Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained during an accident with a semi truck can bury someone in medical expenses. It can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term physical therapy.
Following a collision, it is essential to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney by your side. A qualified attorney can assist you in proving your case with evidence like police reports and surveillance footage, among others.
Vehicles that are poorly maintained
In a majority of cases trucking companies as well as owner-operators fail to take the appropriate steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition. This leads to an astronomical number of preventable accidents every year.
Compared to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis will require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and heavy loads. However working to meet deadlines and maximizing profits may take precedence over the maintenance of a fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical problems which could lead to disastrous accidents.
The brakes on trucks must be able to stop and slow down the vehicle at a minute's notice. When a truck's brake pads lines, lines, or return springs fail they can result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. These parts should be regularly inspected and repaired in order to keep them in good condition.
Tires that are not maintained properly can be a major reason for truck accidents. Tires that are worn out may lose traction, which causes the truck to skid or even tip over. Tires that aren't working because of incorrect air pressure or tread design can fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks need routine inspections to detect mechanical issues prior to causing an accident. If an inspection is performed in a way that is not correct or if the repair shop fails to follow the manufacturer's guidelines it could cause an accident. In these instances, the firm that hired the repair or maintenance company or managed it may be held liable.
Another major cause of truck accidents is malfunctioning signals, lights and reflectors. These components must be in good working to enable drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas or at night. However, trucking companies might fail to maintain and inspect these items or the driver might fail to perform daily safety checks.
A Houston truck accident attorney can review your case and determine who may be accountable for your losses in the event that you are injured from a poorly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can reveal evidence of negligence by the defendant and help you receive the compensation you deserve.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many things more damaging than an accident with a commercial truck. These huge vehicles weigh up to 25 times the weight of your car and could cause a lot more injuries if they are involved in a collision. While a variety of factors can cause accidents but distracted driving is among of the most frequent and dangerous. A truck driver who is distracted might lose control of their vehicle or fail to recognize an accident on the roadway, which could lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers must follow strict rules and regulations established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition against texting or using mobile phones while driving. Even when truckers adhere to the rules, they could be distracted and result in an accident. This could be the result of manual distractions, such as taking their hands off the wheel, or cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
While the majority of people are aware that it is dangerous to text while driving, a few realize that other activities like eating, changing the radio station or even talking to a passenger could also be deemed as distracting. When a trucker is distracted, they could wander off into another lane, or fail to notice a traffic jam up ahead of them. When a truck driver's eye is diverted, it takes only an instant for a large vehicle to collide with a car.
When a truck accident is caused by an unintentionally distracted driver It is essential to capture photos of the crash scene and gather the name and contact details of any witnesses. It is important to determine the name of the driver, the company for which they work and who owns the vehicle in case it's an independent contractor. This can have an influence on who is responsible for the accident, because it is the responsibility of the trucking company to recruit competent and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking firm is found to be partly responsible for your accident, it may be held accountable to you for economic and non-economic injuries.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions with trucks are not uncommon and can result in severe injuries. They can occur in a variety of situations, such as at an intersection or stop sign when the trucker fails to check their surroundings for traffic coming in. They may also occur when a car cuts in front of the truck, which forces the driver to hit their brakes without warning. The trucker could then smash the car from behind.
It is often difficult to prove fault in rear-end crashes, as it's not always clear which vehicle was responsible for the crash. lawton semi truck accident lawyer can assist in gathering evidence that shows the driver in the rear caused the crash because they followed too closely or driving while distracted. This could include evidence like photos, police reports eyewitness testimony and skid marks on the roadway.
The driver in the front of the car could also be held responsible for the collision. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail use a turn signal like any reasonable person. In this scenario modified comparative negligence laws could be used. The jury will determine a percentage of the blame to each of the parties. The damages are then reduced accordingly.
Lacerations, Bruises and Bruises
In a rear-end accident, the rear end of the vehicle is the one that suffers the most force. This means that the drivers are most at risk of serious injuries if they crash their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They may also break bones due to being bounced around the interior of the car due to the force of the crash. Spinal injuries can be severe. Spinal injuries can cause serious and lasting impacts on the victims.
A victim of a serious accident may also suffer from emotional and psychological trauma. They might have trouble sleeping or concentrating, which may result in anxiety and depression. They may also experience stress and financial strain if they are unable work due to their injury. An attorney can research any possible liability sources and assist a victim in seeking an appropriate amount of compensation for their loss.
Faulty Trailer Hitches
Whatever vehicle you're driving, the vehicle of a car, van, a truck, or a flatbed, all vehicles must to be securely attached to their trailers. Unintentionally removing a trailer's hitch can cause catastrophic accidents that lead to severe injuries, or even death. If you've been injured in a car accident caused by a runaway truck and you are in need of an experienced attorney who is skilled in cases involving the failure of a hitch to discuss your legal options.
The cause of a faulty trailer hitch is many things, ranging from improper securement or design. It could be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer, where case-by-case product liability law may apply. The company or the person accountable for a defective trailer can be held accountable for the victim's medical costs or auto repair expenses, as well as other losses resulting from the incident.
For example in a fatal crash that occurred in January 2014 on an Ohio road that is locally referred to as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came loose from the truck and slid directly into two cars in front of it. Initial investigations pointed out that the accident was due to the truck driver's negligence in failing to properly inspect and secure hitch. But in June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch at the center of the crash -it was an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a significant number of occasions.
Due to the hitch that was defective caused by the defective hitch, the trailer smashed into the sides of the vehicles, before colliding into them head-on. The result was numerous fatalities and serious injuries to the drivers.
The truck driver in the incident was found guilty of vehicular homicide, but experts believe that he could have avoided the crash by conducting an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to make sure all connections were in good order. Faulty trailer hitches can cause major accidents. These accidents are typically high-speed, and they can easily cause a collision with motorcycles or other smaller vehicles. In these situations the trailer can distort the frame of a car and cause razor-sharp metal fragments to entrap passengers.