Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained during collision 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.
Following a collision, it is essential to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney by your side. A qualified attorney will help you prove your case with evidence like police reports and surveillance footage.
Poorly-Maintained Vehicles
In many cases trucking firms and owner-operators fail to take the appropriate steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good working condition. This negligence results in an increase in the number of preventable accidents occurring every year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than cars used for passenger transport due to their dimensions and larger load. Unfortunately keeping deadlines and increasing profits can often take precedence over maintaining a fleet. This is why trucks can become prone to mechanical breakdowns that can cause catastrophic accidents.
The brakes of a truck are particularly important since they have to stop the vehicle and slow it down at any moment. When a truck's brake pads lines, lines, or return springs fail they could result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. It is crucial that these parts are regularly checked and replaced as required to ensure that they remain in good condition.
Tires that aren't properly maintained can also play a significant role in truck accidents. Tires that are worn out may lose traction and cause the truck to slide or even flip over. Tires that aren't working because of incorrect tread design or air pressure can fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks require routine inspections to detect mechanical issues before they can cause an accident. However, if the inspection is conducted incorrectly or the repair shop does not adhere to the guidelines of the manufacturer, it could cause an accident. In such cases, a company that commissioned the repair or maintenance company or was the one who supervised it could be held responsible.
Another major cause of truck accidents is the failure of signals, lights, and reflectors. These elements must be properly working to enable drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas or after dark. However, trucking companies may not inspect and maintain these items or the driver might fail to conduct regular safety checks.
A reputable Houston truck accident lawyer will investigate your case to determine who is liable for your damages when you've been injured in an accident with a poorly-maintained commercial truck. These investigations can uncover evidence that proves the negligence of the defendant in the accident and help you obtain the compensation you are entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many events more devastating than an incident involving a commercial truck. These massive vehicles weigh up to 25 times more than your vehicle and may cause much greater injuries when they are involved in a collision. While a variety of factors can contribute to accidents but distracted driving is among of the most common and dangerous. A truck driver who is distracted might lose control of their vehicle, or fail to see an issue on the road, leading to life-changing injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting or using cell phones while driving. However, even when truckers abide by the rules, they are still prone to be distracted and cause crashes. This could be due to mechanical distractions like taking your hand off the steering wheel or by cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
While most people are aware the dangers of using text while driving, a few are aware that other activities, such as eating, changing the radio station or even talking to passengers can be considered distracting. When a truck driver gets distracted, they could wander off into a different lane or fail to see the traffic jam ahead of them. It only takes a split second for a huge truck to collide with a vehicle when the trucker's focus wanders.
It is crucial to gather details about witnesses and also take pictures of the scene after an accident if the driver is distracted and causes a crash of a truck. It is also important to find out the name of the truck driver as well as the company they work for, aswell and who owns the truck if it is an independent contractor. This could impact on who is liable for the accident, because it is the responsibility of the trucking business to employ competent and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking company is found to be partially responsible in the accident, it could be held accountable to you for any economic as well as non-economic losses.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are common and can cause serious injuries. They can happen in a variety of situations for example, at the stop or red light sign, when the trucker fails to check their surroundings for traffic coming in. They can also happen when a car cuts in front of the truck, causing the driver to apply their brakes without warning. The trucker might then slam the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove the cause of rear-end collisions, since it's not always clear which vehicle caused the accident. A skilled attorney can help gather evidence to show that the driver behind caused the accident due to following too closely or driving in a distracted manner. This evidence could include photos or police reports, eyewitness testimony, aswell being skid marks on the road.
The driver in front of the car may also be accountable for the accident. This could happen if they cut off someone else or fail to use their turn signal in the way that a reasonable person would, or slam on the brakes at the last minute and causing the driver in the back to crash into the car directly in the front. This is where modified comparative negligence laws be used, in which the jury assigns a percentage of blame to each party and damages are reduced accordingly.
Lacerations, Bruises and Bruises
In a rear-end accident, the rear-end of the car is the area that experiences the most impact. This means that the occupants are at risk of serious injuries if they hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. bridgeport semi truck accident law firm of the collision can also cause broken bones if the occupants of the vehicle are thrown around the interior of the car. Spinal injuries are often severe. The spinal cord houses a number of nerves that control the body, so any damage to the spinal column may cause permanent and significant issues for those affected.
In addition to these types of injuries, victims might also suffer from psychological and emotional traumas as a result of the trauma of a crash. They may experience difficulty getting enough sleep or concentrating, which can cause anxiety and depression. If they're unable work due to the severity of their injury, this can add pressure and financial hardship. An attorney will investigate the possible sources of liability to assist the victim to receive an appropriate amount of compensation for their loss.
Problematic 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. If a trailer becomes unhitched, it could lead to catastrophic accidents that cause serious injuries or death. If you've been injured in a vehicle accident caused by a truck that has run away and you are in need of an experienced attorney who is experienced in cases of hitch failure to discuss your legal options.
A damaged trailer hitch could be the result of a variety of factors, ranging from inadequate securing to defective design. It can also be due to a manufacturer's defect, in which case laws governing product liability could apply. The company or the person who is at the fault for a defective trailer is responsible for the medical bills of the victims as well as auto repair costs as well as other losses that result from the incident.
For instance there was a fatal crash that occurred in January 2014 along an Ohio road locally known as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came off the truck and slid head-on into two cars behind it. Initial investigations attributed the accident to the truck driver's negligence in failing to examine and secure the hitch. 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 percentage of occasions.
As a result of the defective hitch due to the hitch's failure, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles and then crashed into them head-on. The result was numerous deaths and serious injuries for the drivers.
The truck driver who was involved in the accident was convicted of vehicular murder, however experts suggest that he could've avoided the collision had he conducted a thorough inspection of his trailer to ensure all connections were in good order. The failure of trailer hitches can cause major catastrophes. These accidents are typically high-speed and can easily sidewipe motorbikes or smaller vehicles. In these instances the trailer could deform the car's frame and result in sharp metal fragments to entrap passengers.