Truck Driver Negligence

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics have shown that speeding and other forms of driver negligence are the primary causes of a semi truck accident. Atlanta catastrophic injury attorneys Goldstein & Hayes, P.C., Georgia truck driver negligence lawyers, protect your rights when you’ve been hurt due to the negligence of a trucker.

Georgia Truck Driver Negligence Attorney

When a trucking company hires a driver, that person must be properly trained and supervised. Unfortunately, the standards for training and supervision are not always as strict as they could be in the trucking industry, making truck driver negligence more likely. Airline pilots, for instance, are prohibited from operating a craft while taking prescribed narcotic drugs, but truck drivers are not. Pilots must undergo a physical every six months, as well, but for truck drivers, it’s every two years.

Atlanta Trucking Accident Lawyer

Truck driver negligence is not limited to high speed. Driving in the wrong lane, running a red light, tailgating, driving under dangerous conditions, or changing lanes without signaling are risky behaviors for passenger car drivers, but far more dangerous when a commercial truck driver is behind the wheel, given the size and weight of trucks.

A truck driver in Georgia who uses drugs or alcohol to stay awake is guilty of negligence. If an investigation uncovers distracted driver behaviors, such as eating, smoking, sending e-mails or texting, the driver and the hiring company are liable. A trucking company must check a driver’s record for past violations. Failure to do so can be considered negligence.

Truck driver negligence can take place even before a driver boards a rig, due to improper trucking equipment maintenance. Trucks must be properly inspected before a Georgia route begins, as well as during the route and after. A driver who does not have required inspections performed is negligent. Also, if a driver fails to secure or balance a load, or fails to take federally mandated sleep and rest time, is guilty of negligence.

Contact Atlanta Personal Injury Attorneys

Don’t sign away your rights after an accident involving a truck driver. Contact Goldstein & Hayes, P.C., truck driver negligence attorneys in Georgia.