When big rigs and cars collide, terrible injuries and even death can result. The more vehicles involved, the more horrific the consequences can be. Determining liability in multi-vehicle crashes is especially difficult.

Mortality rates skyrocket in accidents involving cars and tractor-trailers. A fully loaded commercial truck can weigh as much as 80 tons. Cars pile up when a large truck obstructs the road. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, one out of every eight traffic fatalities in the United States involves a truck collision. Of these fatal crashes, 82 percent involved large trucks in multiple-vehicle crashes. In 2010, 11,000 people were injured in large truck multi-vehicle crashes and 192 people were killed. The vast majority — 73 percent — of those killed were in the smaller vehicles.

In Georgia, the principle of comparative negligence applies in personal injury and wrongful death cases. This means that responsibility and damages are based on the negligence of all the parties involved in the accident. Compensation is reduced by the percent of fault in the accident. As the vehicles pile up in multi-vehicle accidents involving trucks, it becomes more difficult to determine liability. The driver of the truck and the trucking company may be at fault. Truck parts might be defective. If road conditions contributed, municipal authorities may be implicated. Whoever loaded the truck might have done so incorrectly. Manufacturers can be liable if toxic materials spill. Any of the drivers of the cars involved might share responsibility.

If you have been injured in a multi-vehicle crash with a large truck, it is possible that only one driver was at fault. However, if more than one of the involved parties was responsible, you need an attorney who can show convincingly who was at fault and prove that you were not responsible. At McMenamy Law, we fight to secure maximum damages for Atlanta area truck accident victims.