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The roads of Newnan Georgia are a complex web of ground-level highways, where local commuters and long-haul trucks are funneled together, right alongside residential neighborhoods and commercial districts with high foot traffic.
Adding in the frequent threat of reckless drivers and highspeed chases cutting through the city, Newnan residents have a lot to be nervous about on the road.
Below, we’ll go into detail on some of the most serious and pervasive traffic hazards in Newnan, and what accident survivors can do to protect themselves. If at any point you would prefer to speak directly with a Newnan car accident lawyer about your case, feel free to reach out by phone or chat.
Every vehicle used on public streets increases the risk of death for pedestrians and people using smaller vehicles. The larger the vehicle, the greater the risk it creates, simply by existing.
This is because when two objects collide on the road, the less massive one will usually take the worst of the damage.
Often, the deaths and injuries that surround larger vehicles happen through no fault of the driver. For example, this year in Newnan:
In all three cases, the person with the smaller vehicle, or no vehicle, was killed (the motorcyclist, the car driver, and the pedestrian respectively). The survivors were not charged with any wrongdoing.
Obviously, larger vehicles are sometimes the best transportation option available, and it is possible to operate them responsibly. The important thing is never to underestimate the destructive power of mass combined with velocity.
Sadly, many companies that control dozens or hundreds of huge commercial vehicles don’t prioritize safety when they can prioritize speed instead. Commercial truck drivers are often subjected to exhausting schedules and constant instructions to hurry, making attentive and defensive driving impossible.
Even more dangerously, large vehicles occasionally end up in the hands of people who don’t have the qualifications to drive them at all.
Companies like U-Haul will rent sizeable trucks to essentially any adult with a basic driver’s license. While legal, this practice puts untrained people on the road in vehicles that may be very different from the ones they’re used to. Questionable maintenance on rental trucks may also make them more challenging and unpredictable to handle.
In May, a woman was hospitalized after losing control of a U-Haul on the GA-134, near Pete Davis Road. She struck a utility pole and was not wearing a seatbelt. Thankfully, no one else was hurt.
In a more intense case of a dangerous amateur truck driver, in February, police shot a man who was allegedly driving a stolen tractor-trailer down the I-85, weaving and striking other cars. The Coweta County Sheriff’s Office argued that deadly force was necessary to end the chase, due to the immediate threat the driver posed to others.
If the accident that harmed you involved a larger truck or bus, it’s always worth questioning whether it was being maintained and operated with the extra care these vehicles require.
While the chase involving the tractor-trailer was especially extreme, it’s common for crime to translate to unsafe driving.
In 2022 alone, Newnan has seen at least three other highspeed police chases through its streets:
Regardless of how police approach situations like these, people fleeing legal consequences using a vehicle are always dangerous to the public.
This is true even when there are no police actively present. People who have recently committed crimes like assault or robbery are more likely to drive recklessly while putting distance between themselves and the scene of the crime, for example.
Thankfully, courts tend to side more firmly with car accident victims when the accident was the result of someone else’s crime spree.
In addition to the dangerous driving behaviors that tend to accompany crime, some acts of negligence on the road are also crimes in their own right.
Driving under the influence of intoxicating substances (DUI), and leaving the scene of an accident without offering help or insurance information (hit-and-run), are two of the most common examples in Georgia. Newnan has certainly had its share of these incidents.
Like traffic accidents caused by other types of crime, road crimes like DUI and hit-and-run tend to nullify most disputes over who was at fault for an accident. Assuming the culprit can be located, the victim can typically sue for significant compensation, and sometimes an additional sum categorized as punitive damages.
While crime and large vehicles certainly make the roads more dangerous, plenty of traffic accidents happen when people in ordinary personal vehicles make seemingly small mistakes. Unfortunately, small mistakes do not always translate to small consequences.
For example, a few days after Christmas of 2021, a car drifted across the center line on the GA-29, causing a head-on collision with a pickup truck travelling in the opposite direction. The pickup truck driver was killed, and the car driver had to be transported from the scene to the Atlanta Medical Center for treatment. She was ultimately charged with homicide by vehicle and failure to maintain lane, but no intentional criminal acts, such as drinking before driving, were ever reported.
Families harmed by accidents like these are sometimes hesitant to take legal action, because they do not want to make the situation more difficult for someone who might just have had an honest and rare lapse in judgement.
This is where it’s important to understand the role of insurance.
Even the most basic car insurance policy covers the policyholder’s liability toward others, up to a certain amount. That’s what drivers pay these companies for every month. The point is to make sure that if the driver does make a mistake, the damages to others will be covered, without the driver personally having to pay for a sudden, large expense.
However, insurance is a for-profit industry. So, when a traffic accident actually happens, the insurance companies have one primary goal: minimizing their own expenses.
If representatives for an insurance company believe they can deflect blame from their customer and pay nothing, they will try. If they know the customer is liable, they will offer the smallest settlement they believe the victim might accept.
The at-fault driver has no say in this process, and does not benefit at all from any savings the insurance company gets from lowballing victims.
Accident victims and their families have a right to insist upon the full compensation they’re owed under the law — compensation the at-fault driver has already helped pay for with their insurance premiums. The most effective way to get an insurance company to fulfill its responsibilities is to filter all interaction with the company through a qualified car accident lawyer in Atlanta.
To best protect yourself physically, legally, and financially after a traffic accident in Newnan, follow these steps as closely as you can, to the extent that they apply to you:
The lawyers at The Stoddard Firm are experienced in traffic law, personal injury law, and wrongful death law, and we know the Newnan area. This enables us to speak knowledgeably on local traffic patterns, and coordinate effectively with local businesses and organizations, including Piedmont Newnan Hospital and tow companies like Southside Wrecker and KRD Towing and Recovery. We’ll coordinate directly with any entity we need to collect evidence from, to make your experience as smooth and simple as possible.
For a free consultation with a car accident lawyer, just reach out at 678-RESULTS or through our online chat function.
A dedicated, ethical advocate who takes on major corporations and global insurers with virtually unlimited resources. Known for high-profile cases featured on Courtroom Viewing Network, this attorney is also a sought-after legal educator, teaching at seminars for top bar associations. Trusted by clients and media alike, they work tirelessly to secure justice and deliver results.
Member of the Atlanta Bar Association, the Georgia Bar Association, and the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
Licensed in Georgia since: 2008
Education: University of Georgia School of Law
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This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was revised and approved by Attorney Matthew B. Stoddard, who has more than 16 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney.
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