5 Things Everyone Gets Wrong In Regards To Semi Truck Lawsuit

Semi truck Accident law firms Truck Accident Law

A semi truck accident law firm-truck collision can result in an injury that is serious enough to cause a person to pay a huge amount in medical expenses. It can also result in permanent disabilities requiring expensive equipment and ongoing physical therapy.

Following a collision, it is essential to retain an experienced New York truck accident attorney at your side. A professional lawyer can help you prove your case using evidence such as police reports or surveillance footage, for instance.

Vehicles that are not maintained properly

In a lot of cases, trucking companies and owner-operators fail to take the proper steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition. This negligence leads to a large percentage of avoidable accidents each year.

Compared to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and heavier loads. Unfortunately keeping deadlines and increasing profits may take precedence over maintaining a fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical problems that can result in catastrophic accidents.

The brakes on a truck must be able stop and slow down the vehicle at a minute's notice. When brake pads, lines or return springs on a truck are worn out and become damaged, it can result in serious accidents and fatal injuries. It is vital that these components are regularly checked and replaced as required to ensure that they remain in good working condition.

Tires that are not maintained properly can be a major reason for truck accidents. Worn tires can lose traction and cause the truck to skid or even tip over. Tires that aren't working either because of an insufficient air pressure or tread design could fail catastrophically.

Trucks require regular inspections along with regular maintenance to identify mechanical issues before they lead to an incident. If an inspection is done incorrectly or the repair shop does not follow the manufacturer's guidelines it could lead to a crash. In such cases, a firm that hired the repair or maintenance company or managed it may be held liable.

Another cause of truck accidents is faulty signals, lights and reflectors. These devices must function properly to enable drivers to observe and anticipate the truck's movements especially in rural areas or at night. Drivers or trucking companies may fail to maintain and check these items, or may not carry out regular safety inspections.

A Houston truck accident lawyer will review your case and determine who might be responsible for your injuries in the event that you are injured by a badly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can uncover evidence that proves the negligence of the defendant in the accident and help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

Distracted Drivers

There aren't many things as devastating as an accident with a commercial truck. These massive vehicles can weigh up to 25 times more than your car and cause a lot more injuries in a crash. While many factors contribute to accidents that result from distracted driving, it is one of the most prevalent and dangerous. A truck driver who is distracted might lose control of their vehicle or fail to spot an accident on the road, which can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and guidelines for truck drivers. This includes a prohibition on texting and the use of cell phones while driving. However, even when truckers adhere to the rules, they can still become distracted and cause an accident. This could be because of distractions caused by manual actions like taking their hands off the wheel, or cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.

Many people are aware that texting while driving is dangerous, but they are not aware that other activities, such as eating, changing radio stations, or conversing with passengers can also be considered distracting. If a truck driver is distracted, they might wander off into another lane, or fail to see the traffic jam ahead of them. If a truck driver's focus is diverted, it will only take a split-second for a large vehicle to collide with a car.

When a truck accident is caused by a distracted driver it is vital to snap photos of the crash scene and gather the name and contact details of any witnesses. It is essential to know the name of the driver, the business for which they work and who owns the vehicle in case it's an independent contractor. This could effect on who is accountable for the accident, because it is the trucking company's responsibility to find competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking company is found to be at least partially responsible for your accident, they may be liable for your economic and non-economic injuries.

Rear-End Collisions

Rear-end collisions between trucks are quite common and can cause severe injuries. These accidents can occur in a variety of circumstances such as a stop sign or an intersection when the trucker is not checking the road ahead for oncoming traffic. It can also happen if vehicles cross the truck's path, causing the driver of the truck to brake at a rapid pace without warning. The trucker could then hit the car from behind.

It is often difficult to prove the cause of a rear-end crash, as it is not always obvious which vehicle caused the crash. An experienced attorney can gather evidence that proves that the driver at the rear was responsible for the crash through following too closely or distracted driving. The evidence can include photographs of the scene, police reports, eyewitness testimony as well being skid marks on the road.

Sometimes, the driver in the front could be found to be at fault for the crash also. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail to obey their turn signal as any reasonable person would, or decide to slam on the brakes at the last minute and causing the driver in the back to crash into the vehicle directly in front of them. In this kind of situation an amended comparative negligence law could be used. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each party. Damages are then lowered accordingly.

Bruises and Lacerations

The rear-end of the vehicle is the most impacted area in a rear-end collision so occupants are more likely to suffer serious injuries from hitting their head against the dashboard or back windows. The force of the crash may cause broken bones if the occupants are thrown around the interior of the vehicle. The injuries to the spine can be particularly severe. The spinal cord contains a lot of nerves that regulate the body, so any injury to the spinal column could cause long-lasting and serious issues for those affected.

A victim of a serious accident might also suffer psychological and emotional trauma. They may experience difficulties getting enough sleep or concentrating, which can cause anxiety and depression. If they are unable to work due to the extent of their injury, this can cause stress and financial burden. An attorney can look into potential sources of liability to assist the victim to receive an appropriate amount of compensation for their loss.

The trailer is not working properly

All vehicles, regardless of whether they're a car or van, truck flatbed, van, or must be securely connected to their trailers. If a trailer becomes unhitched, it could result in catastrophic accidents that result in severe injuries or even death. If you've suffered injuries in an accident involving a runaway trailer, contact an experienced attorney for vehicle accidents that specializes in cases of failure of the hitch as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.

A malfunctioning trailer hitch may be the result of a variety of factors, ranging from inadequate securing to defective design. It can also be the result an error by the manufacturer and in that case, products liability laws could apply. The person or company that is at fault for a faulty trailer could be held accountable for medical bills of victims and auto repair costs and other damages resulting from the incident.

For example there was a fatal crash that occurred in January 2014 along an Ohio road known locally as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came free from the truck, and was thrown directly into two cars in front of it. Initial investigations suggested that the crash was due to the truck driver’s negligence in failing to properly inspect and secure hitch. However, in June 2015 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect caused the hitch in the crash -an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to malfunction on a high proportion of occasions.

Due to the faulty hitch, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles, before colliding into them head-on. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries to the drivers.

The driver of the truck involved in the incident was found guilty of vehicular murder, however experts believe that he could have avoided the collision with the other vehicles if he completed a thorough inspection of his trailer and ensured that all connections were in good order. The failure of a trailer's hitches can result in major catastrophes, since these types of incidents typically involve a lot of speed and could easily hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In such cases the trailer can deform the car's frame and push razor sharp metal fragments to sever the limbs of passengers in.