Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in collision with a semi-truck can leave the victim in medical bills. It can also result in permanent disabilities requiring expensive equipment and ongoing physical therapy.
It is crucial to have a reputable New York truck accident lawyer by your side after an accident. A lawyer with experience can help prove your case by using evidence like police reports, surveillance camera footage, and much more.
Poorly maintained vehicles
Owner-operators and trucking companies typically do not take the necessary steps to ensure their vehicles are in good repair. This can lead to a large percentage of preventable crashes every year.
In comparison to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis will require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and weight. load. Unfortunately the pressure of meeting deadlines and maximizing profits is often prioritized over the maintenance of the fleet. Trucks are susceptible to mechanical issues that could result in catastrophes.
The brakes on a truck must be able to stop and slow down the vehicle at a single notice. When brake pads lines, return springs, or lines on a truck fail, it can lead to serious accidents and fatal injuries. These parts must be checked regularly and repaired as needed to ensure their good working condition.
Inadequately maintained tires can be a major contributor to truck accidents. Tires that are worn down can cause the tires to lose traction, which causes the truck to slide or even roll over. If a tire is damaged in some way, like having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it could fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks require routine inspections to detect mechanical problems before they lead to an accident. If an inspection was performed incorrectly or the repair shop doesn't adhere to the manufacturer's specifications it could lead to a crash. In these instances, the company that employed the maintenance or repair shop or supervised it could be held accountable.
The malfunctioning of signals, lights and reflectors are also a frequent cause of truck accident. These devices must be correctly functioning to allow drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas or after dark. However, trucking companies could fail to check and maintain these elements or the driver may not be able to complete daily safety checks.
A reliable Houston truck accident lawyer can investigate your case to determine who is accountable for your injuries should you be injured in an accident caused by a poorly maintained commercial truck. Investigating your case can uncover evidence that shows the negligence of the defendant in the accident and assist you obtain the compensation you're due.
Distracted Drivers
The consequences of collisions with commercial trucks can be catastrophic. These huge vehicles can weigh up 25 times the weight of your car and cause a lot more injuries in a crash. While a variety of factors can cause accidents, distracted driving is one of the most frequent and dangerous. A truck driver who is distracted could lose control of their vehicle, or fail to see the dangers on the roadway, which could lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers are required to adhere to strict rules and regulations established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition on texting or using cell phones while operating their vehicles. Even if truckers obey the rules, they might still be distracted, causing an accident. This is often caused by manual distractions like turning your back on the steering wheel, or by cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Although most people know that it's dangerous to text and drive, many are aware that other activities, such as eating or changing the radio station or even talking to the other driver can also be considered distracting. When a truck driver is distracted, they may wander off into another lane, or not be able to see a traffic jam up ahead of them. It takes only a split second for a big truck to hit a passenger vehicle when the trucker's attention is diverted.
It is important to gather details about witnesses and also take pictures of the scene of the accident when the driver is distracted and causes an accident with a truck. It is also helpful to determine the name of the truck driver as well as the company they work for, aswell in determining who owns the truck if they are an independent contractor. This could impact who is accountable for your accident, as the trucking company is responsible for hiring competent and skilled truck drivers. If allen semi truck accident lawyer is found to be partly responsible for your accident, it could be liable to you for any economic as well as non-economic losses.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are common and can cause serious injuries. They can happen in a variety of situations like at an intersection or stop sign, when the trucker fails to observe the road ahead for any traffic that is coming up. They can also occur when a car cuts in front of the truck, forcing the driver to slam on their brakes without warning. The trucker could then hit the car from behind.
It can be hard to establish fault when there's a rear-end collision, because it isn't always clear which vehicle was at fault. However, a skilled lawyer can assist in gathering evidence that proves that the driver in the rear caused the crash because they followed too closely or driving distracted. This evidence could include photos, police reports and eyewitness testimony as well markings from skids on the road.
Sometimes, the driver in the front may be found to be responsible for the accident also. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail to use their turn signal as a 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. In this type of scenario, modified comparative negligence laws could be used. The jury will determine a percentage of the blame to each party. Damages are then reduced accordingly.
Bruises & Lacerations
In a rear-end crash the rear end of the vehicle is the area that receives the most impact. This means that the drivers are most at risk of serious injuries if they hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They could also break bones from being bounced around the interior of the vehicle by the force of the crash. The injuries to the spine can be particularly severe. The spinal cord houses a number of nerves that regulate the body, so any injury to the spinal cord could cause permanent and significant issues for those affected.
A person who has been involved in a serious accident may also experience emotional and psychological trauma. They may experience difficulties getting enough sleep or concentrating, which can cause depression and anxiety. They may also face financial hardship and stress in the event that they are unable to work due to their injury. An attorney can examine all possible causes of liability and help a victim seek fair compensation for their losses.
Faulty trailer hitches
All vehicles, whether they are a car, a truck, van flatbed, van are required to be securely connected to their trailers. If a trailer becomes unhitched, it could lead to catastrophic accidents that cause serious injuries or death. If you have been injured in a vehicle accident caused by a truck that has run away, contact an experienced attorney who is specialized in cases involving hitch failure to discuss your legal options.
A malfunctioning trailer hitch may be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from inadequate security to design flaws. It could be due to an issue on the part of the manufacturer in which case, product liability laws could apply. The person or company responsible for a defective trailer could be held responsible for the victim's medical costs as well as auto repair costs and other losses resulting from the incident.
In a fatal crash on a road in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014 the trailer slid off of the truck. It then crashed into two cars that were directly behind it. Initial investigations linked the incident to the driver's negligence in failing to check and secure the hitch. In June of 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started investigating the possibility that a flaw in the hitch the Ultra LT manufactured Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama, was the reason behind the crash.
Due to the malfunctioning hitch caused by the defective hitch, the trailer smashed into the sides of the vehicles before crashing into them head-on. This led to multiple deaths and serious injuries to drivers of the vehicles.
The driver of the truck that was involved in the accident was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter. However experts say he could have prevented the collision with other vehicles if he had 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 involve a substantial amount of speed, and they can hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In such cases the trailer could distort the frame of a vehicle and force the metal to impale passengers inside.