Commercial truckers seamlessly transport cargo from Nashville across the country daily. Most truck drivers are conscientious, working hard to meet deadlines safely. But that assessment crumbles when just one of them barrels drunk down I-24 and crashes into several motorists, sending them splayed across six lanes.
Invariably, the injuries sustained in a tractor-trailer collision of this magnitude will be catastrophic. If you are among the injured, you are worried about paying for medical care and household bills while you are out of work recuperating. Ponce Law has a consistent track record of winning big for our clients, who have voted repeatedly to name us Nashville’s Best Law Firm, sponsored by the Tennessean’s Best of Music City Awards. We hold negligent truckers accountable for causing drunk driving truck accidents in Nashville. If you are seeking compassionate and tenacious representation, look no further.
Drinking before getting behind the wheel continues to be a major cause of heartache and devastating accidents plaguing Nashville families. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that one-third of the nation’s fatal road accidents involve drunk drivers. Tennessee, along with most states, sets a legal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limit at 0.08 percent. However, under federal law, anyone with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) including truck drivers, is driving drunk if they register a BAC of 0.04 or above.
Truck drivers face stiff penalties after causing a drunk driving crash in Nashville. Penalties include:
Ponce Law attorneys are your advocates, but also your neighbors. We grew up here, and we stay because we want to make a difference in our hometown. As the dominant personal injury law firm in Nashville, we aggressively make a difference for our clients and friends.
Negligence is comprised of duty, breach, causation, and damages. Truck drivers, and all motorists, have a duty to drive responsibly to ensure the safety of others sharing the road. If that duty is breached by driving drunk and causing an accident, injured plaintiffs have a cause of action.
Ponce Law partnered with RoadProof as an evidence-gathering tool that connects directly to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) surveillance cameras. Not available to the public, RoadProof provides us with video evidence, along with other data that is also admissible in court.
Additionally, Tennessee permits us to employ the doctrine of negligence per se, in which a trucker charged with drunk driving or who breaks any law applicable to the negligence claim is presumed to have breached the duty to the injured motorist after an 18-wheeler wreck in Nashville.
The US Code of Federal Regulations § 387.9 requires trucking companies to carry liability insurance on their rigs. The minimum is between $750,000 and $5 million, depending on whether the truck carries cargo outside of Tennessee and whether that cargo is hazardous.
In most cases, both the inebriated trucker and the trucking company through vicarious liability are responsible for compensating a person injured by the trucker’s negligence or recklessness. Compensation covers economic damages including lost wages and medical bills, and non-economic damages such as emotional trauma, recurring pain, and disfigurement.
If a drunk truck driver causes a crash that harms you, the probability is high that your injuries will be catastrophic. Many attorneys do not like to litigate and will settle for less than you deserve by caving into high-pressure corporate insurers looking out for shareholders’ profits, not your well-being.
Ponce Law is the only law firm in middle Tennessee to receive the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for ethical commerce. We study your situation and determine how much money you will need to see you through with dignity and no financial distress. After drunk driving truck accidents in Nashville, call Ponce Law.
