Semi Truck Accident Law
A semi-truck collision can result in an injury that is serious enough to cost the victim a significant amount in medical expenses. It can also cause permanent disabilities requiring expensive equipment and ongoing physical therapy.
Following a collision, it is crucial to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney by your side. A qualified attorney will help you prove your case by using evidence such as police reports, surveillance footage, etc.
Poorly maintained vehicles
In a majority of cases, trucking companies and owner-operators do not take the proper steps to ensure their vehicles are in good working condition. This can lead to many 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 load. Unfortunately keeping deadlines and increasing profits can often take precedence over the maintenance of the fleet. In the end, trucks are susceptible to mechanical malfunctions that can result in catastrophic accidents.
The brakes on trucks are of particular importance because they have to 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 get worn out and break, it could lead to serious accidents and fatal injuries. It is crucial that these parts are regularly checked and replaced as needed to keep them in good working condition.
Tires that aren't maintained can be a major factor in truck accidents. Worn tires can lose traction and cause the truck to slide or even roll over. Tires that aren't working or damaged, whether due to incorrect tread design or air pressure may fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks also require regular inspections to spot mechanical issues prior to causing an accident. If an inspection is performed incorrectly or if the repair shop fails to follow the manufacturer's instructions it could lead to a crash. In such cases, a company that commissioned the repair or maintenance shop or supervised it could be held responsible.
Faulty lights, signals and reflectors are a common reason for truck accidents. These elements must function correctly so that drivers can detect and anticipate the speed of the truck, especially when driving in rural areas or at night. Drivers or trucking companies may not maintain and inspect these elements, or they may not be able to conduct daily safety checks.
A Houston truck accident lawyer will review your situation and determine who could be responsible for your damages in the event you were injured by a badly maintained commercial truck. This investigation could uncover evidence of negligence by the defendant and help you get the compensation you're entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many things more devastating than an accident with a commercial truck. These huge vehicles weigh up to 25 times the weight of your car and can cause much greater injuries when they are involved in an accident. Distracted driving is just one of the many factors that can cause accidents. A truck driver who is distracted might lose control of their vehicle or fail to notice an issue on the roadway, which could lead to life-threatening injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a prohibition on texting and using mobile phones while operating their vehicles. Even when truckers adhere to the rules, they could still be distracted, causing an accident. This could be due to manual distractions like turning your back on the steering wheel or by cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving is risky, but not many know that other activities, like eating or changing radio stations or conversing with passengers, could also be considered to be distracting. When a truck driver is distracted, they could wander off into a different lane or not be able to see a traffic jam in front of them. It takes only a split second for a huge truck to collide with a vehicle when the trucker's focus wanders.
If a car accident occurs due to distracted driving, it is important to take photographs of the crash scene and gather the name and contact information of any witnesses. It is crucial to know the name of the driver, the business that they work for and who owns the vehicle, if it's an independent contractor. salem semi truck accident case could affect 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 be partly responsible for your accident, they could be responsible for your economic and non-economic injuries.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions with trucks are common and can result in serious injuries. They can happen in a variety of situations like an intersection, a stop signal, where the trucker is unable to look behind them for oncoming traffic. They may also occur when a car cuts in front of the truck, forcing the driver to apply their brakes without warning. The trucker might then slam the car from behind.
It can be difficult to establish fault when there's a rear-end collision, because it isn't always clear which vehicle was at fault. An experienced attorney can help gather evidence that proves the driver in the rear caused the crash through following too closely or driving while distracted. This evidence can include photos or police reports, eyewitness testimony, as well markings from skids on the road.
Sometimes, the driver in the front could be at fault for the crash in addition. This can happen when they cut someone off, fail to use their turn signal in the way that a reasonable person would, or hit on the brakes at the last moment and cause the driver in the back to crash into the vehicle directly in the front. This is where modified comparative negligence laws could be used, in which the jury determines a percentage of the fault to each party and damages are reduced accordingly.
Lacerations and Bruises
In a rear-end collision, the rear end of the vehicle is the one that suffers the most force. This means that people in the car are at risk of serious injuries if hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. The force of the crash may also cause broken bones if the occupants are thrown about the interior of the vehicle. Spinal injuries can be particularly severe. The damage to the spine could cause serious and lasting consequences for victims.
In addition to these types of injuries, the victim may suffer from psychological and emotional trauma from the trauma of a crash. They may experience difficulty sleeping or concentrating which can lead them to depression and anxiety. If they are unable to work due to the severity of their injury, it can create stress and financial hardship. An attorney can investigate all possible causes of liability and assist a victim in seeking an appropriate amount of compensation for their loss.
Troublesome trailer hitches
Whatever vehicle you're driving, either a car, van, truck, or a flatbed, all cars need to be securely attached to their trailers. Unintentionally removing a trailer's hitch can result in catastrophic accidents that lead to severe injuries, or even death. If you've suffered injuries in a vehicle accident caused by a runaway truck and you are in need of an experienced attorney who specializes in hitch failure cases to discuss your legal options.
A faulty trailer hitch can be caused by many different things, from improper securing to defective design. It could be due to a defect on the part of the manufacturer in which case product liability laws may apply. The person or company that is at the fault for a trailer that is defective could be held accountable for the medical bills of the victims, auto repair costs, and other losses arising from the incident.
In a fatal crash that occurred on a highway in Ohio known as "Devil's Backbone" in January 2014 the trailer slid off of the truck. It then crashed into two cars directly behind it. Initial investigations suggested that the crash was due to the driver's negligence in failing to check and secure the hitch. However, in June of 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect had caused the hitch that was involved in the crash -- an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel of Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a significant number of occasions.
As a result of the faulty hitch caused by the defective hitch, the trailer smashed into the sides of the vehicles before plunging into them head-on. This led to multiple deaths and serious injuries to drivers of the vehicles.
The truck driver involved in the accident was convicted of vehicular homicide. However, experts say that he could've avoided the collision if he'd performed an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to ensure all connections were tight. Faulty trailer hitsches can cause major disasters, as these types of incidents typically involve a lot of speed and may hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances the trailer can deform a car's frame and force the metal to impale passengers inside.