Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in an accident with a semi truck can bury the victim with medical expenses. It can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
Following a collision, it is crucial to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney by your side. A qualified attorney can help to prove your case using evidence like police reports and surveillance camera footage and much more.
Vehicles that are not maintained properly
Trucking companies and owners-operators often fail to take the necessary steps to ensure their vehicles are in good condition. This leads to an overwhelming number of accidents that could have been avoided every year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than passenger cars due to their larger dimensions and larger weight. However keeping deadlines and increasing profits often take precedence over the maintenance of the fleet. This is why trucks are susceptible to mechanical problems that can lead to devastating accidents.
The brakes of trucks are of particular importance because they must be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at the smallest of moments. If the brake pads of a truck lines, lines or return springs wear out they could result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. It is vital to have these parts regularly checked and replaced as needed to keep them in good working order.
Inadequately maintained tires can be a major contributor to truck accidents. Tires that are worn out can lose traction and cause the truck to rollover or slide. If a tire is not properly designed in some way, for example, having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it may fail catastrophically.
Trucks need routine inspections in addition to regular maintenance to identify mechanical issues prior to causing an accident. If new hampshire semi truck accident settlement is conducted incorrectly or the repair shop does not follow the manufacturer's instructions this could result in an accident. In these situations, a company that commissioned the repair or maintenance shop or who was responsible for its supervision could be held accountable.
Incorrect lights, signals and reflectors are another common cause of truck accident. These items must be properly functioning to allow drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas and after dark. Drivers or trucking companies may fail to maintain and inspect these items, or may not be able to conduct daily safety inspections.
A Houston truck accident attorney will investigate your case and determine who could be responsible for your injuries in the event you were injured by a poorly maintained commercial truck. This investigation could uncover evidence that proves the defendant's negligence and help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
Distracted Drivers
The consequences of collisions with commercial trucks can be catastrophic. These massive vehicles weigh up to 25 times more than your car and could cause a lot more injuries if they are involved in collisions. While a variety of factors can cause accidents that result from distracted driving, it is one of the most frequent and dangerous. A driver who is distracted can lose control of their vehicle or fail to notice a road hazard, which can lead to serious and life-changing injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting and the use of cell phones while driving. However, even when truckers obey the rules they could still get distracted and cause crash. This can be the result of manual distractions like taking their hands off the wheel, or cognitive distractions like thinking about something else other than driving.
While most people understand that it is risky to text while driving, a few realize that other activities such as eating or changing the radio station or even talking to the other driver can also be considered distracting. If the trucker is distracted, he may drift into another lane and fail to notice an impending traffic jam. When a truck driver's attention is diverted, it's only one second for a massive vehicle to strike a passenger car.
When a truck collision is caused by distracted driving it is crucial to take photos of the scene of collision as well as collect the contact details and name of any witnesses. It is important to know 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 who is liable for your accident, as the trucking company is responsible for hiring skilled and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking firm is found to be partially responsible in the accident, it could be held accountable to you for economic and non-economic damage.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions with trucks are quite common and can cause severe injuries. They can happen in a variety settings for example, at an intersection or stop sign when the trucker fails to check behind them for traffic coming in. They can also occur when a car crashes into front of the truck, which forces the driver to apply their brakes without warning. The trucker can then slam into the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove fault in the event of rear-end collisions because it isn't always evident who was at fault. An experienced 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 be evidence in the form of 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 at fault for the crash also. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail to use a turn signal like any reasonable person would do. This kind of situation is where modified comparative negligence laws could come into play, where the jury assigns a percentage of blame to each party and damages are lowered accordingly.
Bruises & Lacerations
In a rear-end collision, the rear end of the vehicle is the one that suffers the most impact. This means that people in the car are at risk of serious injuries if they crash their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They could also break bones from being torn around inside the car as a result of the force of the crash. Spinal injuries can be serious. Injuries to the spine can have serious and long-lasting consequences for victims.
In addition to these kinds of injuries, victims might also suffer from emotional and psychological trauma from having been involved in a terrible crash. They may have trouble being able to sleep or concentrate, which can cause depression and anxiety. If they're unable to work due to the degree of their injury this can add stress and financial hardship. An attorney can investigate all possible causes of liability and help the victim seek fair compensation for their loss.
Faulty Trailer Hitches
All vehicles, regardless of whether they are a car or a truck, van flatbed, van, need to be securely connected to their trailers. Unintentionally unhitching a trailer could cause catastrophic accidents that lead to severe injuries or even death. If you've suffered injuries in a car accident caused by a truck that has run away get in touch with an experienced lawyer who specializes in hitch failure cases to discuss your legal options.
The cause of a faulty trailer hitch is many things, ranging from improper securing or defective design. It can also be the result a defect in the manufacturing process and, in this case, product liability laws may apply. The company or individual responsible for a defective trailer could be held responsible for the victim's medical costs or auto repair expenses, as well as other losses that result from the incident.
For instance there was a fatal crash that occurred in January 2014 along an Ohio road known locally as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came out of the truck, and was thrown head-on into two cars behind it. Initial investigations attributed the accident to the truck driver's negligence for not inspecting and secure hitch. However, in June 2015 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect caused the hitch involved in the crash -- an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a significant proportion of occasions.
Due to the defective hitch due to the hitch's failure, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles before plunging into them head-on. The result was numerous fatalities and serious injuries to the drivers.
The driver of the truck that was involved in this accident was convicted of vehicular manslaughter, but experts say that he could have avoided the collision with other vehicles if he had performed a thorough visual inspection of his trailer and ensured that all connections were in good order. Incorrect trailer hitches can cause major accidents. These accidents are typically high-speed and are able to sidewipe motorcycles or smaller cars. In these cases, the trailer may distort the car's frame and cause razor-sharp metal fragments that can impale passengers.