Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

Georgia injury lawyers know that many victims of automobile accidents and trucking accidents would not have sustained serious injured if they had been wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision. Unfortunately many deaths have resulted from the failure to buckle up. Years ago Georgia passed legislation requiring seat belt use for occupants of automobiles and vans; however, pickup trucks were exempted. This week however Georgia's lawmakers passed a seat belt bill requiring even drivers of pickups to buckle up. For many years, such legislation was defeated by pressure brought to bear from legislators who represented rural constituents.

The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have represented people seriously injured in automobile accidents for over 45 years. If you or a loved one has been injured, call us today for a free consultation.

It does not take a Georgia injury lawyer to appreciate the dangers of texting while driving. Each day in Atlanta and elsewhere, we see people glued to the screen on their phones, even during rush hours. Many serious automobile accidents, truck accidents and motorcycle accidents are caused by people texting or reading text messages. Tragically, many wrongful deaths result from such conduct. Fortunately the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate have passed SB 360 by a 131 to 19 vote. The bill bans all texting and driving; and cell phone use altogether by young drivers. The Senate version of the bill, HB 23, which passed unanimously, would ban cell phone use by all drivers between the ages of 16 and 17 and those with a Class D license. Any offender in that category, causing an accident while texting or using a cell phone would be suspended for 90 days or until the person turns 18 for the first offense and they would be fined. There are some differences between the House version and the Senate version and these will have to be ironed out but it is a step in the right direction.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an automobile accident as a result of someone texting or talking on a cell phone, call the Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP to discuss your rights.

As a Georgia injury lawyer who owns an all terrain vehicle (ATV) I read about ATV accidents involving serious injury and sometimes death. Today the Gainesville Times reported that a Lula, Georgia man was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital yesterday with critical injuries. According to the article, the Georgia State Patrol said that 44 year old Joseph Turner was riding his ATV along the shoulder of Old Cornelia Highway about 9:15 p.m. when he turned his Honda ATV left into the path of a Chevrolet truck.

Although this case does not involve the negligence of a third party, many ATV accident injuries and deaths result from adults allowing minor children to operate ATV’s with passengers. Many of these adults turn children loose on ATV’s with no supervision and by so doing, expose themselves to liability for the serious injuries or wrongful death of the passengers.

The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have been representing injury victims and families in wrongful death cases for over 45 years. If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident of any kind, call us at 1 (800) 228-9159 to learn and protect your rights.

The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP are always receiving articles via the internet, about Georgia automobile accidents, tractor trailer trucking accidents, bus accidents and motorcycle accidents. Today I read about a Georgia motorcycle crash that resulted in the death of a young man. The crash involved a retired GBI agent whose son is a current Gwinnett County police officer. What was interesting about the case was the investigation of it by the Gwinnett County police.

The Gwinnett County Post article revealed that on a November evening the motorcycle rider and his best friend finished up their dinner at a pizza restaurant and got on I-985 heading north. One friend was on his motorcycle and the other one was in his Mustang. Allegedly, the motorcycle was speeding. When the motorcycle rider got a mile or so north of Ga. Highway 20, the retired GBI agent, according to the article, merged over into the lane occupied by the motorcycle and the two collided. The motorcyclist was ejected and died of internal injuries at the scene.

What happened after that is nothing short of astonishing. The former GBI agent drove on and did not stop for almost five (5) miles when he alleged he became aware there had been a collision! Given the fact that there was apparent substantial damage to the car, including the vehicles back window smashed, one has to wonder why it took 5 miles for him to come to that realization. Notwithstanding those circumstances no sobriety tests were administered. The mother of the motorcyclist claims that at the scene, police denied that there was even another vehicle involved and she only became aware of the retired GBI agent’s involvement by a family friend who works Gwinnett’s fleet management. Gwinnett police say that the investigation was through and unbiased.

If nothing else, this case highlights why it is important for the victim of an automobile accident, tractor trailer trucking accident, bus accident or motorcycle accident to seek legal counsel immediately. The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have been representing injury victims and families in wrongful death cases for over 45 years. Many of these cases involved suing local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. We currently have several pending cases wherein we represent the families of innocent motorist who have been killed as a result of police chases. If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call us at 1 (800) 228-9159 to learn and protect your rights.

The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have seen many tragic automobile accidents and trucking accidents involving serious injury or death but some of the worst are the ones involving burn injury.

On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that an adult and two children died on Interstate 75 when their pickup truck, pulling a U-Haul trailer, struck a construction barrel and caught on fire. The victims were burned beyond recognition according to the article. There were no other details reported; however, as a Georgia injury lawyer, I wonder about the placement of the construction barrels. Were the barrels and baracades safely placed by the construction company or the Georgia Department of Transportation? Many times the cause of an accident is not readily apparent until a good investigation is completed. The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have been representing victims of automobile and truck accident for over 45 years. In fact, we currently have several cases involving serious accidents that have occured on a strech of I-85, between Newnan, Georgia and Atlanta, Georgia. which has been under construction for years.

If you have been seriously injured in an automobile accident or trucking accident, call us for a free consultation at (800) 228-9159.

Late Saturday night, a Georgia motorcyclist, James Springer, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. Fortunately the collision which caused his death was witnesses by an off-duty Georgia Highway patrolman. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the motorcyclist had run out of gas and was waiting for help in the merge area between I-20 westbound and the I-285 on-ramp. As he waited, a 19 year old from Long Beach, California Dexter Cathey, struck him as he merged onto I-20. When the driver failed to stop, Trooper Mark Campbell pursed him in his personal vehicle until Cathey finally gave up. He is now facing serious criminal charges.

Cathey will also face major civil litigation for causing the wrongful death of James Springer. In fact, based upon the evidence, one cannot imagine a case where a judgment for punitive damages would be more justified. The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have been representing victims of automobile accidents, trucking accidents and motorcycle accidents for over 45 years. If you or a loved on has been seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident, call us to learn about your rights at 1 (800) 228-9159.

Georgia drivers using cellphones and other devices to send and receive text messages often cause automobile accidents, motorcycle accidents and truck accidents which result in serious injury and even death to innocent victims. Not a morning goes by in Atlanta that Georgia injury lawyers don’t see people on the expressway texting or scrolling through emails on their way to work. A recent article in U.S. News & World Report stated that an estimated 20 percent of drivers are sending or receiving text messages while behind the wheel, according to a Nationwide Insurance study. It also said that according to another poll, that number skyrockets to 66% amongst drivers 18-24 years of age. Currently only two states actually ban texting while driving, Washington and New Jersey; however, similar bills banning the practice are currently pending in several other states.

The Georgia Senate has just passed Senate Bill 360 to amend O.C.G.A. §40-6-241 which will ban texting while operating a motor vehicle. The new statute which goes into effect on July 1, 2010, provides as follows:

“A driver shall exercise due care in operating a motor vehicle on the highways of this state and shall not engage in any actions which shall distract such driver from the safe operation of such vehicle, provided that the proper use of a radio, or citizens band radio, or the proper use of a mobile telephone for purposes of engaging in spoken communication shall not be a violation of this Code section.”
“Any conviction for a violation of this Code section based on the use of a mobile telephone for writing, sending, or reading a text based message or other purpose unrelated to engaging in spoken communication shall be punished by a fine of not more than $150.00."

The Georgia injury lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP know that many automobile accidents and truck accidents result in serious injury or even death when the driver or occupants are not wearing seatbelts. Up until now, Georgia has required only drivers and passengers of automobiles, vans and sports utility vehicles to wear seatbelts; however, this week, the Georgia Senate approved legislation requiring the occupants of pickup trucks to wear seatbelts. Although this issue has been debated for years, rural legislators opposed such legislation because their rural constituents did not think the use of seatbelts was necessary out in the country and because it was inconvenient to do so while tending to farm land. Proponents of the Bill argued that the majority of pickup truck related deaths involved occupants who were not belted. The new law does not apply to off-road vehicles or pickups used for farming purposes.