Semi Truck Accident Law
A severe injury sustained in an accident with trucks can result in the death of someone in medical bills. It can also result in permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
It is crucial to have a qualified New York truck accident lawyer on your side following an accident. A qualified attorney can help you prove your case with evidence like police reports or surveillance camera footage and more.
Vehicles that aren't maintained properly
Trucking companies and owners-operators often don't take the necessary steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good repair. This causes many avoidable accidents each year.
Compared to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis will require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and heavier loads. Unfortunately, meeting deadlines and maximising profits is often prioritized over the maintenance of the fleet. As a result, trucks can be susceptible to mechanical malfunctions that can cause catastrophic accidents.
The brakes of trucks are crucial because they must be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at the smallest of moments. When brake pads lines, return springs or return lines on a truck are worn out they can cause serious accidents and fatal injuries. It is crucial that these parts are regularly checked and replaced as necessary to ensure they are in good working order.
Tires that are not maintained properly can be a major reason for truck accidents. Worn tires can lose traction and cause the truck to slide or even flip over. If a tire is defective in any way, like having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it could fail catastrophically.
Regular inspections of trucks are required along with regular maintenance in order to spot mechanical issues before they lead to an accident. If an inspection is done incorrectly or the repair shop does not adhere to the manufacturer's guidelines the result could be a crash. In these cases the company that employed or supervised the maintenance or repair shop could be held responsible.
The malfunctioning of signals, lights and reflectors are also a frequent cause of truck accident. These items must be properly working to enable drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, particularly in rural areas and after dark. Drivers or trucking companies may fail to maintain and check these equipment, or may not be able to conduct daily safety checks.
A reliable Houston truck accident lawyer will investigate your case to determine who is accountable for your injuries when you've been injured in an accident with a poorly-maintained commercial truck. This investigation could uncover evidence of negligence by the defendant and help you obtain the compensation you are entitled to.
Distracted detroit semi truck accident lawsuit of a collision involving commercial trucks could be catastrophic. These huge vehicles can weigh as much as 25 times the weight of your vehicle and cause far more injuries when involved in an accident. Distracted driving is just one of the many factors that contribute to accidents. A truck driver who is distracted might lose control of their vehicle or fail to spot the dangers on the roadway, which could lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and guidelines for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting and using mobile phones while operating their vehicles. Even if truckers adhere to the rules, they are still prone to be distracted and cause an accident. This can be the result of distractions caused by manual actions like taking a hand off the wheel or mental distractions such as thinking about something else other than driving.
While most people understand that it is dangerous to text and drive, many are aware that other activities such as eating or changing the radio station, and even conversing with passengers can be deemed as distracting. When a trucker is distracted, they may wander off into a different lane or not be able to see a traffic jam in front of them. It takes only a split second for a huge truck to crash into a vehicle when the trucker's focus wanders.
If a truck crash occurs due to a distracted driver, it is important to snap photos of the crash scene as well as collect the name and contact details of any witnesses. It is also important to find out the name of the driver of the truck and the company they work for, as well the owner of the truck, if it's an independent contractor. This will affect who is accountable for your incident since the trucking company is responsible for securing competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking firm is found to be partially responsible in your accident, it may be held accountable to you for economic as well as non-economic losses.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions between trucks are quite common and can result in serious injuries. These accidents can happen in many different circumstances such as at the stop sign or a red light, when the trucker doesn't check ahead for traffic coming in. They can also happen when a car crashes into front of the truck, forcing the driver to apply their brakes without warning. The trucker can then slam into the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove fault in rear-end collisions, since it's not always clear what vehicle caused the accident. An experienced attorney can gather evidence that proves the driver in the rear caused the crash because they followed too closely or distracted driving. This could include evidence such as photographs, police reports, eyewitness testimony and skid marks in the road.
Sometimes the driver in front may be found to be responsible for the accident as well. This can happen when they cut off someone else or fail to utilize a turn signal in the same manner as any reasonable person would do. This is where modified comparative negligence laws could be applied, in which the jury assigns a percentage to each party and damages are lowered accordingly.
Lacerations and Bruises
The rear of the vehicle is the one that is most affected in a rear-end crash, which means that the occupants could suffer serious injuries from hitting their head against the dashboard or back window. The force of the crash can also cause broken bones if the occupants are thrown about the interior of the car. Injuries to the spine can be extremely severe. The spinal cord is home to many nerves that control the body, therefore any damage to the spinal column could cause permanent and significant issues for the victims.
In addition to these kinds of injuries, victims might also suffer from psychological and emotional traumas as a result of being in a horrific crash. They may have difficulty being able to sleep or concentrate, which can lead them to depression and anxiety. If they're unable to work due to the degree of their injury this could cause anxiety and financial hardship. An attorney will investigate the potential sources of liability to assist a victim in receiving fair compensation for their loss.
Problematic trailer hitches
All vehicles, regardless of whether they are a car, van, truck, flatbed, or van should be securely connected to their trailers. Unintentionally unhitching a trailer could cause catastrophic accidents that can lead to serious injuries or death. If you have been injured in a vehicle accident caused by a truck that has run away, contact an experienced attorney who specializes in hitch failure cases to discuss your legal options.
The reason for a malfunctioning trailer hitch is many things, ranging from improper securing or defective design. It can be the result of an issue with the manufacturer and, in this case, products liability laws could apply. The company or the person who is at responsible for the malfunction of a trailer is liable for the medical bills of the victims and auto repair expenses, as well as other losses that result from the incident.
In the fatal crash that took place on a highway in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014 the trailer slid off of the truck. It then crashed into two cars that were directly behind it. Initial investigations attributed the accident to the truck driver’s negligence for failing to inspect and secure the hitch. In June of 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started investigating the possibility that a flaw in the hitch, an Ultra LT manufactured Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama, was the reason for the crash.
The trailer hit the side of the vehicle and crashed into them. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries to the drivers of the vehicles.
The truck driver in the accident was convicted of vehicular homicide. However experts suggest that he could've avoided the collision in the event that he had conducted an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to make sure all connections were in good order. Incorrect trailer hitches can lead to major disasters. These types of accidents are typically high-speed, and they can easily cause a collision with motorcycles or smaller cars. In these situations, the trailer may distort the car's frame and cause sharp metal fragments to injure passengers.