Semi Truck Accident Law
A semi-truck accident could cause an injury that is serious enough to cost the victim a significant amount in medical expenses. It can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term physical therapy.
After a collision, it is crucial to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney by your side. A skilled attorney can prove your case by using evidence such as police reports and surveillance camera footage and much more.
Poorly maintained vehicles
In many instances trucking firms and owners-operators do not take appropriate steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good working condition. danbury semi truck accident law firm leads to an overwhelming number of preventable accidents every year.
Compared to passenger cars, tractor-trailers and semis require more frequent maintenance due to their size and heavy loads. Unfortunately keeping deadlines and increasing profits can often take precedence over the maintenance of the fleet. As a result, trucks are more prone to mechanical problems that can lead to devastating accidents.
The brakes on a truck have to be able to stop and slow down the vehicle at a moment's notice. If the pads of a truck's brakes lines, lines, or return springs wear out they could cause serious collisions and fatal injuries. These parts should be regularly checked and repaired when necessary to ensure they are in good working condition.
Poor-maintained tires can also be a major contributor to truck accidents. Tires that are worn-out can lose traction and cause the truck to overturn or skid. If a tire is deficient in any way, such as having the wrong air pressure or improper tread design, it may fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks must undergo regular inspections to spot mechanical issues before they cause an accident. However, if the inspection is performed incorrectly or the repair shop does not follow the manufacturer's guidelines it could lead to an accident. In these cases, the company that hired or directed the maintenance or the repair shop could be held accountable.
Another common cause of truck accidents is faulty signals, lights, and reflectors. These devices must be correctly working to enable drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, particularly in rural areas or at night. However, trucking firms may not inspect and maintain these equipments or the driver could fail to conduct regular safety inspections.
A reputable Houston truck accident lawyer will analyze your case to determine which parties may be responsible for your losses after you've been injured during an accident involving a badly maintained commercial truck. The investigation can uncover evidence that demonstrates the defendant's negligence in the accident and assist you obtain the compensation you deserve.
Distracted Drivers
The result of a collision involving commercial trucks could be catastrophic. These huge vehicles can weigh as much as 25 times more than a car and can cause more severe injuries in accidents. Distracted driving is just one of the many causes of accidents. A distracted driver of a truck can lose control of the vehicle or miss an opportunity to avoid a road accident, which can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and regulations for truck drivers. This includes a prohibition on texting or using cell phones while driving. Even if truckers abide by the rules, they can still be distracted and cause an accident. This can be the result of manual distractions such as getting off the steering wheel or mental distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving is risky, but many do not realize that other activities, like eating, changing radio stations, or conversing with passengers could also be considered to be distracting. If a trucker is distracted, it is possible that he will drift into a different lane and fail to notice a traffic jam ahead. It takes only a split second for a big truck to crash into a vehicle if the trucker's mind is diverted.
It is important to collect details on any witnesses and to take photographs of the accident scene when an unintentionally distracted driver causes a crash of a truck. It is also helpful to find out the name of the truck driver as well as the company they are employed by, as well in determining who owns the truck if it's an independent contractor. This could impact on who is liable for the accident, as it is the responsibility of the trucking business to hire competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking firm is found to be partially responsible for your accident, it could be liable to you for any economic and non-economic damage.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are quite common and can cause serious injuries. These accidents can happen in a variety of circumstances like at an intersection or at a red light, when the trucker is not checking behind him for any traffic that is coming up. They may also occur when a car cuts in front of the truck, forcing the driver to hit their brakes without warning. The trucker can then slam into the car from behind.
It can be hard to establish fault when there's rear-end collisions because it's not always clear which vehicle was responsible. A skilled attorney can help gather evidence to prove that the driver behind caused the crash by following too closely, or driving with a distraction. This evidence could include photos or police reports, eyewitness testimony, as well as skid marks on the road.
Sometimes the driver in front could be found to be the one responsible for the accident in addition. This could happen if they cut off someone else, fail to use their turn signal as a reasonable person would, or put on the brakes in the last second, causing the driver behind to crash into the car directly in front of them. In this type of scenario the modified comparative negligence laws could be used. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each of the parties. The damages will be reduced accordingly.
Lacerations, Bruises and Bruises
The rear end of the vehicle has the greatest impact in a rear-end collision which means that the occupants could suffer serious injuries after hitting their head against the dashboard or back windows. They could also break bones due to being bounced around the interior of the car due to the force of the crash. The severity of spinal injuries can be devastating. The spinal cord contains a lot of nerves that control the body, so any damage to the spinal column can cause serious and lasting problems for victims.
A person who is a victim of a fatal accident might also suffer psychological and emotional trauma. They may experience difficulties being able to sleep or concentrate, which can cause anxiety and depression. They may also face financial hardship and stress when they are unable to work because of an injury. An attorney will investigate the possible causes of liability to assist a victim in receiving the right amount of compensation for their loss.
A problem with trailer hitches
It doesn't matter if you're driving an automobile, a van, truck, or a flatbed, all vehicles must to be securely connected to their trailers. Unexpectedly unhitching a trailer can cause catastrophic accidents that can lead to serious injuries or death. If you've suffered injuries by an unhitched trailer, call a qualified vehicle accident attorney specializing in hitch failure cases as soon as you can to discuss your legal options.
The cause of a faulty trailer hitch can be a variety of things that can be traced to improper securing or defective design. It could also be due to an error on the part of the manufacturer, in which case the product liability law could be applicable. The company or person at responsible for the malfunction of a trailer is liable for the cost of medical bills and auto repair expenses, 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 crashed into two cars that were directly behind it. Initial investigations linked the incident to the truck driver's negligence in failing to properly inspect and secure the hitch. In June of 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to investigate the possibility that a flaw in the hitch and an Ultra LT manufactured Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama, was the reason behind the crash.
Due to the malfunctioning hitch due to the hitch's failure, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles, before colliding into them head-on. The result was numerous deaths and serious injuries to the drivers.
The truck driver who was involved in the accident was convicted of vehicular homicide. However, experts say that he could've avoided the collision had he conducted a thorough inspection of his trailer to make sure all connections were tight. Faulty trailer hitsches can cause major disasters, as they typically involve a substantial amount of speed and can easily cause a collision with smaller vehicles or motorcycles. In these cases the trailer can distort the car's frame and create sharp metal fragments to entrap passengers.