A Fatal Semi-Truck Accident Could Cost Your Family Millions

Semi-truck accidents are among the most terrifying that a driver can experience. With the average semi-truck weighing up to thirty times that of a standard passenger vehicle, it’s no surprise that catastrophic damage and harm can result. Atlanta boasts some of the nation’s busiest highways, bustling with commercial trucks at all hours of the day and night. Over-tired, overworked truck drivers are the most likely to be involved in collisions. In fact, most experts believe that nearly all semi-truck accidents are avoidable, and are the result of negligence, such as drowsy or distracted driving, speeding, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Each year over 4,000 drivers and passengers are killed in semi-truck crashes. Of those killed, nearly 70% were drivers or passengers in vehicles other than the truck.

The Cost of Semi-Truck Accidents

Victims of semi-truck accidents who manage to survive often find themselves quickly overwhelmed by medical debt and the increasing costs of their own care. Injuries sustained in semi-truck accidents are often severe and can be permanent, requiring extensive care, treatment, and physical therapy. New data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that a non-fatal semi-truck accident costs the victim an average of $195,2589. These costs include medical care, emergency treatment, lost wages, lost earning potential, compensation for pain and suffering, and other damages that would be awarded in court based on standard calculations. Fatal semi-truck accidents on the other hand, often leave the victim’s family with a mountain of debt, trauma, and grief. The data found that the average cost of a fatal truck accident to a victim’s family was a shocking $3,604,518.00.

How a Lawyer Can Help

As you can imagine, few individuals or families would be equipped to handle an unexpected financial burden of hundreds of thousands–or even millions–of dollars. Most find that the only way to recover financially and move forward in life is by bringing a personal injury lawsuit to recover for the harm that they suffered. In the case of a non-fatal semi-truck accident, the survivor has the option of bringing a personal injury lawsuit. Whereas in the case of a fatal semi-truck accident, the victim’s family can bring a wrongful death action on their behalf, which is essentially the equivalent to the personal injury lawsuit that they would have been able to bring if they were alive. A lawyer can help you determine the best course of action for recovery and help you to navigate the process as seamlessly as possible.

Talk to Hawkins Spizman Trial Lawyers

If you or a loved one have been injured or if a loved one was killed in an Atlanta, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Cobb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Johns Creek, Sandy Springs, or anywhere in Georgia semi-truck crash that was not your fault, the experienced personal injury attorneys at Hawkins Spizman Trial Lawyers are ready to help. Contact our Johns Creek personal injury lawyers today to schedule your free consultation and find out how we will fight to get you the maximum amount of compensation that you are entitled to.

Resources:

iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/large-trucks

fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/UnitCostsTruck%20Crashes2007.pdf