North Carolina Truck Accident Lawyer

Getting into an accident with a truck is never a fair fight. Even completely empty, a truck is significantly heavier and bigger than any other car or motorcycle on the roads they share. North Carolina truck accidents seriously injure and kill people every day and families are left wondering what to do and where to turn. Turn to the highly experienced North Carolina truck accident law firm of Tatum & Atkinson, PLLC. Our decades of experience winning truck accident cases means we know how to get you the most money possible following your truck accident. Hiring us is easy- it only takes one call and costs no money upfront. Get in touch now to learn more: 800-LAW-0804. The sooner you call the sooner we can get started working on your case!

North Carolina truck accidents happen everyday and everywhere throughout the state. With the average passenger car weighing only 4% of that of a truck, it is easy to see just how damaging these accidents can quickly become. Here’s a look at some of the more common causes of these major and often deadly truck accidents:

• Stopping distance: The bigger and heavier the car, the longer it takes to stop. The average truck weighs between 80,000-100,000 pounds. That is a lot of weight to brake on and makes it near impossible for them to avoid an accident that requires a quick reaction stop. Of course, these type of stopping distance accidents always go up when there are a change in driving conditions such as weather, construction zones or heavy traffic.
• Rollover accidents: Trucks are more like to have a rollover accident than other types of vehicles on the road and account for roughly 10% of all deadly truck accidents. Freeway exit ramps are a particularly common spot for a deadly truck rollover accident when they involve too sharp of a turn or insufficient stopping distances.
• Visibility Issues: Trucks have blind spots all over and when they can’t see you, they are also more likely to hit you. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) notes that trucks have large blind spots on all four sides and account for 1/3 of all truck accidents every year.
• Turning limitations: Known as the “wide turn squeeze,” trucks often occupy multiple lanes when making a right turn, hitting cars as a result of this major turning limitation.
• Driver Error: While there are strict rules around amount of driving time in a given day, drivers get tired and often make mistakes after a long day of driving. And just like car drivers, driving under the influence and texting while driving are also illegal activities truck drivers engage in while on the road that ultimately lead to serious and fatal accidents. Improper training especially if a route has difficult conditions can also cause accidents ultimately attributed to driver error and inexperience.
• Truck Maintenance: Trucks take a lot of work and constant inspection to maintain and avoid mechanical accidents. These in-depth and routine inspections are something that is legally required of all commercial trucks. Issues with brakes, mechanics and tires can and does cause truck accidents all the time, especially when the tailer is illegally overloaded.

Some of the more common injuries victims of truck accidents deal with include: broken bones, whiplash and major neck and spine injuries and PTSD. Most truck accidents also involve catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. These kinds of injuries can permanently change a person’s life, including his ability to continue working and supporting his family. They are called “catastrophic” injuries because they have an enormous impact on the injured victim’s quality of life. The best thing you can do for your recovery is to see any and all doctors as quickly as possible and as frequently as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment of truck injuries is essential to your recovery.

Your accident is unique to you and your injuries or loss. What all truck accidents have in common is that they can be complicated to resolve but also worth a lot of money when handled by an experienced professional. This is because there are often multiple responsible parties that can pay for the accident; and truck companies and employers carry high insurance premiums to cover these types of accidents and deaths. Federal commercial truck insurance requirements depend on the weight of freight transported and type of material:

• General freight trucks under 10,000 GVW: $300,000
• General freight trucks over 10,000 GVW: $750,000
• Trucks transporting oil: $1,000,000
• Trucks transporting hazardous materials: $5,000,000

The state of North Carolina has additional requirements on top of Federal minimums. Insurance companies are in the business of saving money, not spending it and they fight truck accident claims in an effort to pay you as little as possible, if anything. Because North Carolina is a contributory negligence state, defendants in your case will actively try to pin any level blame on you to avoid paying you anything. When you hire Tatum & Atkinson, PLLC we wont let that happen to you. We know how to fight to get you the most money possible, even when it is a complicated multi-defendant case. Things you can get compensated for in a winning truck accident case with us include:

• Current and future medical bills
• Missed work/ inability to work
• Disability needs
• Emotional trauma of the accident
• Pain and suffering

When your case involves a wrongful death, you can also recover for things like burial and funeral costs and missing income/home contributions. The bottom line is this: Your case is worth a lot of money and with our no win/no fee approach you pay us absolutely nothing unless we get you paid. You have noting to lose and everything to gain from setting up your totally free consultation with you firm.

Our goal at Tatum & Atkinson, PLLC is to assist our clients throughout NC quickly and efficiently with their personal injury cases. We know that the sooner we begin the process, the sooner we can demand a settlement. That is why if you call now, you can speak to Robert Tatum or Season Atkinson. Put the law in your hands and get the process started FAST! We’ll work hard to get you the settlement you deserve quickly, and hopefully keep you out of court. Contact us now by email or call 800-LAW-0804 (800-529-0804).