Semi Truck Accident Law
A semi-truck collision can result in serious injuries that could cause a person to pay a huge amount in medical bills. It could also cause permanent disabilities requiring expensive equipment and ongoing physical therapy.
It is essential to have a qualified New York truck accident lawyer at your side following an accident. A skilled attorney can to prove your case using evidence like police reports or surveillance camera footage and more.
Poorly maintained vehicles
In many cases trucking firms and owners-operators do not take proper steps to ensure their vehicles are in good working condition. This causes an overwhelming number of avoidable accidents each year.
As compared to passenger cars tractor-trailers and semis will require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and heavy load. However the pressure to meet deadlines and maximize profits often takes precedence over maintaining the fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical problems that could result in catastrophes.
The brakes of a truck need to be able stop and slow down the vehicle at a moments notice. When brake pads lines, return springs or return lines on a truck get worn out they can cause serious accidents and fatal injuries. These components should be regularly inspected and repaired as needed to ensure their good working condition.
Tires that aren't maintained may play a significant role in truck accidents. Tires that are worn out can cause traction issues and cause the truck to skid or even flip over. If a tire is not properly designed in any way, such as having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it may fail catastrophically.
Trucks require regular inspections along with regular maintenance to identify mechanical problems before they cause an incident. However, if an inspection is not done correctly or the repair shop fails to adhere to the manufacturer's guidelines the result could be a crash. In these cases, a company that hired the repair or maintenance company or managed it may be held responsible.
Faulty lights, signals and reflectors are another common reason for truck accidents. These devices must function properly in order for drivers to be able to see and anticipate the speed of the truck particularly in rural areas or at night. However, trucking companies might fail to check and maintain these components or the driver may fail to perform daily safety checks.
A reputable Houston truck accident lawyer can investigate your case to identify who might be accountable for your damages should you be injured in an accident with a poorly-maintained commercial truck. These investigations can uncover evidence of negligence by the defendant and assist you in obtaining the compensation you're due.
Distracted Drivers
Accidents involving commercial trucks can be devastating. These massive vehicles can weigh up to 25 times more than a vehicle and cause far more injuries in an accident. Distracted driving is among the many causes of accidents. A driver who is distracted could lose control of the vehicle or miss a road hazard and cause life-threatening injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting and using cell phones while driving. Even if truckers adhere to the rules, they could still get distracted and cause a crash. This could be the result of manual distractions such as taking a hand off the wheel or cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
While most people understand that it is risky to text and drive, few are aware that other activities, such as eating or changing the radio station or conversing with the other driver can also be considered to be distracting. When a trucker is distracted, he may drift into another track and not see the traffic jam in front of him. It only takes a fraction of a second for a large truck to strike a passenger vehicle when the trucker's focus is diverted.
It is essential to collect information on witnesses and also take pictures of the scene of the crash when the driver is distracted and causes an accident with a truck. It is important to know the name of the driver, the company that they work for, and who owns the vehicle if it's an independent contractor. This will affect who is accountable for your accident, as the trucking company is responsible for hiring skilled and competent truck drivers. If the trucking company is found be partly responsible for your accident, they may be held responsible for your economic and non-economic damages.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are quite common and can result in serious injuries. These accidents can occur in many different circumstances such as at an intersection or at a red light when a trucker fails to check ahead for traffic coming in. They can also happen when a car is able to cut in 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 is often difficult to prove fault in an accident that occurs at the rear, as it is not always obvious which vehicle caused the accident. A skilled attorney can help find evidence to prove that the driver behind caused the accident because they followed too closely or driving erratically. This can include evidence like photos, police reports eyewitness testimony and skid marks on the road.
Sometimes, the driver in the front might be responsible for the accident in addition. This could happen if they cut off someone else or fail to use their turn signal in the way that a reasonable person would, or decide to slam on the brakes at the very last minute and cause the driver in the back to slam into the car directly in front of them. In these situations, modified comparative negligence laws could be used. The jury will determine a percentage of the blame to each party. Damages are then lowered accordingly.
Bruises and Lacerations
The rear-end of the car experiences the most impact during a rear-end collision meaning that occupants can sustain serious injuries after hitting their head against the dashboard or back window. The force of the crash may cause broken bones when the occupants are thrown around the inside of the vehicle. Spinal injuries can be very serious. Injuries to the spine can be serious and have long-lasting impacts on the victims.
In addition to these types of injuries, a victim may also be suffering from emotional and psychological trauma from having been involved in a terrible crash. They may have trouble getting enough sleep or concentrating, which can cause anxiety and depression. If they are unable to work due to the seriousness of their injury this could cause pressure and financial hardship. An attorney can examine the possible causes of liability to assist the victim to receive fair compensation for their loss.
Faulty trailer hitches
Regardless of whether you're driving an automobile, a truck, a van or a flatbed, all cars need to be securely attached to their trailers. If a trailer is suddenly unhitched, it could cause a catastrophic accident that could result in serious injuries or even death. If you've been injured in an accident involving the trailer that is running away, you should contact an experienced attorney for vehicle accidents with a specialization in cases of hitch failure as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.
The reason behind a defective trailer hitch is many things, ranging from improper security or design. It could be due to an issue on the part of the manufacturer, in which case the product liability law could be applicable. The person or company responsible 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 boston semi truck accident lawsuit that took place on a highway in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014, the trailer was detached from the truck. It crashed into two cars that were directly behind it. The initial investigation attributed the crash to the truck driver's negligence in failing to inspect and secure the hitch. In June 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch that was involved in the crash -one of the Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to malfunction on a large proportion of occasions.
As a result of the faulty hitch, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles and then crashed into them head-on. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries for the drivers.
The driver of the truck involved in the accident was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter. However, experts say he could have prevented the collision with other vehicles if he conducted a thorough inspection of his trailer and made sure that all connections were secure. Faulty trailer hitches can cause major accidents. These types of accidents are typically high-speed, and they can easily cause a collision with motorcycles or other smaller vehicles. In these instances, the trailer may distort the frame of a car and create sharp metal fragments to injure passengers.