Tractor-trailer, 18 wheeler, semi accidents, wrecks and injuries
Wrecks involving tractor-trailers (also referred to as “semis,” “18-wheelers,” “log trucks” or “big rigs”) create very complicated legal matters for crash victims. First, the injuries are almost always serious, if not fatal. Second, reconstructing the facts which gave rise to the wreck (including such things as a truck driver’s contributory conduct and the trucking company’s general involvement) require a particular and knowledgeable investigation.
A tractor-trailer crash generates a variety of tasks that must be quickly and thoroughly addressed by an injured party’s legal counsel to ensure material evidence is preserved and the injured party’s rights are not compromised. Due to the complex nature of interstate and intrastate commerce, Georgia-based tractor-trailer personal injury/wrongful death claims necessarily involve a web of interconnected state and federal regulatory, statutory and case-based laws. Among others, the Federal Motor Safety Carrier Administration (FMCSA), the Georgia Department of Public Safety, the Georgia Public Service Commission and the Georgia Department of Revenue can serve as repositories for a wealth of information about a driver, a tractor-trailer and a carrier. As such, it is essential that the law firm handling a tractor-trailer claim be familiar with the applicable laws and the pertinent facts specific to the case to be sure all the necessary facts are revealed.
In the prosecution of an 18-wheeler case, there are a variety of sources where evidence can and must be found to include the driver’s truck itself, the roadway where the wreck occurred, government regulatory agencies, local investigating agencies, trucking companies, freight companies and insurance companies to name a few. From these sources, an investigation can yield information concerning a driver’s qualifications, hours of operation and fatigue, intoxication, health and general driving history. Likewise, information about the driver’s vehicle and trucking company can be recovered (to include the truck’s conspicuity, equipment – defective or improper, loading, weight distribution, signage, repair history, inspection history, freight and trailer).
The Dow Firm, P.C. has proven experience in the area of tractor-trailer litigation and knows how, where and when to get the evidence necessary to prove such a case.
