Semi Truck Accident Law
A semi-truck crash can result in an injury of a serious nature that could cost the victim a significant amount in medical expenses. It can also result in permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and ongoing physical therapy.
It is important to have a skilled New York truck accident lawyer on your side following an accident. A qualified attorney can assist you in proving your case by using evidence such as police reports and surveillance footage, among others.
Poorly maintained vehicles
In a lot of cases trucking firms and owner-operators don't take the proper steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good working 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 cars for passengers because of their larger dimensions and larger weight. Unfortunately, the pressure to meet deadlines and maximize profits often over maintaining the fleet. In the end, trucks are susceptible to mechanical failures that could cause devastating accidents.
The brakes on a truck have to be able to stop and slow down the vehicle at a moments notice. When a truck's brake pads lines, lines, or return springs fail they can result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. It is crucial to have these parts regularly checked and replaced as required to ensure that they remain in good working order.
Inadequately maintained tires can be a major cause of truck accidents. Tires that are worn out can cause traction issues and cause the truck to slide or even flip over. Tires that are defective because of inadequate air pressure or tread design could fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks need regular inspections to spot mechanical issues before they cause an accident. If an inspection is done improperly or the repair shop doesn't follow the manufacturer's recommendations this could result in a crash. In these cases the company that hired or directed the maintenance or repair shop could be held accountable.
Poorly functioning lights, signals and reflectors are a common cause of truck accident. These items must function properly so that drivers can detect and anticipate the movements of the truck, especially when driving in rural areas or at night. However, trucking companies may fail to check and maintain these elements or the driver may fail to perform daily safety checks.
lynwood semi truck accident claim will review your situation and determine who could be responsible for your injuries in the event that you are injured from a poorly maintained commercial truck. The investigation can uncover evidence that proves the defendant's negligence in the accident and assist you obtain the compensation you're due.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many events more devastating than an incident that involves a commercial truck. These huge vehicles can weigh as much as 25 times more than your car and cause much worse injuries in an accident. Distracted driving is just one of the many factors that can cause accidents. A truck driver who is distracted can lose control of their vehicle or fail to notice an accident on the road, which can lead to severe and life-changing injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and guidelines for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting or using cell phones while driving. But even if truckers follow the rules, they can still become distracted and cause a crash. This can be the result of manual distractions like taking a hand off the wheel or cognitive distractions like thinking about something else other than driving.
While most people understand the dangers of using text and drive, very few realize that other activities, such as eating, changing the radio station, and even conversing with a passenger can also be deemed to be distracting. When a truck driver is distracted, they might get lost in a lane or not be able to see a traffic jam up ahead of them. It only takes a split second for a huge truck to collide with a vehicle when the trucker's attention wanders.
It is crucial to gather information on witnesses and to take photographs of the accident scene when a distracted driver causes a truck crash. It is essential to know the name of the driver, the company for which they work, and who owns the vehicle if it's an independent contractor. This could influence on who is responsible for the accident, as it is the responsibility of the trucking company to employ competent and experienced truck drivers. If the trucking company is found to be partially responsible for the accident, they could be liable for your economic and non-economic damages.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are common and can cause serious injuries. They can happen in a variety of situations like an intersection or stop sign, when the trucker fails to look behind them for traffic in the direction of oncoming traffic. It could also happen when vehicles cross the truck's path, causing the driver of the truck to brake suddenly without warning. The trucker may then slam the car from behind.
It is often difficult to prove the cause of rear-end crashes, as it is not always obvious what vehicle caused the accident. An experienced attorney can gather evidence to show that the driver behind caused the accident by following too closely, or driving erratically. This evidence could include photos, police reports and eyewitness testimony as well markings from skids on the road.
The driver in front of the car may also be liable for the accident. This could happen if they cut off someone else or fail to utilize their turn signal as any reasonable person would, or hit on the brakes at the last moment, causing the driver in the back to slam into the car directly in the front of them. In this type of scenario an amended comparative negligence law may be used. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each party. The damages are then lowered accordingly.
Bruises and Lacerations
In a rear-end accident, the rear of the car is the area that receives the most force. This means that occupants are at risk of serious injuries if hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They can also suffer broken bones after being bounced around the interior of the vehicle by the force of the crash. The severity of spinal injuries can be devastating. The spinal cord contains a lot of nerves that regulate the body, and any injury to the spinal column may cause permanent and significant issues for the victims.
In addition to these types of injuries, victims may also experience emotional and psychological trauma from being in a horrific crash. They may experience difficulties sleeping or concentrating which can lead them to anxiety and depression. If they're unable work due to the severity of their injury, this can add stress and financial burden. An attorney can look into the possible sources of liability and assist a victim in seeking fair compensation for their expenses.
Troublesome trailer hitches
All vehicles, whether they are a car or van, truck, flatbed, or van are required to be securely connected to their trailers. If a trailer is suddenly unhitched, it can result in catastrophic accidents that result in serious injuries or even death. If you've suffered injuries in an accident involving the trailer that is running away, you should contact an experienced vehicle accident lawyer specializing in hitch failure cases as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.
The cause of a faulty trailer hitch could be due to a variety of factors, ranging from improper securement or design. It could be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer in which case, product liability laws may apply. The company or the person responsible for a defective trailer could be held responsible 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 highway in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014, the trailer slid off of the truck. It crashed into two cars directly behind it. Initial investigations suggested that the crash was due to the truck driver’s negligence for not inspecting and secure hitch. In June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch at the center of the crash -an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama -- to malfunction on a high number of occasions.
Due to the hitch that was defective due to the hitch's failure, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles before plunging into them head-on. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries to the drivers.
The truck driver involved in the accident was convicted of vehicular murder, however experts believe that he could have avoided the crash in the event that he had conducted an extensive inspection of his trailer to ensure all connections were tight. Faulty trailer hitches can cause major catastrophes. These types of accidents are typically fast and can easily smack motorcycles or other smaller vehicles. In these cases the trailer could distort the car's frame and result in sharp metal fragments to impale any passengers.