Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

Two people were injured in a tractor-trailer accident in Oconee County. Involved in the accident were a tractor-trailer, concrete truck and an SUV. U.S. 441 South of Tappan Spur Road and the Morgan County line was shut down for a number of hours after the accident, according to local authorities.

The accident happened when 2005 Freightliner, that was heading southbound, experienced mechanical failure that caused its front left tire to fall off, according to reports. The trailer sideswiped a Mack 600 truck that was carrying concrete. The Mack truck was heading northbound when it was forced into the path of an SUV, according to Online Athens. The concrete truck flipped quite a few times. All three vehicles had to be cleared before the highway could reopen, authorities said.

Our Georgia trucking accident attorneys realize just how dangerous our highways can be for all motorists, but when you throw a semi, a concrete truck and an SUV into the mix, you've got a recipe for some serious damage. The woman that was driving the SUV sustained injuries as a result of the accident. The driver of the concrete truck, that rolled several times, sustained critical injuries. Emergency responders transported the concrete truck driver to Athens Regional Medical Center, according to troopers.

If you are involved in a traffic accident with a truck, it is important for you to contact an experienced attorney to help you determine fault and to fight for the proper compensation from not only the driver, but from the trucking company.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were roughly 380,000 large trucks involved in traffic accidents on U.S. roadways in 2008 alone. During that same year, 4,066 trucks were involved in fatal accidents that ended up taking the lives of 4,229 people. These traffic deaths accounted for more than 10 percent of all of the reported traffic fatalities in 2008. Another 90,000 people sustained injuries in these accidents. The trucks in these statistics are classified as vehicles with a gross weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds.

Percentage of fatality occurrences in trucking accidents:

-74 percent: occupants of another vehicle.

-10 percent: nonoccupants.

-16 percent: occupants of a large truck.

Percentage of Injury ocurrences in trucking accidents:

-71 percent: occupants of another vehicle.

-3 percent: nonoccupants.

-26 percent: occupants of a large truck.

According to the NHTSA, nearly 200 trucks were involved in fatal traffic accidents in the state of Georgia in 2008. A number of these traffic fatalities can be avoided if motorists can learn to travel more cautiously among these large trucks on our roadways.

You are more than 95 percent more likely to be killed, as a passenger-vehicle occupant, than a truck driver in one of these accidents. One statistic that benefits a truck drivers is that roughly 75 percent of the traffic accidents are caused by the passenger vehicles.