Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in collision with a semi truck can bury a person in medical bills. It can also lead to permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
After a crash, it is essential to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney by your side. A lawyer with experience can help establish your case through evidence like police reports, surveillance camera footage, and much more.
Vehicles that aren't maintained properly
Owner-operators and trucking companies often do not take the necessary steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good shape. This can lead to many preventable accidents every year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than cars for passengers because of their larger size and heavier load. However, the pressure of completing deadlines and maximizing profits often takes precedence over maintaining the fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical issues that could lead to catastrophic accidents.
The brakes of trucks are especially important because they have to be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at any moment. When brake pads, lines or return springs on a truck fail, it can lead to serious accidents and fatal injuries. These components should be regularly inspected and repaired as needed to ensure their good working condition.
Tires that aren't properly maintained can contribute to truck accidents. Tires that are worn out could lose traction, causing the truck to flip over or slide. Tires that are defective either because of an insufficient air pressure or tread design can fail catastrophically.
Trucks need routine inspections along with regular maintenance in order to spot mechanical problems before they cause an incident. If an inspection was performed in a way that is not correct or if the repair shop fails to follow the manufacturer's instructions it could cause an accident. 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 malfunctioning signals, lights and reflectors. These components must function properly to enable drivers to see and anticipate the speed of the truck particularly in rural areas or at night. Trucking companies or drivers may not be able to maintain and inspect these items, or might not conduct regular safety inspections.
A Houston truck accident attorney can review your situation and determine who could be accountable for your damages in the event that you were injured by a deteriorated maintenance of a commercial truck. These investigations can reveal evidence of the defendant's negligence and help you obtain the compensation you are entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
The result of a collision involving commercial trucks could be catastrophic. These massive vehicles can weigh up to 25 times the weight of your car and can cause more severe injuries when involved in an accident. While a variety of factors can contribute to accidents, distracted driving is one of the most frequent and risky. A driver who is distracted could lose control of their vehicle or overlook a road hazard and cause serious and life-threatening injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a prohibition on texting and the use of cell phones while driving. However, even when truckers adhere to the rules, they can still become distracted and cause a crash. This could be the result of distractions caused by manual actions like taking a hand off the steering wheel or mental distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
While most people understand that it's dangerous to text and drive, many realize that other activities, such as eating, changing the radio station or even talking to passengers can be considered to be distracting. When a trucker gets distracted, he may drift into another direction and not notice an impending traffic jam. It only takes a split second for a big truck to hit a passenger vehicle when the driver's attention wanders.
little rock semi truck accident law firm is crucial to gather information on witnesses and take photos of the scene of the crash when the driver is distracted and causes a crash of a truck. It is also helpful to know the name of the truck driver as well as the company they work for, aswell and who owns the truck if they are an independent contractor. This can affect the person who is responsible for your accident as the trucking company is responsible for securing competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking company is found be partly responsible for the accident, they could be liable for your economic and non-economic damages.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions between trucks are common and can cause serious injuries. They can happen in a variety settings like the stop or red light signal, where the trucker is unable to check their surroundings for oncoming traffic. It could also happen when cars cross the truck's route, causing the driver of the truck to brake suddenly without warning. The trucker could then crash into the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove fault when there is rear-end collisions, as it isn't always clear which vehicle was responsible. An experienced attorney can collect evidence to prove that the driver behind caused the crash due to following too closely or driving distracted. This can include evidence like photographs, police reports, eyewitness testimony and skid marks on the road.
Sometimes the driver in front could be responsible for the accident in addition. This can happen when they cut off someone else, fail to use their turn signal in the way that a reasonable person would, or slam on the brakes in the last second and cause the driver in the back to crash into the car directly in front of them. In these situations the modified comparative negligence laws may be used. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each of the parties. The damages are then reduced accordingly.
Lacerations and Bruises
In a rear-end collision, the rear of the car is the one that suffers the most impact. This means that occupants are at risk of serious injuries if they strike their heads against the dashboard or the back window. The force of the crash can cause broken bones when the occupants of the vehicle are thrown around the interior of the vehicle. The severity of spinal injuries can be devastating. The spinal cord is home to many nerves that regulate the body, so any damage to the spinal column may cause serious and lasting issues for the victims.
A person who is a victim of a fatal accident may also suffer from emotional and psychological trauma. They may experience difficulty getting enough sleep or concentrating, which can cause depression and anxiety. They may also experience stress and financial strain if they are unable work due to an injury. An attorney can examine the possible sources of liability to assist a victim in receiving fair compensation for their loss.
Faulty trailer hitches
Regardless of whether you're driving an automobile, a van, truck, or a flatbed, all vehicles need to be securely connected to their trailers. Unintentionally unhitching a trailer could cause catastrophic accidents that lead to severe injuries or even death. If you've been injured in a car accident caused by a runaway truck or trailer, consult an experienced attorney who specializes in hitch failure cases to discuss your legal options.
A defective trailer hitch could be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from inadequate secured to faulty design. It could also be due to a manufacturer's defect and in that case, laws governing product liability could apply. The person or company responsible for a trailer's defect is liable for the victims' medical expenses as well as auto repair costs and other losses that result from the incident.
In an accident that killed a person on a highway in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014, a trailer detached from the truck. It then crashed into two cars that were directly behind it. Initial investigations pointed out that the accident was due to the truck driver's carelessness in failing to check and secure hitch. In June 2015, however the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started investigating the possibility that a flaw in the hitch that was an Ultra LT manufactured Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama, was the reason behind the crash.
As a result of the defective hitch, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles, before colliding into them head-on. This resulted in multiple fatalities and serious injuries to the drivers of the vehicles.
The truck driver in the incident was found guilty of vehicular homicide. However, experts say he could have avoided the crash if he'd performed an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to ensure all connections were tight. A faulty trailer hitch could cause major problems. These types of accidents are typically high-speed, and they can easily cause a collision with motorbikes or smaller vehicles. In these instances the trailer can deform the car's frame and push sharp metal pieces to impale passengers inside.