Semi Truck Accident Law
A semi-truck collision can result in an injury that is serious enough to cost a person a fortune in medical bills. It can also lead to permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
It is essential to have a skilled New York truck accident lawyer by your side after a crash. A qualified attorney can help prove your case by using evidence like police reports, surveillance camera footage, and more.
Vehicles that are poorly maintained
In many instances, trucking companies and owner-operators do not take the proper steps to ensure their vehicles are in good working condition. This causes an overwhelming number of avoidable accidents each year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than cars used for passenger transport because of their larger size and heavier weight. However, the pressure to meet deadlines and maximize profits often takes precedence over maintaining the fleet. In the end, trucks can become prone to mechanical malfunctions that can lead to devastating accidents.
The brakes on a truck are particularly important as they must be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at the smallest of moments. When brake pads lines, return springs or return lines on a truck wear out, it can lead to serious accidents and fatal injuries. These parts should be regularly checked and repaired as necessary to maintain their good working condition.
Inadequately maintained tires can be a major contributor to truck accidents. Tires that have worn out can lose traction and cause the truck to rollover or slide. If a tire is damaged in some way, for example, having the incorrect air pressure or tread design, it could fail catastrophically.
Trucks require regular inspections along with regular maintenance to detect mechanical issues before they can cause an accident. If an inspection is conducted in a way that is not correct or if the repair shop does not follow the manufacturer's guidelines, it can cause an accident. In these situations the company that employed or supervised the maintenance or the repair shop could be held accountable.
Incorrect lights, signals and reflectors are another frequent reason for truck accidents. These elements must be properly working to enable drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, particularly in rural areas or at night. However, trucking companies could neglect to inspect and maintain these items or the driver might not perform regular safety checks.
A Houston truck accident attorney will investigate your case and determine who may be responsible for your damages in the event that you are injured by a badly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can reveal evidence that proves the defendant's negligence and help you obtain the compensation you are entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
There are few things as devastating as an accident which involves a commercial vehicle. These massive vehicles can weigh as much as 25 times more than a car and can cause more severe injuries in a crash. While many factors contribute to 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 an issue on the road, leading to severe and life-changing injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting or using cellular phones while driving. Even when truckers adhere to the rules, they may be distracted and cause an accident. This could be the result of manual distractions like taking their hands off the wheel or cognitive distractions such as thinking about something other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving can be dangerous, but few know that other activities, such as eating or changing radio stations or conversing with passengers, are also considered to be distracting. When a trucker gets distracted, it is possible that he will drift into a different lane and fail to notice the traffic jam in front of him. When a truck driver's attention is diverted, it will only take a split-second for a large vehicle to hit a motorist car.
It is crucial to gather information about any witnesses and also take pictures of the accident scene when a distracted driver causes an accident with a truck. It is also important to know the name of the truck driver as well as the company they work for, as well and who owns the truck if it is an independent contractor. This can have an effect on who is accountable for the accident, because it is the responsibility of the trucking firm to employ competent and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking firm is found to be partially responsible for the accident, it could be liable to you for both economic as well as non-economic losses.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are common and can cause serious injuries. These accidents can occur in many different situations, including at an intersection or at a an intersection when the trucker is not checking ahead for traffic coming in. They can also happen when a car crashes into front of the truck, forcing the driver to apply their brakes without warning. The trucker might then slam into the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove fault in rear-end crashes, as it is not always obvious what vehicle caused the accident. A skilled attorney can help find evidence to prove that the driver behind caused the crash by following too closely or driving in a distracted manner. reno semi truck accident law firm can include photos, police reports and eyewitness testimony, aswell markings from skids on the road.
Sometimes, the driver in the front might be responsible for the accident as well. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail to make use of a turn signal, as would any reasonable person. In this type of scenario an amended comparative negligence law can be applied. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each of the parties. Damages are then reduced accordingly.
Bruises and Lacerations
The rear-end of the car has the greatest impact in a rear-end collision, so occupants are more likely to suffer serious injuries from hitting their head against the dashboard or the back window. The force of the collision can cause broken bones if the occupants are thrown about the inside of the vehicle. The injuries to the spine can be extremely severe. Damage to the spine can cause serious and lasting effects on the victims.
A person who is a victim of a fatal accident may also experience emotional and psychological trauma. They may have trouble sleeping or concentrating, which may cause anxiety and depression. They could also be facing stress and financial strain when they are unable to work because of an injury. An attorney will investigate the possible sources of liability and assist the victim to receive fair compensation for their loss.
Troublesome trailer hitches
Whatever vehicle you're driving, the vehicle of a car, van, truck, or a flatbed, all cars need to be securely connected to their trailers. If a trailer goes unhitched, it could cause a catastrophic accident that could result in serious injuries or even death. If you've suffered injuries in an accident that involved a runaway trailer, contact a qualified vehicle accident attorney with a specialization in cases of hitch failure as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.
The cause of a faulty trailer hitch can be caused by a variety such as inadequate securement or design. It could also be the result an error by the manufacturer and in that case, lawful product liability may apply. The person or company that is at the fault for a defective trailer could be held accountable for victims' medical bills and auto repair expenses, as well as other losses that result from the incident.
For instance in a fatal crash that occurred in January 2014 along an Ohio road locally known as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came free from the truck and careened head-on into two cars behind it. Initial investigations attributed the accident to the truck driver's carelessness for failing to inspect and secure hitch. But in June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a manufacturing defect caused the hitch at the center of the crash -it was an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to malfunction on a high number of occasions.
As a result of the defective hitch due to the hitch's failure, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles, before colliding into them head-on. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries for the drivers.
The truck driver who was involved in the accident was convicted of vehicular homicide. However, experts suggest that he could've avoided the collision had he conducted an extensive inspection of his trailer to make sure all connections were tight. Faulty trailer hitsches can cause serious accidents, since these incidents often involve a large amount of speed, and they can hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these cases, the trailer may distort the frame of a car and cause razor-sharp metal fragments to injure passengers.