Georgia Personal Injury Law Blog

Motorists in Georgia may be surprised to learn that General Motors was warned about possible defects approximately seven years before a recall occurred in 2014. GM was contacted by an investigator employed by Vanguard Car Rental USA about a motorist in a Chevrolet Cobalt who lost control of the vehicle in September 2006. The vehicle drifted across the roadway onto a gravel median and overturned. The driver was wearing a seat belt but still died in the collision. The airbags allegedly failed to deploy during the accident. The claims adjuster for Vanguard contacting GM acknowledged that the cause of the crash was unknown but noted that the details of the crash warranted the automaker opening a claim and inspecting the model for potential defects. Bloomberg recovered these documents with a Freedom of Information Act request. Warranty records, call transcripts and police reports revealed that Enterprise also pressed GM about potentially…

A 50-year-old woman is dead and a 43-year-old man faces criminal charges after a two-vehicle accident in Richmond County on July 17. According to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, the fatal car accident occurred around 7 p.m. when the man's vehicle, a red Dodge Magnum, struck the woman's Suzuki Grand Vitara as she attempted to turn from Faircrest Avenue onto Peach Orchard Road. Deputies reported that the man was speeding prior to the crash. An ambulance transported the victim to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead at approximately 7:42 p.m. An autopsy was performed the following day in Atlanta. Law enforcement officials charged the driver of the Dodge with first-degree vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and driving under the influence. Deputies said that witnesses told them he may have been racing when the accident happened. The news source did not report the level at which his blood alcohol content…

Two people were killed and two others were injured in a motor vehicle accident that occurred in Georgia, near the Tennessee border, on the morning of July 11. Investigators say a Ford Mustang headed west on Interstate 24 drove into the median, slid sideways, and collided with a vehicle in the eastbound lanes. The impact caused the Mustang to strike two other vehicles, one of which flipped. While speaking with local media, a trooper with the Georgia State Patrol said he suspected the crash took place at 'interstate speeds." All four vehicles involved in the wreck contained a single occupant. Investigators are still uncertain what caused the driver of the Mustang, a woman from Wisconsin, to drive across the median. She reportedly had a cellphone in her hand as her body was extricated from the Mustang. Several motorists stopped got out of their vehicles to call 911 or offer assistance…

An Atlanta police department report confirmed that a 33-year old woman was killed in a fatal motorcycle crash which occurred in the early morning hours on the Downtown Connector. A woman driving a Hyundai Sonata allegedly bumped into the rear end of the motorcycle, causing the female passenger on the bike to fall off. The car then hit and killed the woman. The driver of the motorcycle was also injured, but reportedly fled the area after his passenger did not respond when he called her name. The woman driving the Hyundai was charged with vehicular homicide in the first degree, DUI and another charge. A breath test registered the woman's blood-alcohol level at .209 percent, more than double the legal limit in the state. Police took her to the Fulton County Jail. The driver of the motorcycle was also taken into custody after he sought treatment at a local hospital.…

A June 26 car accident in Jefferson County claimed the lives of three people, according to authorities. The fatal accident occurred on Georgia Highway 1 south of Wrens, and Georgia State Patrol troopers arrived at the scene just after 2:45 p.m., reportedly. According to authorities, a 44-year-old man was driving a U-Haul truck on the highway when he attempted to pass other motorists and struck the front end of a silver Honda. Subsequent to that collision, the U-Haul driver sideswiped another vehicle before colliding head-on with a tan BMW. Authorities reported that the 44-year-old man died from injuries he suffered during the incident. Moreover, two other drivers involved in the crash, a 49-year-old woman and a 35-year-old woman, died as a result of the incident. If a preponderance of evidence from this case were to indicate that the fatal accident was caused by a driver's actionable behavior, then the at-fault…

Georgia drivers might be interested in a recent report on the risks of drowsy driving and the trucking industry. According to the report, truck accidents resulting from driver fatigue have been a concern to authorities for many years. The amount that a driver earns can be contingent on how many miles that driver travels, and this reality applies pressure on the drivers to be behind the wheel even if they are tired. While some sources suggest that this problem is relatively well known between truck drivers, the issue has come to the public's attention after an accident involving comedian Tracey Morgan who was severely injured in a fatal accident that occurred outside of New York City. According to reports, the driver of the Walmart tractor-trailer that crashed into the van carrying Morgan and several other passengers had not slept in over 24 hours. By some estimates, fatigued driving is the leading…

On June 8, a 40-year-old man was injured in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 75 in Bibb County. Authorities said the accident took place near the exit ramp for Sardis Church Road shortly before 3 a.m. Reportedly, alcohol might have been a factor in the crash. A 49-year-old man was driving a 2013 Toyota Camry north in the southbound lanes of the interstate when he collided with a southbound tractor-trailer, authorities said. The semi-truck, which was hauling food, caught fire as a result. Emergency rescue personnel transported the driver of the semi-truck, the 40-year-old man, to the Medical Center of Central Georgia for treatment of his injuries, which included burns, according to authorities. Officials listed him in stable condition. Deputies from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office detained the 49-year-old man on suspicion of driving under the influence. He faces charges of driving the wrong way on a roadway, driving without…

A driver in Georgia was trapped in her vehicle after part of a tractor-trailer landed on top of her car and sliced the roof. According to the police, the accident occurred near the intersection of Lawrenceville Suwanee Road and Horizon Drive. Firefighters were brought to the scene of the crash to rescue the driver. The driver was eventually transported to a hospital and is in stable condition. The tractor-trailer driver did not have any injuries. Investigators believe that the crash occurred when the trailer separated from the truck and crushed a car that was in the opposite lane. The road where the crash occurred was blocked so crews could assess the damage, and the Georgia State Patrol is still investigating. While most truck drivers do a good job of performing their duties, it takes only one to destroy an innocent life. Anybody who has been injured in a truck accident…

A 32-year-old woman with an outstanding vehicular homicide warrant in another county is believed to have caused a seven-car crash on Georgia Highway 316 in Lawrenceville on May 25, 2014. She was treated at a local hospital, released to authorities, and taken to the Gwinnett County jail, where she awaited transfer to DeKalb County authorities. The car accident occurred at about 3:20 p.m. below the Suwanwee Road Bridge. Police related that witnesses told them the woman was driving in the emergency lane. One vehicle flipped several times as a result of the impact. Two people in another car required removal from their vehicle. Injuries to four people required them to be transported to Gwinnett Medical Center where a 39-year-old female from Lawrenceville died. One remained hospitalized. Two were treated and released. The 32-year-old driver had a duty to drive her vehicle in a legal lane of traffic. She also had a…

Macon drivers may know already of the various tips and tricks that safe drivers can use to avoid accidents or bad situations. Unfortunately, car wrecks can be difficult to avoid in some cases, no matter how safe a person's driving practices are. Some roads are inherently more dangerous than others due to the conditions on or around them. As the years progress, many people are beginning to view Blue Jay Road as one of these dangerous roads. One intersection alone has seen 12 accidents happen another has had at least 5. Recently, 3 accidents have occurred over a 2 week period. In total, 25 crashes have happened on the road over the last 3 years, leading many people to try figuring out what about it is causing so many accidents. Some potential reasons include the fact that the road is only 2 lanes and it doesn't have very wide shoulders, but…