Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in an accident with a semi-truck can leave someone in medical costs. It can also result in permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and ongoing physical therapy.
After a collision, it is important to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney at your side. A professional lawyer can assist you in proving your case using evidence such as police reports, surveillance footage, etc.
Poorly maintained vehicles
Owner-operators and trucking companies typically do not take the proper steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good repair. This leads to many avoidable accidents every year.
new rochelle semi truck accident lawyer and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than cars used for passenger transport because of their larger dimensions and larger load. Unfortunately the pressure of meeting deadlines and maximizing profits is often more important than maintaining the fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical problems that could cause disastrous accidents.
The brakes on a truck are particularly important because they have to be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at the smallest of moments. When brake pads lines, return springs or return lines on a truck are worn out they can cause serious accidents and fatal injuries. These components must be regularly inspected and repaired as needed to ensure their good working condition.
Inadequately maintained tires can be a major reason for truck accidents. Tires that have worn out may lose traction and cause the truck to flip over or skid. Tires that aren't working either because of incorrect air pressure or tread design can fail catastrophically.
The inspections are routine for trucks in addition to regular maintenance in order to spot mechanical issues prior to causing an accident. However, if the inspection is not done correctly or the repair shop does not follow the manufacturer's guidelines this could result in a crash. In such cases the company that hired or supervising the maintenance or the repair shop could be held responsible.
Another cause of truck accidents is malfunctioning signals, lights and reflectors. These components must be in good functioning to allow drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas or after dark. Trucking companies or drivers may fail to maintain and check these equipment, or may not carry out regular safety inspections.
A Houston truck accident lawyer will review your situation and determine who could be accountable for your losses in the event that you were injured from a poorly maintained commercial truck. This investigation could uncover evidence that proves the defendant's negligence and assist you in obtaining the compensation you deserve.
Distracted Drivers
Accidents involving commercial trucks can be catastrophic. These huge vehicles can weigh up 25-times more than your car and cause a lot more injuries in a crash. While many factors cause accidents that result from distracted driving, it is one of the most common and risky. A driver who is distracted can lose control of their vehicle or overlook an accident on the road that could result in serious and life-altering injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting and using mobile phones while driving. However, even when truckers abide by the rules, they could still get distracted and cause crash. This can be a result of manual distractions, such as taking a hand off the wheel or cognitive distractions like thinking about something else other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving is dangerous, but few know that other activities, such as eating, changing radio stations, or conversing with passengers can also be considered distracting. When a trucker is distracted they may wander off into a different lane and fail to notice an impending traffic jam. It only takes a split second for a large truck to crash into a vehicle when the trucker's focus wanders.
If a truck crash occurs due to an unintentionally distracted driver it is crucial to take photographs of the scene of collision as well as collect the contact details and name of witnesses. It is important to determine the name of the driver, the business that they work for, and who owns the vehicle, if it's an independent contractor. This could affect who is liable for your accident, as the trucking company is responsible for securing skilled and competent truck drivers. If the trucking company is found to be partially at fault for the accident, they may be held responsible for your economic as well as non-economic damages.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions between trucks are frequent and frequently result in severe injuries. These accidents can happen in many different situations such as the stop sign or red light when a trucker does not check behind him for any traffic that is coming up. It could also happen when a car cuts across the truck's path, causing the driver of the truck to stop suddenly without warning. The trucker could then crash into the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove the cause of rear-end collisions, since it is not always obvious which vehicle was responsible for the crash. An experienced attorney can help gather evidence that shows the driver at the rear was responsible for the crash by following too closely or driving while distracted. This could include evidence like photographs, police reports, eyewitness testimony and skid marks left on the roadway.
Sometimes, the driver in the front could be at fault for the crash in addition. This can happen when they cut off someone else or fail to use their turn signal as any reasonable person would, or hit on the brakes at the last minute and causing the driver in the back to slam into the car directly in the front of them. This kind of situation is where modified comparative negligence laws can be used, in which the jury assigns a percentage to each party and damages are lowered accordingly.
Lacerations and Bruises
In a rear-end accident, the rear of the car is the area that experiences the most impact. This means that the drivers are most at risk of serious injuries if hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. The force of the crash may also cause broken bones if the occupants are thrown about 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 injury to the spinal cord could cause significant and permanent problems for victims.
In addition to these kinds of injuries, a victim may also experience psychological and emotional traumas as a result of being in a horrific crash. They may experience difficulties sleeping or concentrating which can cause depression and anxiety. If they are unable to work due to the degree of their injury this can cause pressure and financial hardship. An attorney can investigate any possible liability sources and help the victim seek an appropriate amount of compensation for their expenses.
Problematic trailer hitches
Regardless of whether you're driving an automobile, a truck, a van, or a flatbed, all vehicles have 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 a car accident caused by a runaway truck, contact an experienced attorney who is specialized in cases involving hitch failure to discuss your legal options.
The reason for a malfunctioning trailer hitch is many things which can range from inadequate security or design. It could also be the result of an issue with the manufacturer, in which case products liability laws could apply. The company or the person accountable for a defective trailer could be held responsible for the victim's medical expenses along with auto repair expenses and other losses resulting from the incident.
In the fatal crash that took place on a highway in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014, the trailer was detached from 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 carelessness in failing to properly inspect and secure the hitch. But in June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect caused the hitch involved in the crash -- an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama -- to malfunction on a high proportion of occasions.
The trailer hit the side of the vehicles and then crashed into them. This led to numerous deaths 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 in the event that he had conducted an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to make sure that all connections were secure. Faulty trailer hitsches can cause major catastrophes, since these accidents typically require a significant amount of speed and may cause a collision with smaller vehicles or motorcycles. In these cases the trailer could distort the frame of a car and result in sharp metal fragments to impale any passengers.