DeKalb County Jackknife Truck Accident Lawyers
Jackknife truck accidents typically happen out of the blue and without any warning. When a tractor-trailer spins out of control causing it to jackknife, other motorists on the roadway may be placed in grave danger. If you were injured in a jackknife truck collision, you may need to consult with a committed attorney.
If you were injured due to another person’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for the financial, physical, and emotional suffering you have endured. A DeKalb County jackknife truck accident lawyer could review the factors that led to a crash and determine who is liable for your injuries.
Common Causes
There are many factors that can lead to a jackknife trucking accident, such as driver negligence, distracted driving, and speeding. Some other common contributors to these types of collisions include defective vehicle parts, drunk driving, brake failure, overweight cargo loads, poor road conditions, and driver fatigue.
Proving Negligence
More than one party can be found legally responsible for an injured person’s losses. Potentially liable parties in a jackknife commercial vehicle collision include the truck driver, the vehicle’s manufacturer, a government entity, and the shipping company.
Regardless of who is at fault for a jackknife accident, the injured individual must prove that the opposing party’s negligence caused the collision and the subsequent damages in order to obtain compensation in a civil lawsuit. To prove negligence, one of our attorneys would need to establish the following:
- The defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care;
- The defendant breached their duty of care;
- The defendant’s noncompliance with their legal duty injured the victim; and
- The accident led to actual damages.
An attorney in DeKalb County could work on behalf of an injured plaintiff to prove the at-fault party’s liability in a jackknife truck wreck case.
Deadline to Pursue Legal Action
It is essential for a person injured in a jackknife truck collision to consult with a DeKalb County lawyer as soon as possible after the wreck to ensure that any compensation they may be entitled to is fully protected. After a truck accident, injured victims have only two years to file a civil claim for damages, according to Official Code of Georgia Annotated §9-3-33. Filing a case after the two-year filing window passes could make it impossible for the injured individual to obtain compensation.
Compensation for Injured Victims
The compensation that may be awarded in a successful DeKalb County jackknife tractor-trailer accident claim can cover a claimant’s economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are monetary losses such as hospital bills, lost income, and medical expenses.
Non-economic damages are losses which do not have a fixed dollar amount and can include things like mental anguish, loss of life enjoyment, and pain and suffering. Finally, punitive damages are a separate category of compensation which may be awarded to the plaintiff in cases where the behavior of the at-fault party was so egregious or malicious that they must be punished.
Call a DeKalb County Jackknife Truck Accident Lawyer Today
If you need help with pursuing compensation for your injuries, you should call a DeKalb County jackknife truck accident lawyer. A skilled attorney from our firm understands the laws and specific nuances applicable to truck accident lawsuits. Call our office today to schedule your consultation and case review.
