What's Holding Back The Semi Truck Lawsuit Industry?
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 can also cause permanent disabilities that require expensive equipment and long-term therapy.
After a collision, it is important to have an experienced New York truck accident attorney to assist you. A qualified attorney can help to prove your case using evidence such as police reports and surveillance camera footage and much more.
Vehicles that are poorly maintained
In a majority of cases trucking companies as well as owner-operators don't take the appropriate steps to make sure their vehicles are in good condition. This leads to an increase in the number of preventable accidents every year.
In comparison to passenger cars, semis and tractor-trailers require more frequent maintenance work due to their size and weight. loads. However keeping deadlines and increasing profits can often take precedence over the maintenance of the fleet. Trucks are susceptible to mechanical issues that could cause catastrophes.
The brakes of a truck need to be able to stop and slow down the vehicle at a moment's notice. When brake pads lines, return springs or return lines on a truck wear out and break, it could lead to serious accidents and fatal injuries. It is vital to have these parts regularly inspected and replaced as needed to keep them in good working condition.
Tires that are not properly maintained can contribute to truck accidents. Tires that are worn-out can lose traction and cause the truck to rollover or skid. Tires that are defective because of improper air pressure or tread design may fail catastrophically.
In addition to regular maintenance, trucks also require regular inspections in order to spot mechanical issues before they cause an accident. If an inspection is done incorrectly or if the repair shop doesn't adhere to the manufacturer's specifications it could lead to a crash. In these instances, the company that commissioned the maintenance or repair shop or managed it may be held liable.
Another reason for truck accidents is faulty signals, lights, and reflectors. These elements must be properly working to enable drivers to see the truck and anticipate its movements, especially in rural areas and after dark. However, trucking companies might not inspect and maintain these equipments or the driver might fail to conduct regular safety inspections.
A Houston truck accident lawyer will investigate your case and determine who might be accountable for your damages in the event that you were injured by a deteriorated maintenance of a commercial truck. These investigations can uncover evidence to prove the defendant's negligence in your crash and help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
Distracted Drivers
There aren't many things that can be more damaging than an accident which involves a commercial vehicle. These huge vehicles can weigh as much as 25-times more than your car and cause much worse injuries when involved in an accident. While a variety of factors can cause accidents, distracted driving is one of the most prevalent and risky. A driver who is distracted can lose control of their vehicle or fail to notice a road hazard, which can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries.
Truck drivers are required to follow strict rules and regulations established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This includes a ban on texting or using cell phones while driving. However, even when truckers adhere to the rules, they may still be distracted and cause crash. This could be because of manual distractions, such as dropping a hand off of the steering wheel or mental distractions like thinking about something other than driving.
While the majority of people are aware the dangers of using text while driving, a few are aware that other activities like eating or changing the station on the radio, and even conversing with passengers can be considered to be distracting. When the trucker is distracted, the driver could drift off into another direction and not notice a traffic jam ahead. When a truck driver's attention is diverted, it only takes a split-second for a large vehicle to hit a motorist car.
It is important to collect details on any witnesses and to take photographs of the scene of the accident when an unintentionally distracted driver causes the truck to crash. It is essential to know the name of the driver, the business that they work for, and who owns the vehicle if it's an independent contractor. This could have an effect on who is accountable for the accident, as it is the responsibility of the trucking company to find competent and skilled truck drivers. If providence semi truck accident attorney is found be partly responsible for the accident, they may be held responsible for your economic as well as non-economic damages.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end collisions between trucks are common and often cause severe injuries. These accidents can occur in many different circumstances such as the stop sign or red light, when the trucker fails to check the road ahead for oncoming traffic. It can also happen if cars cross the truck's path, forcing the driver of the truck to stop abruptly without warning. The trucker could then hit the car from behind.
It can be difficult to prove fault when there is rear-end collisions, as it's not always clear which vehicle was at fault. A knowledgeable attorney can collect evidence to prove that the driver in the back caused the accident because they followed too closely or driving with a distraction. This could include evidence such as photos, police reports eyewitness testimony and skid marks on the roadway.
Sometimes, the driver in the front could be found to be at fault for the crash as well. This could happen if they cut off someone else, fail to use their turn signal as a reasonable person would, or decide to slam on the brakes at the last moment which causes the driver behind to slam into the car directly in front of them. This kind of situation is where modified comparative negligence laws could be applied, in which the jury assigns a percentage of blame to each party and damages are reduced accordingly.
Bruises and Lacerations
The rear end of the vehicle is the most impacted area in a rear-end collision, meaning that occupants can sustain serious injuries from hitting their head against the dashboard or back windows. They also may break bones after being bounced around the interior of the car by the force of the crash. The spine is a vulnerable area and injuries to it can be severe. Injuries to the spine can cause serious and lasting effects on victims.
In addition to these types of injuries, victims may also experience emotional and psychological trauma from having been involved in a terrible crash. They may have trouble getting enough sleep or concentrating, which could cause anxiety and depression. If they're unable to work due to the extent of their injury, this could cause stress and financial hardship. An attorney can look into any possible liability sources and assist a victim in seeking an appropriate amount of compensation for their expenses.
Problematic trailer hitches
Regardless of whether you're driving either a car, truck, a van, or a flatbed, all vehicles must to be securely connected to their trailers. When a trailer becomes unexpectedly unhitched, it could cause a catastrophic accident that could cause serious injuries or even death. If you've been injured in an accident involving an unhitched trailer, call an experienced lawyer for car accidents specializing in hitch failure cases promptly to discuss your legal options.
The reason behind a defective trailer hitch can be caused by a variety, ranging from improper securement or design. It can be the result of an error by the manufacturer and, in this case, lawful product liability may apply. The company or individual responsible for a trailer that is defective can be held accountable for the victim's medical expenses as well as auto repair costs and other losses that result from the incident.
In an accident that killed a person 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. Initial investigations linked the incident to the truck driver's carelessness 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 in the crash -it was an Ultra LT manufactured by Fontaine Fifth Wheel in Trussville, Alabama -- to malfunction on a high proportion of occasions.
The trailer hit the side of the vehicles and then crashed into them. The result was multiple deaths and serious injuries to the drivers.
The driver of the truck involved in this accident was convicted of vehicular murder, however experts say that he could have avoided the collision with other vehicles if he had done a thorough visual inspection of his trailer and made sure that all connections were secure. Faulty trailer hitsches can cause major disasters, as they typically require a significant amount of speed, and they can hit smaller cars or motorcycles. In these situations, the trailer may distort the car's frame and cause razor-sharp metal fragments to entrap passengers.