Semi Truck Accident Law
A semi-truck accident could cause an injury that is serious enough to cost a person a lot in medical bills. It could also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
It is crucial to have a professional New York truck accident lawyer by your side after a crash. A skilled attorney can establish your case through evidence like police reports, surveillance camera footage, and more.
Poorly maintained vehicles
In a lot of cases, trucking companies and owner-operators fail to take the appropriate steps to ensure that their vehicles are in good working condition. This can lead to a large percentage of accidents that could have been avoided every year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than passenger cars due to their larger dimensions and larger load. Unfortunately, the pressure to meet deadlines and maximize profits can overtake maintaining the fleet. Trucks are susceptible to mechanical issues that could cause catastrophes.
The brakes on a truck are particularly important since they have to stop the vehicle and slow it down at the smallest of moments. When a truck's brake pads lines, lines, or return springs wear out they can result in serious collisions and fatal injuries. It is vital to have these parts regularly inspected and replaced when required to keep them in good working condition.
Tires that aren't well maintained can also play a significant role in truck accidents. Worn tires can lose traction, which causes the truck to slide or even tip over. Tires that are defective either because of inadequate tread design or air pressure may fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks must undergo regular inspections in order to spot mechanical issues prior to causing an accident. However, if the inspection is performed incorrectly or the repair shop doesn't adhere to the guidelines of the manufacturer it could lead to a crash. In these cases the company that employed or supervising the maintenance or repair shop could be held accountable.
Poorly functioning lights, signals and reflectors are another common reason for truck accidents. These components must function properly so that drivers can be aware of and anticipate the movements of the truck particularly when driving in rural areas or at night. Drivers and trucking companies could fail to maintain and check these items, or may not perform daily safety checks.
A Houston truck accident lawyer can investigate your case and determine who may be accountable for your losses in the event that you were injured by a deteriorated maintenance of a commercial truck. Investigating your case can uncover evidence that shows the negligence of the defendant in your crash and help you receive the compensation you are entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
There are few things more damaging than an accident which involves a commercial vehicle. 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 driver who is distracted could lose control of the vehicle or overlook an accident on the road, which can lead to life-threatening injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict rules and rules for truck drivers. This includes a ban on texting or using cell phones while driving. Even if truckers obey the rules, they can still be distracted and cause an accident. This can be the result of manual distractions, such as taking their hands off the steering wheel or mental distractions such as thinking about something else other than driving.
Many people are aware that texting while driving can be risky, but many do not realize that other activities, such as eating, changing radio stations, or talking to passengers, can also be considered distracting. When a truck driver gets distracted, they could wander off into a different lane or fail to notice a traffic jam in front of them. It only takes a fraction of a second for a big truck to hit a passenger vehicle when the trucker's attention wanders.
If a truck crash is caused by an unintentionally distracted driver It is essential to snap photos of the scene of the crash as well as collect the contact details and name of witnesses. It is also helpful to find out the name of the driver of the truck and the company they work for, aswell the owner of the truck if they are an independent contractor. This can have an impact on who is liable for the accident, since it is the trucking company's responsibility to find competent and skilled truck drivers. If the trucking firm is found to be partly responsible for your accident, it could be liable to you for both economic as well as non-economic losses.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end truck collisions are common and can result in serious injuries. These accidents can happen in a variety of situations like at a stop sign or red light when the trucker does not check behind him for oncoming traffic. They can also occur when a car comes in front of the truck, forcing the driver to slam on their brakes without warning. The trucker might then slam into the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove the fault of a driver in rear-end collisions, as it's not always evident which vehicle was responsible. A knowledgeable attorney can gather evidence to show that the driver in the back caused the accident by following too closely, or driving with a distraction. This can include evidence like photos, police reports eyewitness testimony, and skid marks in the road.
Sometimes, the driver in the front could be the one responsible for the accident as well. This could occur if they cut off someone else or fail to use a turn signal as any other reasonable person. This is where modified comparative negligence laws be used, in which the jury determines a percentage of the fault to each party and damages are lowered accordingly.
Bruises and Lacerations
The rear-end of the vehicle experiences the most impact during a rear-end collision which means that occupants may suffer serious injuries from hitting their head against the dashboard or back window. The force of the crash may cause broken bones when the occupants of the vehicle are thrown around the vehicle's interior. Spinal injuries can be severe. The spinal cord contains many nerves that control the body, so any injury to the spinal column may cause significant and permanent issues for the victims.
In addition to these kinds of injuries, the victim might also suffer from psychological and emotional trauma as a result of being in a horrific crash. They may have trouble in concentrating or sleeping, which could cause depression and anxiety. They could also be facing financial hardship and stress if they are unable work due to their injury. An attorney will investigate the possible sources of liability and assist the victim to receive the right amount of compensation for their loss.
Problematic trailer hitches
All vehicles, regardless of whether they are a car, van, truck, flatbed, or van, need to be securely connected to their trailers. Unintentionally unhitching a trailer could cause catastrophic accidents that can lead to severe injuries or even death. If you've suffered injuries in a collision involving a runaway trailer, contact an experienced lawyer for car accidents specializing in hitch failure cases immediately to discuss your legal options.
A defective trailer hitch could be caused by many different things, from improper securing to defective design. It could be caused by a defect on the part of the manufacturer, where case-by-case product liability law could be applicable. The company or individual responsible for a trailer that is defective could be held responsible for the victims' medical costs, 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 was detached from the truck. It then crashed into two cars directly behind it. Initial investigations suggested that the crash was due to the truck driver's carelessness in failing to properly inspect and secure the hitch. In June 2015, however the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a flaw in the hitch, an Ultra LT manufactured Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama, was the cause of the crash.
Due to the faulty hitch, the trailer struck the sides of the vehicles before crashing into them head-on. This resulted in multiple fatalities and serious injuries to the drivers of the vehicles.
The driver of the truck that was involved in the incident was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter. However, palm bay semi truck accident settlement say that he could have prevented the collision with other vehicles if he done a thorough visual inspection of his trailer and made sure that all connections were in good order. A faulty trailer hitch can lead to major disasters. These incidents are often fast and can easily smack motorbikes or smaller vehicles. In these situations, the trailer may distort the car's frame and result in sharp metal fragments to entrap passengers.