10 Amazing Graphics About Semi Truck Lawsuit
Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury resulting from a crash with a semi truck accident lawsuit-truck can leave a person with medical bills. It can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and ongoing physical therapy.
It is important to have a skilled New York truck accident lawyer by your side after a crash. A qualified attorney will assist you in proving your case by using evidence such as police reports, surveillance footage, etc.
Poorly-Maintained Vehicles
In a lot of cases trucking companies and owner-operators do not take the proper steps to ensure their vehicles are in good condition. This causes an astronomical number of preventable accidents every year.
In comparison to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis need more frequent maintenance work due to their size and heavier load. However, the pressure of completing deadlines and maximizing profits is often more important than maintaining the fleet. Trucks are susceptible to mechanical problems that can lead to catastrophic accidents.
The brakes on a truck must be able stop and slow down the vehicle at a moment's notice. When brake pads lines, return springs or return lines on a truck fail, it can lead to serious accidents and fatal injuries. It is essential to have these parts regularly inspected and replaced as required to keep them in good working order.
Tires that aren't properly maintained may play a significant role in truck accidents. Tires that are worn down can cause the tires to lose traction, which causes the truck to slide or even flip over. Tires that are defective or damaged, whether due to an insufficient tread design or air pressure may fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks require regular inspections to identify mechanical issues before they can cause an accident. If an inspection is done incorrectly or the repair shop doesn't adhere to the guidelines of the manufacturer this could result in an accident. In these instances the company that hired or supervising the maintenance or repair shop could be held responsible.
Another common cause of truck accidents is malfunctioning lights, signals, and reflectors. These items must function properly in order for drivers to be able to detect and anticipate the movements of the truck especially in rural areas or at night. Trucking companies or drivers may not maintain and inspect these components, or they may not perform daily safety inspections.
A reliable Houston truck accident lawyer can analyze your case to determine who is responsible for your losses should you be injured in an accident caused by a poorly maintained commercial truck. This investigation could uncover evidence of negligence by the defendant and help you obtain the compensation you are entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many events more damaging than an accident involving a commercial truck. These huge vehicles can weigh as much as 25 times more than your vehicle and cause far more injuries when involved in an accident. Distracted driving is one of many factors that can cause accidents. A driver who is distracted could lose control of their vehicle or overlook a road hazard which could lead to life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers are required to follow strict rules and regulations formulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a ban on texting or using cell phones while operating their vehicles. Even if truckers obey the rules they could still get distracted and cause an accident. This can be a result of manual distractions, such as taking their hands off the wheel or mental 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, like eating or changing radio stations or conversing with passengers can also be considered distracting. When a truck driver gets distracted, they could get lost in a lane or fail to see the traffic jam ahead of them. It only takes a fraction of a second for a large truck to crash into a vehicle when the trucker's attention is diverted.
It is crucial to gather details about witnesses and take photos 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 business that they work for and who is the owner of the vehicle if it's an independent contractor. This can have an impact on who is liable for the accident, since it is the responsibility of the trucking business to hire competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking company is found be partially responsible for your accident, they may be responsible for your economic and non-economic injuries.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are quite common and can result in serious injuries. They can happen in a variety of situations like the stop or red light sign when the trucker fails to check their surroundings for oncoming traffic. It could also happen when cars cross the truck's path, forcing the driver of the truck to brake abruptly without warning. The trucker could then smash the car from behind.
It is often difficult to prove the cause of rear-end collisions, since it's not always clear what vehicle caused the accident. However, a skilled lawyer can assist in gathering evidence that proves that the driver at the rear was responsible for the crash because they followed too closely or driving distracted. This can include evidence like photographs, police reports, eyewitness testimony, and skid marks on the road.
The driver in the front of the car could also be held responsible for the accident. This could happen if they cut someone off, fail to use their turn signal as a reasonable person would, or decide to slam on the brakes in the last second which causes the driver in the back to slam into the car directly in the front. This kind of situation is where modified comparative negligence laws be in play, where the jury assigns a percentage to each party, and damages are lowered accordingly.
Lacerations and Bruises
In a rear-end crash the rear end of the vehicle is the area that experiences the most force. This means that passengers are at risk of serious injuries if hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. The force of the crash can cause broken bones when the occupants are thrown around the interior of the vehicle. Injuries to the spine can be extremely severe. Injuries to the spine can be serious and have long-lasting effects on victims.
A person who is a victim of a fatal accident might also suffer psychological and emotional trauma. They may have difficulty sleeping 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 examine the possible sources of liability to assist the victim to receive an appropriate amount of compensation for their loss.
The trailer hitches are faulty.
It doesn't matter if you're driving an automobile, a truck, a van, or a flatbed, all vehicles must to be securely connected to their trailers. If a trailer goes unhitched, it could result in catastrophic accidents that result in severe injuries or death. If you've suffered injuries by the trailer that has run away, contact an experienced lawyer for car accidents specializing in hitch failure cases promptly to discuss your legal options.
The reason behind a defective trailer hitch is many things which can range from inadequate securing or defective design. It could also be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer, in which case product liability law may apply. The company or individual accountable for a defective trailer is liable for the victims' medical costs as well as auto repair costs and other losses that result from the incident.
For instance the fatal crash that took place 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 head-on into two cars behind it. Initial investigation linked the accident to the driver's inattention to examine and secure the hitch. In June 2015, however, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a defect in the hitch the Ultra LT manufactured Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama, was the reason for the crash.
The trailer slammed into the side of the vehicles, and then crashed into them. This led to numerous deaths and serious injuries to drivers of the vehicles.
The driver of the truck involved in the crash was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter, but experts believe he could have avoided the collision with other vehicles if he completed a thorough inspection of his trailer and made sure that all connections were secure. A faulty hitch on a trailer can lead to serious accidents, since they typically require a significant amount of speed, and they can cause a collision with smaller vehicles or motorcycles. In these cases the trailer could distort the car's frame and cause sharp metal fragments that can impale passengers.