Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in collision with a semi truck can bury the victim in medical bills. It can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
After a crash, it is essential to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney by your side. A skilled lawyer can establish your case through evidence such as police reports or surveillance camera footage and more.
Poorly maintained vehicles
Owner-operators and companies that operate trucks often do not take the necessary steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition. This leads to a large percentage of accidents that could have been avoided every year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than cars used for passenger transport due to their larger dimensions and larger weight. However, meeting deadlines and maximising profits can often take precedence over the maintenance of a fleet. As a result, trucks can become prone to mechanical problems that can could cause devastating accidents.
The brakes on a truck must be able to stop and slow down the vehicle at a minute's notice. If the brake pads of a truck lines, lines, or return springs wear out, they can cause serious collisions and fatal injuries. These parts should be checked and repaired regularly as necessary to maintain their good working condition.
Tires that aren't well maintained can contribute to truck accidents. Tires that have worn out may lose traction and cause the truck to rollover or skid. If a tire is damaged in any way, such as having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it could fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks require regular inspections in order to spot mechanical issues before they can cause an accident. If an inspection is conducted improperly or the repair shop fails to follow the manufacturer's instructions this could result in an accident. In such cases the company that hired or supervising the maintenance or the repair shop could be held responsible.
Faulty lights, signals and reflectors are also a frequent cause of truck accident. These components must be in good working to enable drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas and after dark. Drivers and trucking companies could fail to maintain and inspect these elements, or they may not be able to conduct daily safety inspections.
A Houston truck accident lawyer will review your case and determine who could be responsible for your injuries in the event that you are injured from a poorly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can uncover evidence that proves the negligence of the defendant in your crash and help you obtain the compensation you're entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
There are few things more devastating than an accident with a commercial truck. These massive vehicles can weigh as much as 25 times more than a car and cause a lot more injuries when involved in an accident. Distracted driving is one of many causes of accidents. A truck driver who is distracted could lose control of their vehicle or fail to notice an accident on the road, which could lead to life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers are required to adhere to strict rules and regulations formulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition on texting or using cellular phones while driving. However, even when truckers abide by the rules, they may still be distracted and cause crashes. This could be due to manual distractions like getting your hands off the steering wheel or by cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving is risky, but many do not realize that other activities, like eating or changing radio stations or chatting with passengers, could also be considered to be distracting. When a truck driver gets distracted, they may wander off into a different lane or fail to notice the traffic jam ahead of them. When a truck driver's eye is diverted, it's only an instant for a large vehicle to hit a motorist car.
It is important to gather details about witnesses and also take pictures of the accident scene when the driver is distracted and causes the truck to crash. It is essential 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 can have an impact on who is liable for the accident, as it is the responsibility of the trucking company to recruit competent and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking company is found partially responsible for the accident, it could be held accountable to you for any economic and non-economic damage.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions between trucks are not uncommon and can result in severe injuries. These accidents can happen in many different situations, including at a stop sign or red light, when the trucker does not check the road ahead for oncoming traffic. They can also happen when a car crashes into front of the truck, which forces the driver to apply their brakes without warning. The trucker could then hit the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove the cause of an accident that occurs at the rear, as it is not always obvious which vehicle caused the accident. However, an experienced attorney can help gather evidence that proves the driver in the rear caused the crash due to following too closely or driving while distracted. This could include evidence like photos, police reports eyewitness testimony, and skid marks on the roadway.
Sometimes, the driver in the front could be at fault for the crash in addition. This could happen if they cut off someone else or fail to utilize their turn signal in the way that a reasonable person would, or put on the brakes in the last second and cause the driver in the back to crash into the vehicle directly in front of them. In this scenario 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 accident, the rear of the car is the part that takes the most force. This means that passengers are at risk of serious injuries if hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They can also suffer broken bones after being thrown around the interior of the car due to the force of the crash. Spinal injuries can be severe. Spinal injuries can cause serious and lasting consequences for victims.
A victim of a serious accident may also suffer from psychological and emotional trauma. They might have trouble getting enough sleep or concentrating, which can cause anxiety and depression. They may also experience financial hardship and stress when they are unable to work because of an injury. An attorney can look into potential sources of liability to assist the victim to receive fair compensation for their loss.
The trailer hitches are faulty.
All vehicles, regardless of whether they are a vehicle, a car, a truck, van, flatbed, or van should be securely connected to their trailers. Unintentionally pulling a trailer off can cause catastrophic accidents that can lead to severe injuries or even death. If you've been injured in a collision involving a runaway trailer, contact an experienced lawyer for car accidents who specializes in cases involving hitch failure immediately to discuss your legal options.
The reason for a malfunctioning trailer hitch can be a variety of things which can range from inadequate securement or design. It could also be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer, in which case the product liability laws could apply. The company or person at the fault for a trailer that is defective can be held liable for victims' medical bills and auto repair expenses, and other damages resulting from the incident.
For example the fatal crash that occurred in January 2014 on an Ohio road that is locally referred to as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came free from the truck, and was thrown head-on into two cars behind it. The initial investigation blamed the accident to the driver's negligence in failing inspect and secure the hitch. But in June 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 fail on a significant percentage of occasions.
The trailer struck the sides of the vehicles and then crashed into them. This led to multiple deaths and serious injuries to the drivers of the vehicles.
The truck driver who was involved in the accident was found guilty of vehicular murder, however experts say that he could've avoided the collision had he conducted an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to ensure all connections were tight. A faulty hitch on a trailer can lead to catastrophic accidents, as these accidents typically require a significant amount of speed and may hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In clifton semi truck accident claim could distort the frame of a car and cause sharp metal fragments to entrap passengers.