14 Common Misconceptions About Semi Truck Lawsuit

Semi Truck Accident Law A serious injury sustained during a crash with semi-trucks can cost someone in medical expenses. It can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term physical therapy. Following a collision, it is crucial to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney on your side. A skilled attorney can establish your case through evidence like police reports, surveillance camera footage, and more. Poorly maintained vehicles In many instances, trucking companies and owners-operators do not take proper steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition. This causes an overwhelming number of preventable crashes every year. Compared to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis require more frequent maintenance due to their size and heavy loads. Unfortunately the pressure of completing deadlines and maximizing profits is often more important than maintaining the fleet. In the end, trucks are more prone to mechanical breakdowns that can cause catastrophic accidents. The brakes of trucks are of particular importance as they must be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at the smallest of moments. If the brake pads of a truck, lines or return springs wear out, they can cause serious collisions and fatal injuries. These parts must be regularly checked and repaired when necessary to ensure they are in good working condition. Tires that are not properly maintained can contribute to truck accidents. Tires that are worn out can cause traction issues, which causes the truck to slide or even rollover. If a tire is defective in any way, for example, having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it may fail catastrophically. In addition to regular maintenance, trucks also require routine inspections to detect mechanical issues prior to causing an accident. If an inspection is conducted improperly or the repair shop does not adhere to the manufacturer's specifications this could result in an accident. In such cases, a company that hired the repair or maintenance company or supervised it could be held liable. Another major cause of truck accidents is defective signals, lights, and reflectors. These items must be properly functioning to allow drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas or at night. Drivers and trucking companies could fail to maintain and inspect these components, or they might not conduct regular safety inspections. A reputable Houston truck accident lawyer will examine your case to determine which parties may be accountable for your damages when you've been injured in an accident caused by a poorly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can uncover evidence that proves the defendant's negligence and help you get the compensation you're entitled to. Distracted Drivers The consequences of collisions with commercial trucks can be devastating. These massive vehicles weigh up to 25 times the weight of your vehicle and can cause more injuries when they are involved in a collision. While many factors contribute to accidents that result from distracted driving, it is one of the most common and dangerous. A truck driver who is distracted might lose control of their vehicle or fail to spot a hazard in the road, which can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries. Truck drivers are required to adhere to strict rules and regulations formulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition on texting or using cellular phones while driving. Even if truckers abide by the rules, they can be distracted and cause an accident. This could be the result of distractions caused by manual actions like getting off the wheel or mental distractions like thinking about something else other than driving. Although most people know that it's dangerous to text and drive, many are aware that other activities such as eating or changing the radio station, and even conversing with a passenger could also be considered distracting. When a trucker gets distracted, he may drift into another direction and not notice the traffic jam in front of him. When a trucker's attention is diverted, it takes only a split-second for a large vehicle to strike a passenger car. It is important to collect information on witnesses and take photos of the scene after an accident if the driver is distracted, which can cause a truck crash. It is essential to know the name of the driver, the business for which they work and who owns the vehicle in case it's an independent contractor. This could impact on who is liable for the accident, because it is the responsibility of the trucking company to find competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking company is found to be partially responsible for your accident, it may be liable to you for both economic and non-economic injuries. Rear-End Collisions Rear-end collisions between trucks are frequent and frequently cause severe injuries. They can happen in a variety of situations, such as at an intersection, a stop sign when the trucker fails to look behind them for traffic coming in. They may also occur when a car is able to cut in front of the truck, forcing the driver to use their brakes without warning. The trucker may then slam the car from behind. It can be difficult to prove fault in a rear-end crash, as it's not always clear which vehicle caused the accident. bloomington semi truck accident law firm can collect evidence to prove that the driver in the back caused the accident due to following too closely or driving distracted. This can be evidence in the form of photos or police reports, eyewitness testimony, as well as skid marks in the road. The driver in the front of the car could also be liable for the incident. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail to utilize their turn signal in the way that a reasonable person would, or hit on the brakes at the last moment which causes the driver in the back to slam into the car directly in the front. In this kind of situation, modified comparative negligence laws can be applied. The jury will determine a percentage of the blame to each party. The damages are then reduced accordingly. Bruises and Lacerations In a rear-end crash the rear-end of the car is the area that experiences the most force. This means that the drivers are most at risk of serious injuries if they hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They may also break bones after being thrown around the interior of the car by the force of the crash. The spine is a vulnerable area and injuries to it can be extremely severe. The damage to the spine could have long-lasting and serious impacts on the victims. A person who has been involved in a serious accident may also suffer from emotional and psychological trauma. They may experience difficulty sleeping or concentrating. This can cause anxiety and depression. They may also face financial hardship and stress when they are unable to work because of an injury. An attorney will investigate the possible sources of liability to assist a victim in receiving an appropriate amount of compensation for their loss. Problematic trailer hitches All vehicles, whether they are a vehicle, a car, van, truck flatbed, van, need to be securely connected to their trailers. If a trailer is suddenly unhitched, it could lead to catastrophic accidents that result in serious injuries or death. If you've suffered injuries in an accident that involved a runaway trailer, contact an experienced vehicle accident lawyer that specializes in cases of failure of the hitch immediately to discuss your legal options. A defective trailer hitch could be caused by many different things, from improper securing to defective design. It can also be the result of a defect in the manufacturing process, in which case products liability laws could apply. The company or person accountable for a defective trailer is liable for the victims' medical expenses, auto repair costs and other losses resulting from the incident. In a fatal crash on a road 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 driver's negligence in failing examine 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 involved in the crash -an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama — to fail on a significant proportion of times. 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 driver of the truck involved in the crash was found guilty of vehicular murder, however experts say he could have avoided the collision with other vehicles if he had done a thorough visual inspection of his trailer and made sure that all connections were in good order. The failure of a trailer's hitches can result in catastrophic accidents, as they typically involve a substantial amount of speed and may hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these situations the trailer could deform the frame of a car and cause sharp metal fragments that can impale passengers.