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The Standard of Care Applied to Truck Drivers in Atlanta is Important


— April 13, 2022

Generally, truck and commercial vehicle drivers are held to a higher standard of care than normal drivers.


Atlanta, GA – All drivers need to obey traffic laws and other rules for safety purposes. This is especially important when large commercial vehicles are involved in collisions, as there are additional issues such as the value of the cargo onboard and the potential for large amounts of destruction in accidents. There are a number of factors that determine if a truck driver and their employer will be financially liable after a crash, and one of the most important aspects of this analysis is whether the trucker acted in accord with what a reasonable commercial driver would have done.  

Atlanta truck accident lawyers can give victims of commercial vehicle collisions advice about bringing a lawsuit and related matters. 

The reasonable person standard

As a general rule, negligence cases establish liability for people, businesses, and entities that deviate from what a reasonable person would have done in the same situation. This kind of deviation is a breach of the relevant duty of care, which would meet the first two elements of a negligence action. This standard is based on things like the person’s occupation, what activity they were performing at the time of the accident, and whether any mistakes they may have made seem excusable. When there is a breach of the duty of care in a negligence case, the plaintiff must prove the final two elements of the cause of action as well, which are actual causation of the victim’s losses and damages. The summary of damages is a very important aspect of the lawsuit, as this affects the amount of compensation the plaintiff can receive.

Woman in pain; image by Matteo Vistocco, via Unsplash.com.
Woman in pain; image by Matteo Vistocco, via Unsplash.com.

The standard applied to truck drivers

Generally, truck and commercial vehicle drivers are held to a higher standard of care than normal drivers. This is because the commercial driver has a commercial license, along with special training, knowledge, skills, and they know their vehicles are more likely to cause serious damage if there is an accident. A higher standard such as the one applied to commercial drivers can potentially be applied to many other workers and occupations that require special training, education, and experience. 

Georgia truck accident lawyers are available to analyze the facts after a crash and decide if the driver was negligent based on their actions. If evidence of negligence is found, the driver and their employer will likely be sued and have to pay out a settlement to any victims affected. 

Help from a local accident attorney

USAttorneys.com is a website that lists truck accident lawyers in Atlanta and other places. People who need legal advice after a collision with a commercial vehicle can use the site to get more information from attorneys near me in their city. 

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