Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in collision with trucks can result in the death of someone with medical expenses. It can also result in permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
Following a collision, it is essential to retain an experienced New York truck accident attorney to assist you. A lawyer with experience can help establish your case through evidence like police reports or surveillance camera footage and much more.
Poorly maintained vehicles
In a lot of cases trucking companies as well as owners-operators do not take appropriate steps to make sure their vehicles are in good condition. This leads to many preventable crashes every year.
As compared to passenger cars tractor-trailers and semis need more frequent maintenance due to their size and weight. load. However, meeting deadlines and maximising profits is often prioritized over the maintenance of the fleet. In the end, trucks can become prone to mechanical failures that lead to devastating accidents.
The brakes on trucks are of particular importance because they must be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at the smallest of moments. When brake pads lines, return springs or lines on a truck wear out, it can lead to serious accidents and fatal injuries. These parts must be checked and repaired regularly when necessary to ensure they are in good condition.
A poorly maintained tire can also be a major contributor to truck accidents. Worn tires can lose traction, which causes the truck to slide or even rollover. If a tire is not properly designed in any way, for example, having the incorrect air pressure or tread design, it may fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks require regular inspections in order to spot mechanical issues before they can cause an accident. However, if the inspection is conducted incorrectly or the repair shop does not adhere to the manufacturer's guidelines it could lead to a crash. In these cases, a company that employed the repair or maintenance shop or managed it may be held liable.
Another common cause of truck accidents is malfunctioning signals, lights, and reflectors. These items must function properly so that drivers can detect and anticipate the movements of the truck, especially when driving in rural areas or at night. However, trucking companies could neglect to inspect and maintain these items or the driver may fail to perform daily safety checks.
A Houston truck accident lawyer can investigate your situation and determine who could be accountable for your damages in the event you were injured by a poorly maintained commercial truck. The investigation can uncover evidence that demonstrates the defendant's negligence in the crash and help you receive the compensation you're due.
Distracted Drivers
There are few things more devastating than an incident with a commercial truck. These huge vehicles weigh up to 25 times more than your car and can cause much greater injuries when they are involved in an accident. While a variety of factors can cause accidents but distracted driving is among of the most prevalent and dangerous. A distracted driver of a truck can lose control of their vehicle or fail to notice an accident on the road that could result in serious and life-altering injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and rules for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting or using cell phones while driving. Even if truckers adhere to the rules, they may still be distracted and cause a crash. This is often caused by mechanical distractions like not having your hands on the steering wheel or cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving can be risky, but many do not realize that other activities, such as eating, changing radio stations, or talking to passengers, are also considered to be distracting. When a truck driver gets distracted, they may get lost in a lane or fail to see an obstruction in front of them. It only takes a split second for a large truck to collide with a vehicle when the trucker's attention is diverted.
It is important to gather information on witnesses and to take photographs of the scene of the crash when an unintentionally distracted driver causes a truck crash. It is essential to know the name of the driver, the company for which they work and who is the owner of the vehicle if it's an independent contractor. This will affect who is accountable for your accident, as the trucking company is responsible for securing skilled and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking company is found partially responsible for your accident, they could be held accountable to you for economic and non-economic damages.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions between trucks are not uncommon and can result in serious injuries. They can happen in a variety of situations, such as at an intersection or stop sign, when the trucker fails to observe the road ahead for traffic in the direction of oncoming traffic. They can also happen when a car is able to cut in front of the truck, which forces the driver to slam on their brakes without warning. The trucker may then slam the car from behind.
It can be hard to prove the fault of a driver in rear-end collisions, as it isn't always clear the vehicle that was at fault. However, a skilled lawyer can assist in gathering evidence that shows the driver at the rear was responsible for the crash by following too closely or driving while distracted. This evidence could include photos of the scene, police reports, eyewitness testimony, aswell being skid marks on the road.
Sometimes the driver in front could be found to be responsible for the accident also. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail to use their turn signal in the manner that a reasonable person would, or put on the brakes in the last second and cause the driver behind to crash into the vehicle directly in the front of them. In this type of scenario, modified comparative negligence laws could be used. The jury will determine a percentage of the blame to each of the parties. The damages are then reduced accordingly.
miami beach semi truck accident case & Lacerations
The rear-end of the car experiences the most impact in a rear-end crash, which means that occupants may suffer serious injuries as they smash their head against the back window or dashboard. They may also break bones after being bounced around the interior of the car as a result of the force of the collision. The severity of spinal injuries can be devastating. Injuries to the spine can have serious and long-lasting impacts on the victims.
A person who is the victim of a serious accident might also suffer psychological and emotional trauma. They might have trouble sleeping or concentrating, which can cause anxiety and depression. They may also experience stress and financial strain if they are unable work due to an injury. An attorney can research all possible sources of liability and help a victim seek fair compensation for their expenses.
Problematic trailer hitches
All vehicles, whether they are a car or van, truck, flatbed, or van must 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 a vehicle accident caused by a truck that has run away, contact an experienced attorney who is experienced in cases of hitch failure 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 securement or design. It could be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer, in which case product liability law could be applicable. The company or individual responsible for a trailer's defect could be held responsible for the victim's medical expenses, auto repair costs and other losses resulting from the incident.
In a fatal crash 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 suggested that the crash was due to the truck driver's negligence in failing to check and secure the hitch. But in June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch that was involved in the crash -an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a significant number of occasions.
Due to the hitch that was defective due to the hitch's failure, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles before plunging into them head-on. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries to drivers of the vehicles.
The driver of the truck that was involved in the accident was found guilty of vehicular murder, however experts say that he could have avoided the collision with the other vehicles if he had performed a thorough visual inspection of his trailer and ensured that all connections were secure. The failure of a trailer's hitches can result in serious accidents, since these incidents often involve a substantial amount of speed, and they can sidewipe smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances the trailer could deform the frame of a car and result in sharp metal fragments to impale any passengers.