Semi Truck Accident Law
A semi-truck accident can cause an injury that is serious enough to cost a person a fortune in medical expenses. It can also lead to permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
It is important to have a qualified New York truck accident lawyer on your side following an accident. A skilled attorney can establish your case through evidence like police reports or surveillance camera footage and much more.
Poorly maintained vehicles
Owner-operators and trucking companies typically do not take the necessary steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good working order. This leads to many preventable accidents occurring every year.
As compared to passenger cars semis and tractor-trailers require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and weight. loads. Unfortunately the pressure of meeting deadlines and maximizing profits often over maintaining the fleet. This is why trucks are more prone to mechanical failures that lead to devastating accidents.
The brakes of a truck are particularly important because they must be able to stop the vehicle and slow it down at an instant's notice. When brake pads, lines or return springs on a truck are worn out, it can lead to serious accidents and fatal injuries. These parts must be regularly inspected and repaired when necessary to ensure they are in good working condition.
Tires that aren't properly maintained may contribute to truck accidents. Tires that have worn out could lose traction, causing the truck to roll over or slide. If a tire is damaged in some way, for example, having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it could fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks need regular inspections to identify mechanical issues before they can cause an accident. If an inspection is done in a way that is not correct or if the repair shop does not follow the manufacturer's recommendations this could result in an accident. In these instances, the company that hired or directed the maintenance or repair shop could be held responsible.
Faulty lights, signals and reflectors are also a frequent reason for truck accidents. These items must be properly working to enable drivers to see their truck and anticipate its movements, particularly in rural areas or at night. Drivers or trucking companies may fail to maintain and inspect these elements, or they may not be able to conduct daily safety checks.
A reliable Houston truck accident lawyer will analyze your case to determine which parties may be accountable for your damages if you were injured in an accident involving a badly maintained commercial truck. These investigations can uncover evidence of the defendant's negligence and assist you in obtaining the compensation you deserve.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many things more damaging than an accident involving a commercial truck. These huge vehicles weigh up to 25 times the weight of your car and could cause more serious injuries when they are involved in a collision. While many factors cause accidents that result from distracted driving, it is one of the most common and dangerous. A truck driver who is distracted could lose control of their vehicle or fail to notice an accident on the roadway, which could lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a prohibition against texting or using cellular phones while driving. Even if truckers abide by the rules, they can still become distracted and cause an accident. This could be because of manual distractions like dropping a hand off of the wheel or cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving can be risky, but not many know that other activities, like eating or changing radio stations or conversing with passengers, can also be considered distracting. When a trucker is distracted they may wander off into a different area and not be aware of the traffic jam ahead. When a truck driver's eye is diverted, it's only one second for a massive vehicle to collide with a car.
It is important to collect information about any witnesses and take photos of the scene of the accident when the driver is distracted and causes an accident with a truck. It is also helpful to find out the name of the driver who is driving the truck and the company they are employed by, as in determining who owns the truck if it's an independent contractor. This could impact the person who is responsible for your accident as the trucking company is responsible for securing skilled and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking company is found to be partially at fault for the accident, they could be held accountable for your financial and non-economic injuries.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are common and can result in serious injuries. These accidents can happen in a variety of circumstances such as a stop sign or red light when the trucker does not check the road ahead for oncoming traffic. They can also happen when a car is able to cut in front of the truck, forcing the driver to apply their brakes without warning. The trucker may then crash into the car from behind.
It can be hard to prove fault when there is rear-end collisions because it isn't always certain the vehicle that was at fault. An experienced lawyer can gather evidence to prove that the driver behind caused the crash by following too closely or driving in a distracted manner. This can include evidence such as photographs, police reports, eyewitness testimony and skid marks in the road.
Sometimes the driver in front might be the one responsible for the accident in addition. This can happen when they cut off someone else or fail to utilize their turn signal in the manner that a reasonable person would, or slam on the brakes in the last second which causes the driver behind to crash into the car directly in the front of them. This type of scenario is where modified comparative negligence laws be in play, where the jury assigns a percentage of fault to each party, and damages are lowered accordingly.
Lacerations and Bruises
The rear end of the vehicle is the most impacted area in a rear-end collision, which means that occupants may suffer serious injuries as they smash their head against the back window or dashboard. They can also suffer broken bones due to being thrown around the interior of the car due to the force of the collision. Spinal injuries are often severe. Injuries to the spine can have long-lasting and serious consequences for victims.
asheville semi truck accident attorney of a serious accident may also experience emotional and psychological trauma. They may have difficulty getting enough sleep or concentrating, which can cause anxiety and depression. They could also be facing financial hardship and stress when they cannot work due to an injury. An attorney will investigate the potential sources of liability to ensure that the victim receives fair compensation for their loss.
Faulty trailer hitches
All vehicles, whether they are a vehicle, a car, van, truck flatbed, van, or are required to be securely connected to their trailers. Unintentionally pulling a trailer off can result in catastrophic accidents that lead to serious injuries or death. If you have been injured in a vehicle accident caused by a truck that has run away get in touch with an experienced lawyer who is experienced in cases of hitch failure to discuss your legal options.
The reason for a malfunctioning trailer hitch is many things which can range from inadequate security or design. It can also be due to a manufacturer's defect or a manufacturing defect, in which case the products liability laws could apply. The person or company accountable for a defective trailer could be held responsible for the victims' medical expenses as well as auto repair costs and other losses that result from the incident.
In a fatal crash on a road in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014 an unattached trailer was spotted on the truck. It crashed into two cars directly behind it. Initial investigations linked the incident to the driver's negligence in failing to check and secure the hitch. But in June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect caused the hitch at the center of the crash -an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a large proportion of occasions.
Due to the hitch that was defective caused by the defective hitch, the trailer smashed into the sides of the vehicles before crashing into them head-on. The result was numerous fatalities and serious injuries to the drivers.
The driver of the truck that was involved in the incident was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter. However experts say that he could have avoided the collision with the other vehicles if he done a thorough visual inspection of his trailer and ensured that all connections were in good order. Incorrect trailer hitches can cause serious accidents, since these types of incidents typically involve a substantial amount of speed and could easily sidewipe smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances, the trailer can distort the car's frame and push razor sharp metal fragments to strike the passengers inside.