Brunswick Commercial Vehicle Liability Attorney
Most noncommercial drivers have a duty of reasonable care. They must avoid accidents when possible, obey the rules of the road, and drive defensively. Truck drivers, Uber drivers, bus drivers, and other commercial operators usually have a higher duty of care. They must do everything possible within their power to ensure that their passengers make it safely from Point A to Point B.
Because of the higher duty of care, it’s easier for a Brunswick commercial vehicle liability attorney to establish negligence, or a lack of care. Still, obtaining fair compensation is no easy task. So, at Gillette Law, our hard-working team meticulously builds your case from the ground up. We pay close attention to the details. These details are often the difference between maximum compensation and settling for less.
What Causes Commercial Vehicle Wrecks?
Some form of driver impairment, such as fatigue or distraction, causes most of the commercial vehicle wrecks in Glynn County. Ridesharing wrecks are a good example of both these things.
Many Lyft, Uber, and other ridesharing operators have full time responsibilities elsewhere. So, when they get behind the wheel, they are often dangerously fatigued. These operators would probably never think about driving drunk. Yet driving after eighteen consecutive awake hours is like driving with a .05 BAC level. That’s above the legal limit for commercial operators in Georgia.
Alcohol and fatigue have something else in common. There is no quick fix for either impairment. Only time cures alcohol intoxication, and only sleep cures fatigue. Quick shortcuts, like chewing gum, might make sleepy drivers feel more alert for a few moments. But these shortcuts do nothing to clear their judgement abilities or speed up their reactions.
Distraction is a serious problem as well for ridesharing operators. Some observers point to ridesharing drivers, who often drive with one eye on the road and one eye on a GPS navigation screen, as the reason distracted driving crashes have increased recently. There’s more. Driving while using a hands-free cell phone is like driving drunk for most purposes.
Your Claim for Damages
Commercial operator claims are quite complex, usually because of the respondeat superior rule. Individual drivers are legally responsible for damages. Frequently, the company which employed or retained the driver is financially responsible for these damages. Typically, this employer is a large, out-of-state holding company with a posse of lawyers at its beck and call.
But respondeat superior is not all bad. Vicarious liability theories such as this one give catastrophic injury victims an additional source of compensation. Sometimes, individuals don’t have enough insurance to cover all the victim’s losses. That’s especially true in ridesharing accident claims.
Despite these complexities, our professional team is usually able to resolve these cases out of court and on victim-friendly terms. These arrangements give victims more control over the outcome and also give them the financial relief they need more quickly.
Frequently, this settlement happens during mediation. A third party mediator works with both sides to try and arrange a settlement. If both parties negotiate in good faith, which basically means they are each willing to make some compromises, mediation is usually successful.
Reach Out to a Dedicated Glynn County Lawyer
All serious injury victims are entitled to fair compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Brunswick commercial vehicle liability attorney, contact Gillette Law, P.A. We routinely handle matters in Florida and Georgia.
