Truck Accident Lawyer in Atlanta, GA

Why Atlanta sees so many truck crashes

Three interstates meet in Atlanta, and the city sits at the center of the Southeast’s distribution network. Freight moving between the ports, the Midwest and Florida passes through here. Through-trucks are generally routed onto I-285, the Perimeter, rather than through downtown. That is one reason the Perimeter carries such a heavy share of serious truck crashes.

Inside the city, the risk changes shape. Box trucks and delivery vans crowd surface streets, swing wide on right turns, and back into loading docks.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety publishes national research and crash data on large trucks.

A truck crash is not a car crash with a bigger vehicle

Commercial trucks are governed by federal safety regulations as well as Georgia law. Those rules cover how long drivers may be on duty and how trucks are inspected and maintained. They also cover how cargo is secured and who is qualified to drive. When a rule was broken, it often explains the crash — and it becomes evidence.

There are also usually more parties. The driver. The trucking company. Sometimes a broker who arranged the load, the company that loaded it, or a contractor responsible for maintenance. Each may have its own insurance, and commercial policies are typically far larger than private auto policies.

The evidence clock

Trucking evidence is unusually valuable and unusually short-lived:

• Electronic logging device data, showing the driver’s hours.
• The truck’s engine data, which can show speed, braking and throttle before impact.
• Dashcam and forward-facing camera footage, which many fleets now record.
• Maintenance and inspection records, and the driver’s qualification file.
• Post-crash drug and alcohol testing records.

Federal rules require some of this to be kept only for limited periods. A trucking company has no reason to keep it longer than it must. A written preservation demand needs to go out early — in the first days, not after treatment has finished.

Where Atlanta truck cases are heard

A truck crash inside the city often ends up in Fulton County’s courts downtown. Where a case is filed depends on the parties involved, not only on where the crash happened. Trucking companies and their insurers defend these cases seriously from the start, often with a rapid response team at the scene within hours.

If you were driving for work

If you were working when a truck hit you, there is usually a workers’ compensation claim. It runs alongside the claim against the trucking company, whether you were making deliveries, driving to a job site or running a route. See Atlanta work-related car accidents.

Next steps

Get treated. Do not talk to the trucking company’s representatives or insurer. Keep photographs of the scene, the truck — including the company name and DOT number on the door — and your injuries. Generally you have two years from the crash to file suit (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33).

Our Alpharetta truck accident lawyer page explains how we build these cases. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyer page covers the other claims we handle in the city.

More: truck accidents · Atlanta personal injury · catastrophic injuries

Common questions

Who can be held responsible for a truck crash in Atlanta?

Often more than the driver. The trucking company can be responsible, and sometimes the broker who arranged the load, the company that loaded it or a maintenance contractor. Each may have its own insurance.

What evidence matters most after a truck crash?

The truck's electronic logging and engine data, dashcam footage, maintenance and inspection records, the driver's qualification file and post-crash testing records. A written preservation demand should go out in the first days.

Where would an Atlanta truck accident case be filed?

Often in Fulton County's courts downtown. Where a case is filed depends on the parties involved, not only on where the crash happened.

I was hit by a truck while working. Do I have two claims?

Usually. There is a workers' comp claim through your employer and a separate claim against the trucking company.

What should I photograph at a truck crash scene?

The scene, both vehicles, your injuries, and the truck itself, including the company name and DOT number on the door.