Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in a crash with trucks can result in the death of the victim with medical expenses. It can also result in permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
It is important to have a skilled New York truck accident lawyer to assist you after a crash. A professional lawyer can help you prove your case by using evidence like police reports or surveillance footage, for instance.
Vehicles that are poorly maintained
In many instances 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 astronomical number of preventable accidents every year.
Compared to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis will require more frequent maintenance due to their size and heavy load. Unfortunately keeping deadlines and increasing profits is often prioritized over maintaining a fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical problems that can lead to catastrophic accidents.
The brakes of trucks are especially important because they must 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 could result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. These components should be checked regularly and repaired as necessary to maintain their good working condition.
Tires that are not properly maintained can also be a major factor in truck accidents. Tires that are worn down may lose traction and cause the truck to rollover or slide. Tires that are defective either because of incorrect tread design or air pressure can fail catastrophically.
roseville semi truck accident attorney need routine inspections in addition to regular maintenance in order to spot mechanical issues prior to causing an accident. However, if the inspection is done incorrectly or the repair shop does not follow the manufacturer's guidelines, it could cause an accident. In such cases the company that employed or supervising the maintenance or repair shop could be held responsible.
The malfunctioning of signals, lights and reflectors are another frequent cause of truck accident. These items must be properly functioning to allow drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, particularly in rural areas and after dark. Drivers or trucking companies may not maintain and inspect these equipment, or may not perform daily safety checks.
A reliable Houston truck accident lawyer can examine your case to determine who is accountable for your damages should you be injured in an accident caused by a poorly maintained commercial truck. The investigation can uncover evidence proving the defendant's negligence and assist you in obtaining the compensation you deserve.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many things more devastating than an accident which involves a commercial vehicle. These massive vehicles weigh up to 25 times more than your car and can cause more serious injuries when they are involved in an accident. While many factors contribute to accidents but distracted driving is among of the most prevalent and risky. A distracted truck driver can lose control of the vehicle or miss a road hazard and cause serious and life-threatening injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and rules for truck drivers. This includes a prohibition on texting and using mobile phones while operating their vehicles. But even if truckers adhere to the rules, they may still be distracted and cause crashes. This can be a result of distractions caused by manual actions like dropping a hand off of the steering wheel or mental distractions such as thinking about something other than driving.
While most people understand that it's dangerous to text while driving, a few realize that other activities like eating, changing the station on the radio, and even conversing with the other driver can also be considered distracting. When a trucker gets distracted, he may drift into another lane and fail to notice the traffic jam ahead. When a truck driver's attention is diverted, it takes only an instant for a large vehicle to strike a passenger car.
It is important to collect information on witnesses and take photos of the scene of the accident when the driver is distracted, which can cause an accident with a truck. It is crucial 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 could have an influence on who is responsible for the accident, because it is the trucking company's responsibility to employ competent and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking firm is found to be partially responsible for your accident, they could be held accountable to you for financial as well as non-economic losses.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are quite common and can cause serious injuries. These accidents can occur in many different situations such as the stop sign or red light when a trucker fails to check the road ahead for oncoming traffic. They can also occur when a car is able to cut in front of the truck, causing the driver to apply their brakes without warning. The trucker could then smash the car from behind.
It can be hard to prove the fault of a driver in rear-end collisions as it's not always certain which vehicle was at fault. An experienced lawyer can find evidence to prove that the driver in the back caused the accident due to following too closely or driving erratically. The evidence can include photographs, police reports and eyewitness testimony as well as skid marks in the road.
The driver in front of the car may also be accountable for the collision. This could happen if they cut someone off or fail to utilize their turn signal as a reasonable person would, or hit on the brakes in the last second which causes the driver behind to crash into the car directly in the front of them. In these situations an amended comparative negligence law may be used. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each party. The damages will be reduced accordingly.
Bruises and Lacerations
In a rear-end crash the rear end of the vehicle is the area that experiences 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. They also may break bones after being bounced around the interior of the vehicle by the force of the crash. Spinal injuries can be serious. Spinal injuries can have serious and long-lasting effects on the victims.
A victim of a serious accident may also suffer from psychological and emotional trauma. They might have trouble getting enough sleep or concentrating. This can cause anxiety and depression. They could also be facing stress and financial difficulties if they are unable work due to their injury. An attorney can examine the possible sources of liability to assist the victim to receive fair compensation for their loss.
Faulty trailer hitches
It doesn't matter if you're driving a car, a van, a truck, or a flatbed, all vehicles must to be securely attached to their trailers. Unintentionally removing a trailer's hitch can result in catastrophic accidents that lead to severe injuries, or even death. If you've been injured in an accident that involved 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 faulty trailer hitch can result from a variety things, from improper securing to defective design. It could also be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer in which case product liability laws may apply. The person or company responsible for a defective trailer could be held responsible for the victims' medical expenses or auto repair expenses, as well as other losses resulting from the incident.
In an accident that killed a person on a road in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014, an unattached trailer was spotted on the truck. It then crashed into two cars that were directly behind it. Initial investigation linked the crash to the truck driver's inattention to examine and secure the hitch. In June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch that was involved in the crash -it was an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a large proportion of occasions.
As a result of the malfunctioning hitch, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles and then crashed into them head-on. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries to drivers of the vehicles.
The driver of the truck involved in the accident was convicted of vehicular homicide. However, experts suggest that he could've avoided the collision if he'd performed an extensive inspection of his trailer to ensure all connections were in good order. Incorrect trailer hitches can cause major catastrophes, since these accidents typically require a significant amount of speed and may hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances the trailer can deform the car's frame and push sharp metal pieces to sever the limbs of passengers in.