For nearly 30 years, Ashenden & Associates has successfully represented people who have been injured as a result of the negligence of others. We have recovered millions of dollars for our clients and we will do whatever we can to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
If you or a loved one is faced with a traumatic personal injury or wrongful death, you should be able to depend on your attorney to provide you with thorough legal attention and empathy considering your circumstances. If your case involves a truck accident and the truck driver was to blame, contact us today for a FREE consultation and case evaluation.
If we handle your case, you will pay absolutely nothing unless we recover for you. Trucking accidents happen all too often throughout the United States, and no one can know when he or she may be involved in an accident resulting in serious injuries or wrongful death. Ashenden & Associates can help you no matter where you live in Georgia. We have represented clients through the United States. A significant number of our cases are referred from other attorneys around the country. Our clients also come from satisfied former and current clients in addition to other law firms.
For nearly 30 years, we have gone the extra mile for our clients and we believe that our experience, past results, and personal attention make us different than most other law firms.
Truck Accident Statistics
Tractor-trailers weighing over 10,000 pounds are in trucking accidents causing serious damage, injuries or death too frequently. Approximately 500,000 trucking accidents occur every year in the United States. Of these, more than 5,000 18-wheeler accidents resulted in fatalities in the last few years alone. In fact, one out of every eight traffic fatalities involves an accident with a truck, though trucks comprise only 3% of the vehicles on the roads in the United States.
Large 18-wheeler trucks are far more dangerous on the roads than smaller vehicles and trucks. These 18-wheelers, also known as tractor-trailers or semi-trucks, can be a serious danger to pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers and passengers of cars if the negligence of the truck driver or trucking company causes an accident.
Semi-trucks require more time and distance to stop and have larger blind spots than most other vehicles. They frequently carry heavier and larger amounts of cargo. They are also more likely to tip over due to their higher center of gravity. Frequently, 18-wheeler accidents are caused by tire blow-outs, unsafe loads, and driver fatigue or errors.
The drivers of automobiles involved in collisions with these trucks are likely to suffer especially severe injuries including brain and spinal cord injuries and too frequently, death.
Why You Should Not Let an Insurance Company Representative Persuade You to “Quickly Settle”
Too often we see insurance companies and trucking companies attempt to quickly settle cases involving their drivers and trucks so they can avoid having a lawyer investigate a case for the victim. We look at every case on an individual basis to see if it is appropriate for our clients to even consider an early settlement or whether filing a lawsuit is the best approach. Each case is different. We are careful to do the research, talk to witnesses, and hire experts who can tell us how a particular accident happened. It may be that the insurance company representative knows that the truck driver has a bad history of causing accidents and wants to have you settle before your attorney can determine this. Oftentimes, the value of a case greatly increases as we discover such facts.
We routinely see trucking companies place pressure on truck drivers to deliver shipments as quickly as possible. Of course, the result is driver fatigue and an increased likelihood of accidents. More often than not, the drivers are held accountable if the case involves negligence or gross negligence. We have the experience to evaluate the number of hours a trucker should be on the road, whether his logs have been properly completed, and we are experts at establishing the true liability in auto and trucking accidents.
Too many trucking companies assume that accidents are a part of doing business and train their drivers on how they should conduct themselves after an accident in order to reduce liability and keep their insurance costs down. Often there are several different insurance companies covering the truck driver, the trucking company, and/or the businesses supplying the truck's cargo and arranging for the shipment of the cargo.
It is difficult for any individual inexperienced in traffic and accident law to know the proper way of dealing with the complex mix of insurance companies involved when an accident happens.
Due to the devastating consequences and complexity involved in these accidents, it is essential to have an attorney such as those at Ashenden & Associates who have the experience in investigating 18-wheeler accidents and holding negligent trucking companies accountable for the injuries and fatalities caused by their drivers and trucks. |
