Semi Truck Accident Law
A semi-truck accident could cause an injury that is serious enough to cost a person a lot in medical bills. It could also cause permanent disabilities requiring expensive equipment and long-term physical therapy.
After a collision is crucial to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney to assist you. A lawyer with experience can help you prove your case with evidence like police reports, surveillance camera footage, and much more.
Vehicles that are poorly maintained
In many instances trucking companies and owner-operators fail to take the appropriate steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good working condition. This causes many preventable accidents each year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than passenger cars because of their larger dimensions and larger weight. However the pressure of meeting deadlines and maximizing profits may take precedence over the maintenance of the fleet. Trucks are susceptible to mechanical problems that could lead to disastrous accidents.
The brakes on trucks are crucial since they have to stop the vehicle and slow it down at a moment's notice. If the brake pads of a truck lines, lines, or return springs fail they can result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. These parts must be checked regularly and repaired as necessary to maintain their good working condition.
Tires that are not properly maintained may play a significant role in truck accidents. Tires that are worn out could lose traction, causing the truck to flip over or slide. If a tire is defective in some way, such as having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it could fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks also require routine inspections to detect mechanical issues before they cause an accident. If an inspection is done improperly or the repair shop does not adhere to the manufacturer's specifications it could lead to a crash. In these cases the company that hired or directed the maintenance or repair shop could be held responsible.
Another common cause of truck accidents is the failure of lights, signals, and reflectors. These devices must be correctly working to enable drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas and after dark. Drivers or trucking companies may not be able to maintain and inspect these elements, or they may not perform daily safety checks.
A Houston truck accident attorney can review your case and determine who may be accountable for your damages in the event that you were injured from a poorly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can uncover evidence proving the defendant's negligence and help you obtain the compensation you're due.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many things more devastating than an incident with a commercial truck. These massive vehicles weigh up to 25 times the weight of your vehicle and can cause a lot more injuries if they are involved in an accident. While a variety of factors can cause accidents that result from distracted driving, it is one of the most frequent and dangerous. A truck driver who is distracted may lose control of their vehicle, or fail to see an issue on the roadway, which could lead to life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers must adhere to strict rules and regulations formulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition on texting or using cell phones while operating their vehicles. Even if truckers follow the rules, they can be distracted and result in an accident. This could be due to mechanical distractions like getting your hands off the steering wheel or mental distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving can be risky, but not many know that other activities, like eating, changing radio stations, or conversing with passengers, could also be considered to be distracting. When a trucker is distracted, it is possible that he will drift into a different lane and fail to notice a traffic jam ahead. It takes only a split second for a huge truck to strike a passenger vehicle when the driver's attention is diverted.
When a truck collision occurs due to an unintentionally distracted driver It is essential to capture photos of the scene of the accident and collect the contact details and name of any witnesses. It is important to know the name of the driver, the company for which they work, and who owns the vehicle in case it's an independent contractor. This could impact the person who is responsible for your incident since the trucking company is responsible for securing competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking company is found to be partially at fault for the accident, they could be held accountable for your financial and non-economic losses.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are quite common and can cause serious injuries. They can occur in a variety of settings like at an intersection or stop sign when the trucker fails to check their surroundings for oncoming traffic. It can also happen if an automobile crosses the truck's path, forcing the driver of the truck to stop at a rapid pace without warning. The trucker might then slam into the car from behind.
It is often difficult to prove fault in an accident that occurs at the rear, as it's not always clear what vehicle caused the accident. An experienced lawyer can gather evidence to prove that the driver behind caused the crash by following too closely, or driving with a distraction. This could include evidence like photos, police reports, eyewitness testimony and skid marks in the road.
The driver in the front of the car could be held accountable for the incident. This can happen when they cut off someone else, fail to use their turn signal as any reasonable person would, or hit on the brakes at the last minute and cause the driver in the back to crash into the car directly in the front. This kind of situation is where modified comparative negligence laws be applied, in which the jury assigns a percentage of blame to each party, and damages are reduced in proportion to the percentage of fault.
Bruises & Lacerations
In a rear-end crash the rear of the car is the area that receives the most impact. This means that people in the car are at risk of serious injuries if they crash their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They also may break bones after being thrown around the interior of the car by the force of the crash. Spinal injuries are often severe. Injuries to the spine can have long-lasting and serious consequences for victims.
A person who has been involved in a serious accident could also be suffering from emotional and psychological trauma. They might have trouble getting enough sleep or concentrating, which may result in anxiety and depression. They may also experience stress and financial difficulties if they are unable work due to an injury. An attorney can investigate all possible causes of liability and assist a victim in seeking an appropriate amount of compensation for their expenses.
Problematic Trailer Hitches
All vehicles, regardless of whether they are a car or van, truck flatbed, van, or, need to be securely connected to their trailers. Unintentionally pulling a trailer off can cause catastrophic accidents that lead to serious injuries or death. If you've suffered injuries in an accident that involved an unhitched trailer, call an experienced lawyer for car accidents who specializes in cases involving hitch failure as soon as you can to discuss your legal options.
A faulty trailer hitch can be caused by many different things, from improper security to design flaws. It could also be due to an issue on the part of the manufacturer in which case product liability laws may apply. The person or company at fault for a faulty trailer could be held accountable for victims' medical bills as well as auto repair costs and other damages resulting from the incident.
In a fatal crash on a road in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014 an unattached trailer was spotted on the truck. It crashed into two cars that were directly behind it. Initial investigations pointed out that the accident was due to the truck driver's negligence for not inspecting and secure the hitch. In June 2015, however, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a flaw in the hitch the Ultra LT manufactured Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama, was responsible for the crash.
As livermore semi truck accident lawsuit of the defective hitch, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles before crashing into them head-on. This resulted in multiple fatalities and serious injuries to drivers of the vehicles.
The driver of the truck involved in the crash was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter. However experts believe he could have avoided the collision with the other vehicles if he had done a thorough visual inspection of his trailer and made sure that all connections were secure. Faulty trailer hitsches can cause serious accidents, since these accidents typically require a significant amount of speed and can easily hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances, the trailer can distort the frame of a vehicle and force sharp metal pieces to sever the limbs of passengers in.