Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained during an accident with a semi-truck can leave someone in medical bills. It can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
It is essential to have a professional New York truck accident lawyer on your side following a crash. A skilled attorney can to prove your case using evidence like police reports and surveillance camera footage and much more.
Poorly maintained vehicles
Trucking companies and owners-operators often fail to take the necessary steps to ensure their vehicles are in good repair. This causes an overwhelming number of accidents that could have been avoided every year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than passenger cars due to their dimensions and larger weight. Unfortunately the pressure of meeting deadlines and maximizing profits can often take precedence over the maintenance of the fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical issues that could result in catastrophic accidents.
The brakes on trucks must be able to stop and slow down the vehicle at a minute's notice. If the brake pads of a truck, lines, or return springs fail they could result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. It is essential that these parts are regularly inspected and replaced as needed to keep them in good condition.
Inadequately maintained tires can be a major cause of truck accidents. concord semi truck accident case that have worn out can lose traction and cause the truck to overturn or slide. Tires that are defective or damaged, whether due to incorrect tread design or air pressure can fail catastrophically.
Trucks need routine inspections along with regular maintenance to detect mechanical issues before they lead to an incident. However, if an inspection is not done correctly or the repair shop fails to follow the manufacturer's guidelines it could lead to a crash. In these instances, the company that hired the repair or maintenance company or who was responsible for its supervision could be held liable.
Another cause of truck accidents is malfunctioning lights, signals, and reflectors. These items must function properly in order for drivers to be able to observe and anticipate the movements of the truck especially in rural areas or at night. However, trucking companies could not inspect and maintain these elements or the driver might not be able to complete daily safety inspections.
A reputable Houston truck accident lawyer can review your case and determine who could be 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 defendant's negligence in the accident and help you receive the compensation you're due.
Distracted Drivers
There are few things as devastating as an accident involving a commercial truck. These massive vehicles weigh up to 25 times more than your car and could cause more injuries when they are involved in an accident. Distracted driving is one of many factors that contribute to accidents. A distracted driver of a truck can lose control of their vehicle or overlook an opportunity to avoid a road accident and cause serious and life-changing injuries.
Truck drivers are required to follow strict rules and regulations that have been 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 may still be distracted and cause an accident. This is often caused by accidental distractions, such as taking your hand off the steering wheel or by cognitive 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, are also considered to be distracting. If a trucker is distracted he may drift into another direction and not notice the traffic jam ahead. When a truck driver's attention is diverted, it only takes one second for a massive vehicle to collide with a car.
When a truck collision occurs due to distracted drivers it is vital to snap photos of the scene of the crash and note down the name and contact information of witnesses. It is important to know the name of the driver, the company for which they work and who owns the vehicle, if it's an independent contractor. This could impact who is accountable for your accident, as the trucking company is responsible for hiring competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking firm is found to be partially responsible in your accident, it may be held accountable to you for any economic and non-economic damage.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions with trucks are not uncommon and can result in serious injuries. They can happen in a variety of settings, such as at a red light or stop signal, where the trucker is unable to check their surroundings for oncoming traffic. It can also happen if cars cross the truck's path, forcing the driver of the truck to brake abruptly without warning. The trucker can then slam into the car from behind.
It is often difficult to prove fault in rear-end collisions, since it is not always obvious which vehicle was responsible for the crash. An experienced attorney can gather evidence that shows the driver behind caused the crash through following too closely or distracted driving. This could include evidence such as photos, police reports eyewitness testimony and skid marks on the roadway.
Sometimes, the driver in the front could be found to be the one responsible for the accident in addition. This can happen when they cut off someone else or fail to use their turn signal as any reasonable person would, or decide to slam on the brakes in the last second and causing the driver in the back to crash into the vehicle directly in the front. In this scenario, modified comparative negligence laws can be applied. The jury will determine a percentage of the blame to each party. The damages are then reduced according to.
Bruises and Lacerations
In a rear-end crash the rear of the car is the part that takes the most impact. This means that drivers are most at risk of serious injuries if they crash their heads against the dashboard or the back window. The force of the collision can cause broken bones if the occupants are thrown about the vehicle's interior. Injuries to the spine are often severe. The spinal cord contains many nerves that regulate the body. Therefore, any damage to the spinal cord could cause significant and permanent issues for the victims.
In addition to these kinds of injuries, a victim may also experience psychological and emotional trauma as a result of the trauma of a crash. They may have difficulty sleeping or concentrating, which can result in anxiety and depression. They may also experience stress and financial difficulties when they are unable to work because of an injury. An attorney can research all possible sources of liability and help the victim seek fair compensation for their expenses.
A problem with trailer hitches
Regardless of whether you're driving either a car, van, a truck, or a flatbed, all vehicles need to be securely connected 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 involving the trailer that is running away, you should contact a qualified vehicle accident attorney that specializes in cases of failure of the hitch as soon as you can to discuss your legal options.
A faulty trailer hitch can be the result of a variety of factors, ranging from inadequate securing to defective design. It could be due to an issue on the part of the manufacturer in which case product liability laws could apply. The company or the person responsible for a trailer that is defective can be held accountable for the victims' medical expenses or auto repair expenses, as well as other losses that result from the incident.
For example, in a deadly crash that occurred in January 2014 on an Ohio road that is locally referred to as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came out of the truck, and was thrown over two cars ahead of it. Initial investigation linked the accident to the driver's negligence in failing to examine and secure the hitch. However, in June of 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch involved in the crash -- an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama -- to malfunction on a large percentage of occasions.
The trailer struck the sides of the vehicles and then crashed into them. The result was numerous fatalities and serious injuries to the drivers.
The driver of the truck that was involved in this accident was convicted of vehicular manslaughter. However experts say that he could have avoided the collision with other vehicles if he had conducted a thorough inspection of his trailer and made sure that all connections were in good order. The failure of trailer hitches can cause major catastrophes. These kinds of incidents are usually high-speed, and they can easily cause a collision with motorbikes or smaller vehicles. In these cases the trailer could distort the frame of a car and result in sharp metal fragments that can impale passengers.