may include reputational harm, damage to relationships or lessened enjoyment of activities. Compensation for pain and suffering may be awarded punitively, to punish the defendant.
Medical Bills
Costly medical care is often the top concern of a person injured in an 18-wheeler accident. The cost of emergency treatment alone can be overwhelming. Beyond emergency room costs and ambulance transportation, there is the expense of ongoing medical care. A successful personal injury lawsuit could help you recover damages based on the cost of your treatment, such as hospitalization, surgery, pain management or physical therapy.
Lost Wages
A serious injury may leave you unable to work, impacting your ability to support yourself and your loved ones. Whether your sudden loss of income is temporary or permanent – and possibly compounded by mounting medical expenses – your financial future could very quickly and seriously devolve.
Damages for lost wages may be part of your successful personal injury lawsuit. You may be entitled to recover compensation for your past lost wages as well as future earnings.
Pain and Suffering
You may have a case for compensation for the pain you suffer following an accident with an 18-wheeler truck . Pain and suffering damages are among the most common examples of non-economic compensation. No one can measure your pain objectively, but our firm can help you demonstrate how your pain has negatively impacted your life.
Property Damages
You might also be entitled to financial compensation based on damage to your personal property. You could recover damages for the repair or replacement of your motor vehicle as well as other possessions, including laptops, cell phones and eyeglasses.
Finding the Liable Parties After an Accident
When you are hit by an 18-wheeler commercial truck, multiple parties in addition to the driver could share responsibility for the collision. As a result, you may be entitled to compensation from those parties. An Atlanta 18-wheeler accident attorney can help you determine who bears responsibility to maximize your recovery.
The Driver
There are countless ways that a trucker’s negligence can cause an accident, such as driving while impaired, exhausted or distracted, failing to yield right-of-way and simple human error.
If you or a loved one was injured in a collision with an 18-wheeler, your personal injury case may include legal action against the driver. Besides their or their employer’s insurance, however, few truck drivers have the personal resources to pay for a significant injury case.
The Trucking Company
The company that employs a commercial driver might also be liable for damages stemming from the accident. Mabra Law can help you determine if you can file a lawsuit against the truck driver’s employer.
The employing company has a duty to the public to properly vet, background check and train prospective drivers.
Truck Manufacturers
Accidents involving 18-wheelers often involve driver error, but that is not always true. Collisions occur despite the best efforts of all involved motorists. One common reason is defective truck parts leading to an accident.
Defects can impact a commercial vehicle's headlights, steering wheels, and braking systems. When this happens, the manufacturer could be liable for any role the defects had in an accident.
Other Third-Parties
Other individuals might also share in responsibility for an 18-wheeler accident. For example, a mechanic who makes faulty or insufficient repairs to the commercial vehicle might be liable if those mistakes lead to a collision. A third-party tasked with loading a commercial truck's trailer could likewise be a defendant in a personal injury lawsuit if the trailer was loaded in a manner that contributed to a rollover.
How an Atlanta 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney Can Help
Hiring legal counsel after an 18-wheeler accident could help you secure the best result. If you choose to handle your 18-wheeler truck accident injury claim by yourself. Understand that there are pitfalls that could have devastating consequences. A seemingly minor mistake could forever upend your chances of recovering a monetary award.
Working with the team at Mabra Law ensures your best interests are put first. Our caring, experienced legal team can help with every step of your case. Our priority is to make sure that you have the resources and care you need to properly recover. Together, our team lifts the burden of worrying about your case. We do that in the following ways:
Investigating Your Accident
Our first step involves a thorough investigation into how your accident happened. For you to get the compensation you deserve, we will need evidence of negligence. We often start by reviewing the police report before evaluating all of the available evidence. The investigation may include talking to witnesses, tracking dash camera footage, or hiring an accident reconstruction expert.
Determining the Liable Parties
After we finish our investigation, it is time to build our theory of negligence, which means identifying the party—or parties—liable for the crash. We will use the information we have gathered to hold the negligent party accountable.
Negotiating a Settlement
Negotiated settlements are a common occurrence in truck accident injury cases. However, the other side does not always offer a fair award right out of the gate. Insurance companies frequently make lowball offers to settle a case far below its value. We can negotiate on your behalf to ensure you are treated fairly.
Pursuing Litigation
Most injury cases never go all the way to trial. However, it may be necessary to litigate to obtain the best possible outcome in your case. If your case requires a trial, we will make sure that you are prepared for your day in court. Our experienced team has a proven, successful track record of representing injured parties in personal injury litigation.
Hiring an Atlanta 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney Is More Affordable Than You Think
The thought of paying for a lawyer may seem like an impossible expense after a truck accident, especially if you have been forced to miss work due to injuries. The good news is that Mabra Law can get to work on your case with no payment needed. We are dedicated to advocating for the injured regardless of their financial position.
We understand the financial strain that follows a serious injury, which is why we handle each case on a contingency fee basis. That means that we never charge you legal fees upfront. Instead, after your case is resolved, we will retain a portion of your award or settlement as our fee. If we don’t recover compensation on your behalf, we won’t collect a dime from you.
The contingency fee payment structure is a no-lose proposition for you. You can pursue a personal injury claim without the risk of walking away with only legal fees to show for it.
Your Time to Act is Limited
You have a limited time to file your personal injury lawsuit following an 18-wheeler accident. In Georgia, the law allows you two years from the crash date to file legal action. Unfortunately, we have seen too many individuals delay filing their lawsuits until it is too late.
The consequences of missing this deadline are extreme. The court will dismiss your case with prejudice, which brings your lawsuit to an end and prohibits you from ever seeking compensation for your injuries again. You could miss out on the compensation you deserve by violating the statute of limitations, even when the facts are on your side.
Your attorney can help you manage this important legal deadline. Calculating the exact amount of time to file legal action is complicated, and making an incorrect assumption about the deadline can leave you with no legal options. Let an Atlanta 18-wheeler accident attorney assist you with filing your case before the deadline expires.
Steps to Take After an 18-Wheeler Accident
As with any car accident or injury, you can protect your health and legal claim by taking certain steps immediately following the crash. Some of the steps worth taking after your accident include:
Contact Law Enforcement
The first step to take after an accident is to notify law enforcement. In crashes that result in bodily injuries, death or severe property damage, notifying the police is required by law. When you call the police, officers will appear at the location of the accident and take statements from all parties. They will also compile a written report, which you or your legal team can request.
Seek Medical Care
Seek medical treatment immediately if you are hurt in an accident. Even if you believe your injuries are relatively minor, immediate examination by a doctor is a good idea. Sometimes symptoms do not present until hours or even days after a crash. The sooner you see a doctor, the better your odds of fully recovering.
Following the treatment plan set out by your physician also could strengthen your personal injury claim and protect you from allegations that you failed to mitigate your damages.
Document the Scene of the Crash
If your physical condition allows it, and if it is safe to do so, you could benefit from collecting as much evidence at the scene as possible. The crash site will only remain in place for a matter of moments, and any evidence you gather could impact the outcome of your case.
Taking pictures of the scene can show a jury road or weather conditions. Images of the vehicles can also provide insight into the causes and severity of the collision.
Arguably the most crucial evidence is the contact information for any witnesses. Testimony from neutral witnesses who are not tied to either driver carries a lot of weight with a jury, so taking down their phone number and other contact information when possible is ideal.
Avoid Discussing Your Case
Avoid discussing the accident at the scene, especially with the other driver. Their insurance company will contact you after the wreck. This is when it really pays to be represented by a lawyer, who can deal with the insurance company on your behalf. Even a simple could be misinterpreted as responsibility and threaten your compensation value.
Talk to an Atlanta 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney
Once you’ve been medically examined, it’s time to discuss your legal options with experienced legal counsel. You are not obligated to hire a lawyer to handle your case, but you have nothing to lose by working with a law firm. Trucking companies have the resources to fight back, even when there is little doubt they are at fault. Having an attorney by your side can prevent avoidable mistakes that may threaten your case and maximize the compensation you need to fully recover and move forward with your life.
Learn More During a Free Consultation
People who have been injured in a truck accident have a lot of questions about the value of their case. They also might wonder how a dedicated personal injury attorney can help them obtain the compensation they require for their injuries. That is where the free consultation comes in.
At Mabra Law, we offer 18-wheeler accident injury victims a free consultation. During this meeting, you can ask our lawyers about their experiences with handling cases that are similar to yours. Our attorneys can advise you on the strength of your case and help you understand how Georgia law might apply.
It is our goal to empower you to decide with confidence what your next moves will be. As one of the leading personal injury law firms in Atlanta, we take great pride in ensuring our clients are satisfied with our services. We have decades of experience representing injury victims and we can do the same for you.
Contact an Atlanta 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney Today
At Mabra Law, we help you maximize your financial recovery after a truck crash. Instead of attempting to resolve your case alone, let our personal injury team advocate on your behalf. Contact an Atlanta 18-wheeler accident attorney as soon as possible to learn more about your legal options.