Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

Many truck drivers on the roads of Georgia and other states engage in dangerous activities many times a day. Hundreds of thousands of long-haul truckers use computers in their cabs to get directions and stay in close contact with dispatchers. While they are supposed to only use these devices while stationary, many truckers admit that almost nobody does.

The trucking industry supports use of the devices since they save time for the truckers and help loads arrive faster. The industry contends the devices can be used safely, posing less of a distraction than portable devices such as cell phones, and therefore should be exempted from legislation that would ban texting while driving.

There is currently pending in Congress a bill that would force states to ban texting while driving if they want to keep receiving federal highway money. The legislation will be discussed at a conference on distracted driving in Washington, starting tomorrow, organized by the Transportation Department.

The American Trucking Association has taken the position that while the industry does not condone texting while driving, the computers used by truckers require less concentration than phones. They contend that banning the use of such devices while driving will not improve safety.

Safety advocates and researchers say the computers present precisely the same risk as other devices, such as Blackberries and Iphones. And, they point out the risk may be even greater because of the size of 18-wheel tractor trailers and the longer time required for them to stop.
Some truckers say they feel pressure to use their computers even while driving in order to meet tight delivery schedules.

After videotaping truckers behind the wheel, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that those who used on-board computers faced a 10 times greater risk of crashing, nearly crashing or wandering from their lane than truckers who did not use those devices.

The study found that truckers using on-board computers take their eyes off the road for an average of four seconds, enough time at highway speeds to cover roughly the length of a football field.

A Georgia man has been awarded almost $1.4 million for injuries he sustained in a tractor-trailer accident last year. The jury agreed with the injured victim that the truck driver suddenly and without warning pulled into his path. The victim’s injuries included a fractured femur, broken pelvis, broken ribs, a lacerated liver and a fractured elbow. The jury was out for approximately 2 hours before returning their verdict which included a $75,000.00 award for the man’s wife on her loss of consortium claim. If you or a loved one has been injured in a tractor trailer truck accident or a commercial bus accident, call the experienced Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP for a free consultation.

The Augusta Chronicle reported today that two Augusta, Georgia men died from injuries they sustained when their Dodge pick-up truck rolled several times after hitting the median on Gordon Highway. According to the Richmond County Coroner, the truck accident occurred when the driver of the truck overcorrected when changing lanes resulting in his loss of control. This is the second case in Augusta in the last several days where the negligence of a host driver has resulted in the wrongful death of a guest passenger.

The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have over forty years experience handling wrongful death cases. If your loved one has died in an automobile accident or a truck accident, call us at (800) 228-9159 for a free consultation.

The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have handled many tractor trailer truck accidents and bus accidents, many of which were caused by defective equipment, including tires and brakes. Although there are plenty of federal regulations designed to force owners and operators of such vehicles to maintain safe vehicles, the regulations are often ignored. The Associated Press obtained a recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found that hundreds of tractor-trailer and bus companies which had been order to shut down because of federal safety violations ranging from suspended licenses to possible drug use have stayed on the road by using different names. The GAO report found that a number of the commercial bus companies that had been fined and ordered out of service in 2007 and 2008 by federal regulators evaded compliance by setting up business under a new name. Unfortunately, the investigation found offenders in at lease nine (9) states, including Georgia. Accordingly to the GAO’s investigation, violators owe tens of thousands of dollars in past due fines and had many violations. Another 1,073 commercial trucking firms are also believed to have evaded compliance by reorganizing the company under a new name, often using the same address, owner’s name, employees and contact numbers. According to the report, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says that it has put in place new oversight measures, including a computer matching process to compare new applicants to various motor carriers dating back to 2003. The study by the GAO came about a year after an unlicensed charter bus carrying a Vietnamese-American Catholic group blew a retreaded tire installed on a steering axle and skidded off a Texas highway resulting in the death of 17 people. The use of recapped tires on the steering wheels is a violation of federal regulations. Tractor-trailer and bus companies that operate in violation of federal safety laws pose a significant threat to the motoring public. It is believed that at least 300 wrongful deaths occurred last year from bus crashes alone.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a tractor trailer truck accident or a commercial bus accident, call the experienced Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP for a free consultation.

Georgia has thousands of unsafe and dangerous trucks and tractor trailers operating on its highways and roads. A new study has revealed the extent of dangerous and unsafe truck companies operating in Georgia and the United States. As nearly 30 million Americans travel U.S. roads during the Labor Day holiday, a new analysis of government data reveals that more than 28,000 motor carrier companies, representing more than 200,000 trucks, are currently operating in violation of federal safety laws.

In an original analysis of data not previously available to the public, The American Association for Justice found motorists are sharing roads with trucks that have incurred thousands of safety violations – such as defective brakes, bad tires, loads that dangerously exceeded weight limits and drivers with little or no training or drug and alcohol dependencies.

AAJ obtained data on the safety performance of U.S. trucking companies through the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS), which is maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Over a million lines of data were analyzed in an effort to pinpoint just how many unsafe trucks might be on the road.

West Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska, Vermont and Iowa had the highest rate of companies in violation of federal safety requirements. The effects of these violations are deadly. While truck accidents occur for a variety of reasons, many are preventable, and often a direct result of trucking companies violating safety standards to cut corners and maximize profits.

The attorneys at Finch MCCranie LLP are involved on a daily basis with cases in which dangerous trucks and unsafe practices by trucking companies have caused death and serious injury. Most of these involve multiple violations of state and federal motor safety regulations.

For a full copy of the AAJ report please visit the AAJ at:

http://www.justice.org/resources/Truck_Report_Final_082109.pdf