Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in an accident with trucks can result in the death of an individual with medical costs. It could also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
It is vital to have a qualified New York truck accident lawyer by your side after an accident. A qualified lawyer will help you prove your case by using evidence like police reports and surveillance footage.
Poorly maintained vehicles
Owner-operators and trucking companies often do not take the necessary steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good repair. This leads to a high percentage of preventable accidents every year.
Compared to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and weight. load. Unfortunately working to meet deadlines and maximizing profits often take precedence over maintaining the fleet. In the end, trucks can be susceptible to mechanical problems that can lead to devastating accidents.
The brakes on a truck must be able stop and slow down the vehicle at a moments notice. If the pads of a truck's brakes, lines or return springs fail they could result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. It is crucial that these parts are regularly inspected and replaced when necessary to ensure they are in good condition.
Poor-maintained tires can also be a major cause of truck accidents. Tires that are worn down may lose traction and cause the truck to overturn or slide. If a tire is defective in any way, such as having the incorrect air pressure or tread design, it could fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks require regular inspections in order to spot mechanical issues before they can cause an accident. If an inspection is performed improperly or the repair shop does not follow the manufacturer's instructions it could lead to an accident. In these instances, the company that hired the maintenance or repair shop or was the one who supervised it could be held accountable.
The malfunctioning of signals, lights and reflectors are a common cause of truck accident. These devices must be correctly working to enable drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas and after dark. However, trucking companies may fail to maintain and inspect these elements or the driver might fail to perform daily safety inspections.
A Houston truck accident lawyer will investigate your situation and determine who could be accountable for your damages in the event that you were injured by a badly maintained commercial truck. This investigation could uncover evidence of negligence by the defendant and help you obtain the compensation you're entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many events more devastating than an accident which involves a commercial vehicle. These huge vehicles can weigh up to 25-times more than your car and cause a lot more injuries in an accident. While a variety of factors can cause accidents, distracted driving is one of the most common and risky. A truck driver who is distracted may lose control of their vehicle or fail to spot a hazard in the roadway, which could lead to life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers are required to adhere to strict rules and regulations that have been formulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition against texting or using mobile phones while driving. However, even when truckers abide by the rules, they are still prone to be distracted and cause a crash. This could be because of manual distractions, such as taking a hand off the steering wheel or mental distractions such as thinking about something else other than driving.
Although most people know that it is dangerous to text while driving, a few are aware that other activities such as eating or changing the radio station or conversing with passengers can be considered to be distracting. When a trucker is distracted, they could wander off into a different lane or fail to notice the traffic jam ahead of them. It only takes a split second for a large truck to collide with a vehicle if the trucker's mind wanders.
If a truck crash is caused by a distracted driver It is essential to take photographs of the scene of the accident as well as collect the contact details and name of witnesses. It is also helpful to know the name of the truck driver and the company they work for, as well in determining who owns the truck, if it's an independent contractor. This could have an impact on who's responsible for the accident, since it is the trucking company's responsibility to find competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking company is found be partly responsible for your accident, they could be responsible for your economic and non-economic injuries.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions with trucks are common and can cause serious injuries. They can happen in a variety situations for example, at the stop or red light sign, when the trucker fails to look behind them for oncoming traffic. They can also happen when a car comes in front of the truck, forcing the driver to slam on their brakes without warning. The trucker could then crash into the car from behind.
It is often difficult to prove the cause of rear-end collisions, since it's not always clear what vehicle caused the accident. However, an experienced lawyer can assist in gathering evidence that proves the driver behind caused the crash because they followed too closely or being distracted while driving. This could include evidence such as photos, police reports, eyewitness testimony and skid marks left on the roadway.
The driver in the front of the car could also be liable for the accident. This could occur if they cut someone off or fail make use of a turn signal, as would any other reasonable person. In these situations an amended comparative negligence law could be used. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each of the parties. Damages are then reduced accordingly.
Bruises & Lacerations
In a rear-end accident, the rear end of the vehicle is the area that experiences the most force. This means that drivers are most at risk of serious injuries if hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. iowa semi truck accident lawsuit could also break bones from being torn around inside the car due to the force of the crash. Spinal injuries can be serious. The damage to the spine could have serious and long-lasting effects on the victims.
In addition to these types of injuries, the victim may also experience psychological and emotional trauma from having been involved in a terrible crash. They may have difficulty sleeping or concentrating, which could result in anxiety and depression. If they're unable work due to the seriousness of their injury it can create anxiety and financial hardship. An attorney can examine the possible sources of liability and assist the victim in seeking fair compensation for their loss.
The trailer hitches are faulty.
Regardless of whether you're driving a car, a truck, a van or a flatbed, all vehicles have to be securely connected to their trailers. When a trailer becomes unexpectedly unhitched, it could lead to catastrophic accidents that result in serious injuries or even death. If you've suffered injuries by the trailer that is running away, you should contact an experienced attorney for vehicle accidents with a specialization in cases of hitch failure as soon as you can to discuss your legal options.
The cause of a faulty trailer hitch could be due to a variety of factors which can range from inadequate securing or defective design. It could be due to an issue on the part of the manufacturer, in which case product liability laws could apply. The person or company that is at responsible for the malfunction of a trailer is responsible for the cost of medical bills, auto repair costs, and other losses arising from the incident.
In the fatal crash that took place on a road in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014 the trailer was detached from the truck. It then crashed into two cars directly behind it. Initial investigation linked the accident to the truck driver's negligence in failing inspect and secure the hitch. However, in June 2015 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect caused the hitch in the crash -one of the Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a significant number of occasions.
The trailer struck the sides of the vehicles, and then crashed into them. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries for the drivers.
The truck driver who was involved in the incident was found guilty of vehicular murder, however experts suggest that he could've avoided the crash if he'd performed an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to ensure all connections were in good order. A faulty hitch on a trailer can lead to major disasters, as these incidents often involve a substantial amount of speed and may hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances the trailer could deform the car's frame and cause razor-sharp metal fragments to injure passengers.