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Welcome to Millar & Mixon: May 20, 2012

If you have been injured or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a collision with a large commercial motor vehicle, the Georgia truck accident lawyers of Millar & Mixon, LLC, believe it’s important to work with an attorney who has extensive experience with these types of cases.

Crashes involving large trucks – also called tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, semis and big rigs – are very different from auto accidents. They often involve highly technical causes, multiple parties and violations of complex state and federal regulations. Any insurance claim or lawsuit that seeks to recover damages from a negligent truck driver or trucking company requires considerable time, effort and resources.

At Millar & Mixon, LLC, we have the experience needed to litigate difficult trucking cases. We have a record of securing positive results and large settlements and verdicts for accident victims and their families throughout Atlanta and the state of Georgia. We have recently won verdicts and large settlements in cases that include logging truck crashes, tractor-trailer accidents, box truck and delivery truck cases, and many other claims involving city street, state highway, and interstate highway trucking accidents. Since 1993, we have recovered more than $60 million on behalf of our clients.

To learn how we can help you, call us today at (404) 994-6439 or use our online form. We provide free consultations, and we don’t charge for our services unless you recover money.

Common Causes of Georgia Truck Accidents

With its heavy concentration of Fortune 500 companies, its major airport and interstate highways 85, 75 and 20, Atlanta is the business hub of the South. This means that the region has a heavy amount of truck traffic – and truck accidents. According to the latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with 179 fatal truck crashes in 2009, Georgia ranked fourth in the U.S.

Too many of these accidents are caused by the trucker or trucking company engaging in illegal and unsafe driving practices. Based on our experience, the most common causes of Georgia truck accidents include:

  • Improper inspections of the truck, trailer, cargo security and emergency equipment
  • Poor maintenance that leads to brake failure, tire blowouts and spilled loads
  • Driving while fatigued in order to make tight delivery deadlines
  • Distracted driving that involves talking on a cell phone or texting
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Truck drivers taking stimulants to stay awake
  • Negotiating curves at unsafe, excessive speeds
  • Failing to use proper warning flashers or markers when stopped on the road.

Knowing the exact cause of the truck crash is crucial to a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. In many cases, the driver or truck carrier’s violation of state and federal regulations, or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can serve as the basis for asserting a “negligence per se” legal claim.

Truck cases also require fast action to preserve evidence. Evidence can, and does, quickly disappear from an accident scene. Thorough investigation and consultation with highly qualified accident reconstruction, mechanical engineer, traffic safety experts and other professionals who specialize in trucking accidents to assist the attorneys is highly recommended. That’s why experienced legal assistance is a must.

Georgia trucking cases also involve determining who can be held financially responsible for the accident. In many cases, it’s not just the trucker. It’s also the trucking company, which has a duty to properly train and supervise drivers, set reasonable delivery schedules, oversee loading of cargo, conduct proper inspections and maintenance and monitor the number of hours drivers spend on the roads.

Compensation for Georgia Truck Accident Victims

Out of the people who were killed in U.S truck crashes in 2009, 75 percent were drivers or passengers of another vehicle hit by a truck. Because trucks are significantly heavier than cars and other vehicles, the result of a high-speed, interstate collision can be catastrophic.

The truck crash attorneys of Millar & Mixon, LLC, cannot undo the damage, but we have experience in obtaining significant verdicts and settlements for Georgia accident victims and their families that have helped them to cope with their future. The damages that may be recovered in a truck accident lawsuit include:

  • Special damages – Economic losses, such as past and future medical expenses, funeral costs, and lost past and future wages.
  • General damages – Non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement or the loss of society and companionship of a loved one.
  • Punitive damages – The amount awarded to punish and deter a defendant and others from engaging in willful misconduct that endangers others. Under Georgia law, this amount can be capped at $250,000 unless the accident involves a drunk driver. Because intoxicated driving is so egregious, there is no punitive damages cap in such personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.
  • In every truck accident case, our primary goal is to negotiate a settlement with the trucker, trucking company and their insurers. This can provide a timely resolution to the case for our clients, who need the funds to carry on with their lives. However, if a fair settlement can’t be reached, we are always prepared to file a lawsuit and take on negligent, reckless drivers and their employers in the courtroom.

    Contact Our Georgia Truck Accident Attorneys

    At Millar & Mixon, LLC, we represent trucking accident victims and their families throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area and the state of Georgia, including Atlanta, Buckhead, North Atlanta, Chamblee, Decatur, Douglasville, Marietta, Alpharetta, Lawrenceville, Conyers, Jonesboro, East Point, Sandy Springs, Forest Park, College Park, Decatur, Roswell, Marietta, Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Riverdale and other cities and communities throughout the State.

    We do not charge consultation fees, and we do not charge for our legal services unless we recover money for you.

    Don’t delay: Evidence can (and will) disappear. Also, in Georgia, you can lose the right to file or settle a tractor-trailer accident claim if action is not taken within two years after the date of injury or death, which is known as the statute of limitation.

    To learn more, contact us today by calling our offices in Atlanta at (404) 994-6439 or using our online form. Our Georgia truck accident lawyers are available in the evenings and on weekends to assist you.

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