10 Things Everybody Hates About Semi Truck Lawsuit
semi truck accidents Truck Accident Law
A semi truck accident law firm [https://willysforsale.com/author/randomuncle0]-truck crash can result in a serious injury that can cost the victim a significant amount 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 to prove your case using evidence such as police reports and surveillance camera footage and more.
Vehicles that aren't maintained properly
In a lot of cases, trucking companies and owner-operators don't take the appropriate steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition. This negligence leads to an overwhelming number of preventable accidents every year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than cars for passengers due to their size and heavier weight. Unfortunately the pressure of meeting deadlines and maximizing profits often take precedence over the maintenance of a fleet. As a result, trucks can become prone to mechanical breakdowns that can could cause devastating accidents.
The brakes on a truck are particularly important since they have to stop the vehicle and slow it down at a moment's notice. If the pads of a truck's brakes lines, lines, or return springs fail they could result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. These parts must be regularly inspected and repaired as needed to ensure their good condition.
Tires that are not properly maintained can also be a major factor in truck accidents. Tires that have worn out may lose traction and cause the truck to roll over or slide. If a tire is defective in some way, such as having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it may fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks must undergo regular inspections in order to spot mechanical problems before they lead to an accident. If an inspection is performed incorrectly or the repair shop doesn't follow the manufacturer's guidelines, it could cause a crash. In these situations, a firm that hired the repair or maintenance company or was the one who supervised it could be held accountable.
Another cause of truck accidents is malfunctioning lights, signals, and reflectors. These devices must be correctly functioning to allow drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas or at night. Drivers or trucking companies may not maintain and inspect these elements, or they may not perform daily safety checks.
A reputable Houston truck accident lawyer will review your case and identify who might be responsible for your losses when you've been injured in an accident caused by a poorly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can reveal evidence that proves the defendant's negligence and help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many things that can be more devastating than an incident with a commercial truck. These massive vehicles weigh up to 25 times the weight of your car and could cause a lot more injuries if they are involved in a collision. Distracted driving is just one of the many factors that contribute to accidents. A distracted truck driver can lose control of the vehicle or overlook a road danger which could lead to serious and life-altering 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 and using cell phones while operating their vehicles. Even if truckers follow the rules, they may still be distracted, causing an accident. This could be due to manual distractions such as getting your hands off the steering wheel or cognitive distractions such as 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 chatting with passengers, could also be considered to be distracting. When a trucker is distracted, they could get lost in a lane or miss an obstruction in front of them. When a truck driver's attention is diverted, it will only take an instant for a large vehicle to crash into a passenger car.
It is essential to collect details about witnesses and take photos of the accident scene when an unintentionally distracted driver causes a crash of a truck. It is important to determine the name of the driver, the business that they work for and who owns the vehicle in case it's an independent contractor. This could affect the person who is responsible for your accident, as the trucking company is responsible for hiring skilled and competent truck drivers. If the trucking company is found to be partially at fault for your accident, they could be held responsible for your economic and non-economic damages.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions with trucks are common and can cause serious injuries. They can occur in a variety situations like the stop or red light signal, where the trucker is unable to look behind them for any traffic that is coming up. They may also occur when a car cuts in front of the truck, which forces the driver to slam on their brakes without warning. The trucker could then crash into the car from behind.
It can be hard to establish fault when there's rear-end collisions as it isn't always clear which vehicle was responsible. A skilled attorney can help gather evidence to prove that the driver behind caused the accident by following too closely or driving distracted. This can be evidence in the form of photos or police reports, eyewitness testimony, aswell as skid marks in the road.
Sometimes, the driver in the front could be found to be responsible for the accident in addition. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail to utilize their turn signal in the manner that a reasonable person would, or slam on the brakes at the very last minute, causing the driver in the back to slam into the car directly in front of them. This type of scenario is where modified comparative negligence laws could be used, in which the jury assigns a percentage of blame to each party and damages are lowered accordingly.
Bruises and Lacerations
The rear-end of the vehicle is the one that is most affected in a rear-end crash, meaning that occupants can sustain serious injuries as they smash their head against the back window or dashboard. The force of the crash may cause broken bones when the occupants of the vehicle are thrown around the inside of the vehicle. The spine is a vulnerable area and injuries to it can be extremely severe. Damage to the spine can have long-lasting and serious impacts on the victims.
A person who has been involved in a serious accident could also be suffering from psychological and emotional trauma. They may have trouble getting enough sleep or concentrating, which could result in anxiety and depression. If they are unable to work due to the severity of their injury, this could cause stress and financial hardship. An attorney can research any possible liability sources and help the victim seek fair compensation for their loss.
Problematic Trailer Hitches
All vehicles, regardless of whether they're a car or van, truck, 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 have been injured in a vehicle accident caused by a truck that has run away or trailer, consult an experienced attorney who is experienced in cases of hitch failure to discuss your legal options.
The reason for a malfunctioning trailer hitch can be caused by a variety which can range from inadequate security or design. It could be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer in which case the product liability law could be applicable. The person or company responsible for a trailer that is defective can be held accountable for the victims' medical costs as well as auto repair costs and other losses that result from the incident.
In the fatal crash that took place on a road in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014, a trailer detached from the truck. It then crashed into two cars that were directly behind it. The initial investigation blamed the crash to the truck driver's inattention to examine and secure the hitch. In June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch that was involved in the crash -an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a large proportion of times.
The trailer struck the side of the vehicle and crashed into them. The result was multiple fatalities and serious injuries for the drivers.
The truck driver involved in the accident was found guilty of vehicular homicide, but experts say that he could've avoided the collision if he'd performed an in-depth inspection of his trailer to ensure all connections were tight. The failure of a trailer's hitches can result in catastrophic accidents, as these incidents often require a significant amount of speed and may hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances the trailer may distort the frame of a vehicle and force steel fragments that are razor-sharp to impale passengers inside.