Georgia Truck Accidents: The Bigger They Are

Trucking accidents are always dangerous. The size and weight of these massive vehicles can cause incredible damage to smaller vehicles, but larger vehicles are certainly not immune, as proven by a recent event in Carroll County, Georgia.

A tractor trailer was heading along Highway 61 when it rear-ended a bus, sending both vehicles careening off the road. What happened next was just like you might see in the movies, as both vehicles burst into flame. Emergency personnel, including Life Flight helicopters, were rushed to the scene to save the lives of both drivers. Luckily, the first responders were in time. Thousands of other accident victims are not so lucky.

Thankfully, there were no passengers on the bus, or this could have been a devastating tragedy. Still, the size of the conflagration shows just how much danger is involved when two large vehicles collide at high speeds. And buses have notoriously lax safety standards compared to other vehicles. Some school buses still don’t even have seatbelts, and large travel buses are rarely properly equipped for an accident of this scope.

Tractor trailers and semis are all over the highways of Georgia, and it is important that drivers do everything they can to stay safe around these massive machines. Some safety tips include:

• Being aware of potential blind spots for the truck driver
• Not passing too fast or too close
• Paying attention to road signs that change the rules of the road for truck drivers, such as lowering the speed limit
• Being particularly careful on older, rural highways where there isn’t as much space on the road
• Being careful on highways that wind through trees or other dense foliage, as visibility can be severely reduced

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a trucking or truck related accident, it is important that you hold those responsible to account. It can be difficult to know if there were any existing problems with the vehicle or the driver without getting all the information, and most the time the only way to do so is to contact a qualified attorney.