Semi Truck Accident Law
A serious injury sustained in an accident with semi-trucks can cost a person with medical expenses. hawthorne semi truck accident lawyer can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
After a collision is crucial to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney at your side. A professional lawyer can assist you in proving your case by using evidence such as police reports, surveillance footage, etc.
Poorly maintained vehicles
In a lot of cases trucking firms and owner-operators do not take the appropriate steps to make sure their vehicles are in good condition. This can lead to many preventable accidents occurring every year.
Semis and tractor trailers require more frequent maintenance than cars for passengers due to their dimensions and larger weight. However the pressure to meet deadlines and maximize profits can overtake maintaining the fleet. Trucks can be prone to mechanical problems that could lead to devastating accidents.
The brakes of trucks are of particular importance since they have to stop the vehicle and slow it down at the smallest of moments. If the pads of a truck's brakes lines, lines, or return springs fail, they can cause serious collisions and fatal injuries. These parts must be checked regularly and repaired when necessary to ensure they are in good condition.
Inadequately maintained tires can be a major reason for truck accidents. Tires that are worn out may lose traction, which causes the truck to slide or even roll over. Tires that aren't working because of an insufficient air pressure or tread design, can fail catastrophically.
Regular inspections of trucks are required in addition to regular maintenance in order to spot mechanical issues prior to causing an incident. However, if the inspection is not done correctly or the repair shop fails to follow the manufacturer's guidelines this could result in a crash. In these situations, a company that employed the maintenance or repair shop or who was responsible for its supervision could be held responsible.
Another reason for truck accidents is defective lights, signals, and reflectors. These components must be in good functioning to allow drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, particularly in rural areas and after dark. Drivers and trucking companies could not maintain and inspect these elements, or they may not carry out regular safety inspections.
A Houston truck accident attorney will investigate your case and determine who may be accountable for your losses in the event you were injured by a badly maintained commercial truck. The investigation can uncover evidence proving the defendant's negligence and help you receive the compensation you're entitled to.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many events more devastating than an incident that involves a commercial truck. These massive vehicles weigh up to 25 times more than your car and can cause a lot more injuries if they are involved in collisions. Distracted driving is one of many factors that can cause accidents. A truck driver who is distracted may lose control of their vehicle, or fail to see an issue on the road, which can lead to life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers must adhere to strict rules and regulations that have been formulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a prohibition against texting or using cell phones while driving. But even if truckers adhere to the rules, they may still be distracted and cause an accident. This can be a result of manual distractions such as taking a hand off the wheel or cognitive distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
Although most people know that it is risky to text and drive, few realize that other activities such as eating or changing the radio station or even talking to passengers can be considered distracting. When a trucker is distracted, they may wander off into another lane, or miss a traffic jam in front of them. It takes only a split second for a large truck to strike a passenger vehicle when the trucker's focus is diverted.
It is important to collect details about witnesses and also take pictures of the scene after an accident if an unintentionally distracted driver causes a truck crash. It is also important to determine the name of the driver who is driving the truck and the company they work for, aswell and who owns the truck if it's an independent contractor. This can have an effect on who is accountable for the accident, since it is the responsibility of the trucking company to find competent and skilled 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 collisions between trucks are not uncommon and can result in serious injuries. These accidents can happen in a variety of circumstances like at the stop sign or a an intersection when the trucker does not check the road ahead for oncoming traffic. It can also happen when cars cross the truck's path, which forces the driver of the truck to brake at a rapid pace without warning. The trucker may then crash 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 certain the vehicle that was at fault. An experienced lawyer can find evidence to prove that the driver in the back caused the accident by following too closely or driving erratically. This can include evidence such as photos, police reports, eyewitness testimony and skid marks on the roadway.
Sometimes the driver in front could be found to be the one responsible for the accident also. This can happen when they cut someone off or fail to use their turn signal in the way that a reasonable person would, or put on the brakes in the last second and cause the driver behind to slam into the car directly in front of them. In this kind of situation modified comparative negligence laws could be used. The jury will assign a percentage of blame to each of the parties. Damages are then reduced according to.
Lacerations and Bruises
In a rear-end accident, the rear of the car is the area that experiences the most force. This means that drivers are most at risk of serious injuries if they hit their heads against the dashboard or the back window. They can also suffer broken bones due to being torn around inside the vehicle by the force of the collision. Spinal injuries can be severe. Spinal injuries can cause serious and lasting consequences for victims.
A victim of a serious accident could also be suffering from psychological and emotional trauma. They may have difficulty being able to sleep or concentrate, which can cause anxiety and depression. They may also experience stress and financial strain when they cannot work due to an injury. An attorney can examine all possible causes of liability and help a victim seek an appropriate amount of compensation for their loss.
Problematic trailer hitches
No matter if you're driving an automobile, a truck, a van or a flatbed, all vehicles must to be securely connected to their trailers. If a trailer becomes unhitched, it could result in catastrophic accidents that result in severe injuries or death. If you've suffered injuries in a vehicle accident caused by a truck that has run away, contact an experienced attorney who is experienced in cases of hitch failure to discuss your legal options.
A malfunctioning trailer hitch may be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from inadequate secured to faulty design. It could be caused by a defect on the part of the manufacturer where case-by-case product liability law may apply. The person or company responsible for a trailer's defect could be held responsible for the victims' medical costs or auto repair expenses, as well as other losses that result from the incident.
For instance in a fatal crash that occurred in January 2014 on an Ohio road locally known as "Devil's Backbone," a trailer came free from the truck, and was thrown through the air into two cars that were behind it. Initial investigations attributed the crash to the truck driver's negligence in failing examine and secure the hitch. However, in June of 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the possibility that a manufacturing defect caused the hitch in the crash -one of the Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama -- to fail on a large proportion of times.
The trailer hit the side of the vehicles and then crashed into them. This led to multiple deaths and serious injuries to the drivers of the vehicles.
The truck driver involved in the accident was convicted of vehicular homicide, but experts say that he could've avoided the crash by conducting an exhaustive inspection of his trailer to make sure all connections were tight. The failure of a trailer's hitches can result in catastrophic accidents, as these types of incidents typically involve a large amount of speed and can easily hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these instances, the trailer may distort the frame of a car and result in sharp metal fragments that can impale passengers.