Wide Turns

If you have been involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, you may have suffered serious injuries that adversely affected you and your family. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 4,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 were injured in accidents involving big trucks in 2012. These accidents are usually accompanied by financial burdens that can add stress to an already difficult situation.

Marietta truck collision attorney Norman Miller represents victims who have suffered injuries as a result of tractor-trailers making unsafe wide turns. Our firm is prepared to offer you the skilled, vigorous representation you need to pursue the compensation you deserve.

Truckers must be extremely cautious when making turns. A wide turn occurs when a driver’s vehicle veers into other lanes while he or she is making a turn. For example, a left turn would be considered wide if the driver swings around the center of the intersection instead of sticking to the left lane. Another example would be a truck moving to the left to make a right turn.

A wide swing can be unavoidable if the driver is operating an extremely large truck. However, drivers should be cautious to turn with as tight a swing as possible to avoid placing themselves in the path of other drivers. When a truck makes an extremely wide turn, it poses the risk of colliding with, sideswiping, or even crushing neighboring cars on the street.

People injured by these overly wide turns can file a negligence claim against the truck driver who acted carelessly and caused the accident. Generally, the victim must prove the following four elements to win on a negligence claim:

1. The truck driver owed the victim a duty;
2. The truck driver breached the duty;
3. The breach caused an accident; and
4. The victim suffered actual damages.

Commercial truck drivers and drivers of oversized vehicles must drive in the way that a reasonable truck driver would in a similar situation. If a truck driver makes a dangerously wide turn, posing a risk to others on the road, the driver may be considered to have breached this duty. If the breach causes an accident and injures someone else, the truck driver may be liable. The truck driver does not need to know that he or she was acting dangerously. Even if a driver unknowingly engages in wide turns due to intoxication or driver fatigue, the driver and the truck company still may be liable for the accident. You may also potentially seek compensation from the truck company employing a negligent driver if the driver’s careless actions were taken in the scope and course of his or her employment.

If your loved one has been killed due to a negligent wide turn by a truck driver, you may have a valid wrongful death claim. These actions offer a way to seek compensation for aspects of your loss such as medical costs, funeral expenses, lost earning capacity, and emotional distress.

When an accident occurs, victims are left to deal with emotional, physical, and financial consequences. While no amount of money can repair the harm you have suffered, pursuing monetary compensation can help ease the burden of the costs caused by an accident.

Victims of truck accidents have two years from the date of the accident to file a negligence lawsuit. If a victim establishes liability and wins the lawsuit, he or she may be entitled to damages ranging from medical expenses and damage to the vehicle to lost wages, pain and suffering, and other costs arising from the accident.

Marietta truck accident lawyer Norman Miller is committed to providing Georgia residents with exceptional client service. At Miller Legal Services, we will give you the legal guidance and support that you need to seek damages from the responsible party. With decades of legal experience, we work diligently to pursue a settlement that is fair to you. If necessary, we will take your claim to trial. If you or someone you know has been injured by a truck making a wide turn, call us at 770-284-3727 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation.