This Is The Ultimate Guide To Semi Truck Lawsuit

Semi Truck Accident Law A severe injury sustained in an accident with a semi truck can bury the victim with medical expenses. It can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and ongoing physical therapy. It is crucial to have a skilled New York truck accident lawyer on your side following an accident. A professional lawyer can assist you in proving your case with evidence such as police reports and surveillance footage, among others. Poorly-Maintained Vehicles In many cases trucking companies as well as owners-operators do not take appropriate steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good working condition. This causes an overwhelming number of preventable crashes every year. Comparatively to passenger vehicles, tractor-trailers and semis require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and weight. load. However the pressure of meeting deadlines and maximising profits is often more important than maintaining the fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical problems which could result in devastating accidents. The brakes of a truck are particularly important because they have to be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at an instant's notice. When the brake pads on a truck, lines or return springs fail, they can cause serious collisions and fatal injuries. These components must be regularly checked and repaired when necessary to ensure they are in good condition. Tires that aren't properly maintained can also contribute to truck accidents. Tires that have worn out could lose traction, causing the truck to rollover or skid. If a tire is deficient in some way, like having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it may fail catastrophically. Regular inspections of trucks are required along with regular maintenance to identify mechanical problems before they cause an incident. If an inspection was performed incorrectly or the repair shop fails to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, it can cause a crash. In these instances, the company that hired or supervised the maintenance or repair shop could be held responsible. Another major cause of truck accidents is the failure of lights, signals, and reflectors. These elements must be properly functioning to allow drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas and after dark. However, trucking firms may fail to maintain and inspect these elements or the driver might not be able to complete daily safety inspections. A Houston truck accident lawyer can review your situation and determine who could be accountable for your losses in the event that you were injured from a poorly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can reveal evidence that shows the negligence of the defendant in your crash and help you obtain the compensation you deserve. Distracted Drivers There aren't many events more damaging than an accident that involves a commercial truck. These huge vehicles weigh up to 25 times the weight of your vehicle and can cause more injuries when they are involved in an accident. While many factors 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 see a hazard in the road, which can lead to life-changing injuries. Truck drivers must adhere to strict rules and regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition on texting and the use of cell phones while operating their vehicles. However, even when truckers obey the rules they can still become distracted and cause a crash. This could be the result of distractions caused by manual actions like taking their hands off the wheel or mental distractions such as thinking about something else other than driving. While the majority of people are aware that it is dangerous to text and drive, few are aware that other activities like eating, changing the radio station, and even conversing with passengers can be considered to be distracting. If a truck driver is distracted, they might wander off into another lane, or fail to see a traffic jam up ahead of them. It only takes a split second for a large truck to collide with a vehicle when the driver's attention wanders. If a truck crash occurs due to distracted driving it is vital to capture photos of the scene of the crash as well as collect the name and contact information of witnesses. It is also important to find out the name of the driver of the truck and the company they are employed by, as well and who owns the truck if it is an independent contractor. This will affect who is accountable for your incident since the trucking company is responsible for hiring competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking company is found be at least partially responsible for the accident, they may be liable for your economic and non-economic injuries. california semi truck accident lawyer -End Collisions Rear-end collisions with trucks are common and can result in serious injuries. These accidents can happen in many different situations such as at the stop sign or red light when the trucker fails to check behind him for oncoming traffic. It can also happen when a car cuts across the truck's route, causing the driver of the truck to stop abruptly without warning. The trucker can then slam into the car from behind. It can be hard to prove the fault of a driver in rear-end collisions because it isn't always evident which vehicle was at fault. However, a skilled lawyer can assist in gathering evidence that shows the driver in the rear caused the crash through following too closely or driving while distracted. This can include evidence like photographs, police reports, eyewitness testimony and skid marks on the road. The driver in front of the car may also be held responsible for the collision. This can happen when they cut off someone else or fail to utilize their turn signal in the way that a reasonable person would, or hit on the brakes at the last minute and cause the driver behind to slam into the car directly in the front. In this scenario, modified comparative negligence laws may be used. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each of the parties. Damages are then reduced according to. Bruises & Lacerations The rear-end of the vehicle has the greatest impact in a rear-end collision, which means that occupants may suffer serious injuries as they smash their head against the dashboard or back windows. They could also break bones from being scattered around the interior of the vehicle by the force of the collision. The severity of spinal injuries can be devastating. Spinal injuries can be serious and have long-lasting effects on the victims. A person who is a victim of a fatal accident could also be suffering from emotional and psychological trauma. They may experience difficulties sleeping or concentrating which can lead them to depression and anxiety. If they are unable to work due to the degree of their injury this can cause stress and financial burden. An attorney can investigate the possible sources of liability and help a victim seek an appropriate amount of compensation for their expenses. Problematic Trailer Hitches No matter if you're driving either a car, van, a truck, or a flatbed, all vehicles must to be securely connected to their trailers. If a trailer is suddenly unhitched, it can cause a catastrophic accident that could cause serious injuries or even death. If you've suffered injuries in a collision involving the trailer that is running away, you should contact an experienced attorney for vehicle accidents specializing in hitch failure cases immediately to discuss your legal options. A malfunctioning trailer hitch may result from a variety factors, ranging from inadequate secured to faulty design. It could also be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer, in which case, product liability law could be applicable. The company or person responsible for a defective trailer is liable for the victim's medical expenses, auto repair costs and other losses resulting 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 directly behind it. Initial investigations linked the incident to the driver's negligence for not inspecting and secure hitch. In June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch involved in the crash — an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama — to malfunction on a high percentage of occasions. The trailer slammed into the side of the vehicles and crashed into them. This led to numerous deaths and serious injuries to the drivers of the vehicles. The truck driver in the crash was found guilty of vehicular homicide. However experts believe that he could have avoided the crash if he'd performed an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to make sure that all connections were secure. Incorrect trailer hitches can cause catastrophic accidents, as they typically involve a lot of speed and could easily wipe smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances the trailer can distort the car's frame and cause sharp metal fragments to injure passengers.