Brookhaven is a suburb of Atlanta tucked into the northeast Metro Atlanta area. Known for its beautiful golf courses and historic district, it is close to several major highways, including I-85, I-285, and Georgia 400. While interstates like these can be useful for moving between cities, they also see numerous car accidents each year.
When you or someone you love has been hurt in a serious car wreck, you need the assistance of a Brookhaven personal injury lawyer to protect your rights. Ali Awad, the CEO Lawyer, knows the right steps to seek the compensation you need to fund your recovery. Making an injury claim is not something anyone wants to deal with, but when it happens, you want someone savvy and focused on the numbers by your side.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, don’t wait to call Ali Awad for a no-obligation consultation of your case. The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm works for you on a contingency basis, which means they don’t get paid unless you do. You have nothing to lose by calling (470) 323-8779 or by reaching out to our injury and accident attorneys online to find out more about your case.
Why Are Interstates So Dangerous?
Interstates see a lot of accidents for several reasons. First, they attract a high volume of traffic. More cars, more chances of collisions. Second, they often have higher speed limits. Going faster can increase both the risk of an accident and the chances of being hurt if an accident occurs. Third, interstates have a lot of on/off ramps, and many accidents happen when people are entering or exiting the interstate.
How to Safely Merge Onto an Interstate
It’s recommended that you don’t get to the end of the on-ramp and stop. Instead, start looking for an opening in traffic as soon as you get on the ramp. Try to keep your speed at a rate that will allow you to enter during a break in traffic. Keep checking both your left side mirror and your blind spot to ensure you’re not missing any vehicles. When you see an opening, go ahead and merge onto the interstate. Always remember that vehicles already on the interstate have the right of way.
Avoiding Accidents With Semi Trucks and Large Commercial Vehicles
Interstate highways are also popular with drivers of tractor-trailers or other large trucks or commercial vehicles. These trucks are large, heavy, and very dangerous compared to smaller vehicles. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a fully loaded semi moving at typical highway speeds in good road conditions (dry and clear weather, no road hazards) needs the length of almost two football fields to come to a stop. This is much more time than it would take a small car to stop in similar conditions. It’s also important to keep in mind that poor road conditions, such as wet or icy roads or poor visibility, can increase a large truck’s stopping distance even more.
As a result, it’s important to be careful of semi trucks when driving on the interstate. Check your mirrors often and keep track of other traffic. Remember that drivers of large trucks often have poor visibility and large blind spots – never assume they will see you. Maybe you’ve seen a truck sticker that says something to the effect of, “If you can’t see me or my mirrors, I can’t see you.” This is true, and for this reason, you should never cut in front of a large truck because the driver may not be able to see you. Also, be sure to maintain a safe following distance if you are behind a large truck, and keep an eye out for their turning signals – sometimes truckers cause accidents when they make a sudden lane change to take an off-ramp.
That being said, while driving defensively is important, truck drivers are also responsible for driving safely, and their employers are usually responsible for maintaining the trucks in a safe condition. (If the driver owns their truck, the maintenance may be their responsibility.) Aside from sudden lane changes, large truck accidents can also be caused by the driver failing to brake in time, the brakes failing to work, the driver speeding or failing to obey traffic signs, distracted driving, tired driving (there are strict rules about how many hours in a row a commercial trucker can drive) or other driver errors.
One common situation is when the semi truck hits the car in front of them. This is more common than passenger cars rear-ending semi trucks, and is often the result of speeding or failing to maintain a safe following distance. Truckers are supposed to maintain a 7-8 second following distance from the vehicle ahead of them.
Another possible issue is drivers falling asleep at the wheel or otherwise being too tired to drive safely. Truckers aren’t supposed to drive for more than 11 hours straight or remain on duty for more than 14 hours and are required to have a rest period of 10 hours between shifts. Unfortunately, this sometimes interferes with the expectations of the trucking company and when they want freight to arrive. In some situations, drivers may feel pressured to fake or lie on their logs and drive more hours than they should, leading to increased accident risk.
When a tractor trailer hits a smaller passenger vehicle, it’s common for the occupants of the car to suffer serious, sometimes fatal, injuries, while the semi truck driver remains safe in their cab. Sadly, these kinds of accidents can wreak havoc on the lives of the car’s occupants. You may be left with multiple injuries, including broken bones, soft tissue injuries like torn ligaments or whiplash, internal injuries or bleeding, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or concussion. Often car drivers or passengers are in the hospital and miss work for several days or even weeks or months. Meanwhile, their medical bills are not cheap.
If you’re injured by a semi truck driver, it’s important to understand your legal rights. In most cases, if the trucker caused the accident, you can file a claim with their insurance company. Large truck drivers are required to carry more insurance than regular drivers, between $750,000 and $5,000,000 depending on the type of truck and driving involved. You may also have a claim against the trucking company if they failed in their duty to maintain the truck’s brakes or other essential safety components, or encouraged drivers to falsify their logs about hourly requirements. Your Brookhaven personal injury lawyer can help answer any questions you have about your options.
Busy Intersections
Interstates aren’t the only places where accidents frequently occur. Intersections like Ashford Dunwoody and Johnson Ferry Road in Brookhaven are very busy, and the high volume of cars increases the risk of crashes. Drivers should pay attention to their driving, obey traffic laws and signs, and never try to run red lights or slow yellows when approaching an intersection. If you’ve been hurt by a motorist who ignored a traffic signal, you could find yourself with painful injuries and a large collection of medical and car repair bills. Before accepting any offer from an insurance company – yours or the other driver’s – be sure to speak with a Brookhaven lawyer for personal injury to ensure you’re getting a fair settlement.
The Deadliest Highways in Georgia
A report on National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) data finds I-75 to be the highway with the most deadly accidents in the state, with 111 fatalities in the summer months alone between 2015 and 2017. It was followed by I-20 with 50 fatalities and I-16 with 35 fatalities. Although icy and snowy conditions associated with winter can increase the risk of accidents, the summer months often see more car wrecks due to more people being on the road/going on vacations, as well as more recently-licensed teen drivers getting behind the wheel during summer break.
FAQ: Do I Really Need a Lawyer After a Car Accident?
Yes. Many people try to deal with insurance companies on their own, but often this doesn’t work out well. First, it’s important to understand that the insurance adjuster is not on your side. This can be hard to do because they will frequently be very friendly, personable, and relatable, and talk as if they are trying to help you. That’s their job. They want you to relax and start talking about the accident in the hopes that you’ll say something they can use to claim you were at fault.
This is especially true in Georgia, which has comparative negligence laws. Essentially, if the insurance company can convince the court that you were more than 49 percent at fault in the crash, they won’t have to pay anything. If the court finds you were some lower percentage at fault, your damages – that the insurance company has to pay – will be reduced by that much.
In some cases, the insurance adjuster realizes that blaming you won’t work and just makes an offer. You also need to be careful in this situation, because the insurer’s first offer is regularly lower than what you deserve – often by a wide margin! The offer may come when you are still in treatment for your injuries and have no idea how much your medical bills alone will end up being. It may sound good at the moment, but when you’re still paying monthly for physical therapy next year, you may regret accepting such a low offer. For this reason, we recommend you speak with an attorney before saying yes to any insurance company offers.
Can you just ask the insurer for more money? Trying to negotiate with the insurer can often be a slippery slope, as they are the experts in their industry and you aren’t, so a Brookhaven personal injury attorney is still useful in this regard. Your lawyer is also an expert on insurance coverage and won’t be fooled by anything the insurance adjuster throws at them. They can deal with the hassle and fight to get you a fair amount for your injuries, pain, and suffering.
When dealing with the aftermath of a serious car wreck, you may feel overwhelmed, but attorney Ali Awad, the CEO Lawyer, is available to fight for your legal rights. Don’t accept less than you deserve from the insurance company. Secure the right legal representation to get the settlement you need to fully recover from your injuries by calling (470) 323-8779 or contacting us online today.
