Trucking Accidents
Trucking Accidents
According to the American Trucking Association, there are over 26 million registered commercial trucks on the country’s roads and highways. Although these commercial trucks are an extremely important part of the economy, they also pose great hazards to other drivers. Approximately 500,000 truck accidents occur in the United States every year, with about 5,000 of those crashes resulting in death. Truck accidents are often caused by truck driver error but regardless of the cause, they typically result in some of the most serious injuries for accident victims.
What Makes Trucking Accidents Different from Car Accidents?
Many people think that truck accidents are very similar to car crashes, until they are in a collision with a commercial truck. Truck accident cases are much more complicated than crashes involving two passenger vehicles, and they require a lawyer that understands state and federal trucking laws, regulations, and safety rules.
One of the main differences between collisions involving trucks and those involving smaller cars is that truck drivers are usually insured under commercial insurance policies. While you are recovering from your injuries, you will also need to communicate with the trucking company, the loading company, and perhaps even the product manufacturer of the cargo the truck was carrying.
All parties you speak to will have a team of attorneys, as well as their own insurance company. The insurance companies are major corporations that will try to persuade you to accept a settlement offer that is not enough to cover the cost of your injuries. They may even try to blame you for your injuries. If you agree to a settlement, you cannot ask anyone else for compensation in the future, even if the original settlement did not fully cover the cost of your injuries.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
The following are the most common causes of truck accidents:
- Fatigue: Truck drivers are under an enormous amount of pressure to deliver their cargo within a certain timeframe. As such, they spend long hours on the road and do not always take appropriate breaks. This results in driver fatigue and a trucker that will take their focus off the road.
- Impairment: Truckers often think that taking drugs or drinking alcohol will help them stay awake and help them meet those tight deadlines. All it does tragically, is cause fatal accidents.
- Speeding: Trucks take much longer to slow down and stop and when drivers speed, it takes even longer.
- Improperly maintained trucks: Trucks are massive machines that must be regularly inspected and maintained. When they are not, a defective piece of equipment may fail and cause a crash.
- Improperly loaded cargo: When cargo is not loaded properly in a truck, it can shift during transport and throw the entire vehicle off balance.
- Aggressive driving: Aggressive driving is always dangerous, but it becomes particularly hazardous when truck drivers become aggressive. They may try to cut other drivers off, speed excessively, and engage in other risky behaviors.
- Blind spots: Trucks have massive blind spots on all sides, including directly behind the truck and in front of the driver. Still, truck drivers are expected to know how to check these blind spots and avoid a crash.
Common Injuries in a Trucking Accident
Accident victims that survive truck crashes suffer from some of the most severe injuries that typically take months or even years to recover from. Some of the most common injuries after truck accidents are as follows:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Amputations
- Disfigurement
- Paralysis
- Burns
- Broken Bones
- Internal injuries
Types of Negligence & Abuse
There are a number of ways in which nursing home staff may abuse the residents in their care. The most common of these include:
- Attacking a resident
- Sexually abusing a resident
- Denying a resident food or water
- Striking or physically abusing a resident
- Stealing personal property or money from a resident
- Denying a resident adequate shelter and other comforts
Truck accidents also often result in injuries that are not as visible as those above. These injuries include emotional trauma, such as PTSD, severe depression, and chronic pain. Some truck accident victims find it difficult to ever get into a vehicle again, and many never drive again, either.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
The period of time following a truck accident can be very stressful, as you are likely to have serious injuries related to the accident. It is extremely important that you speak to us at Aventis Law Firm as we know how to deal with the many complexities of truck accidents.
Call us to discuss your case
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General Questions
Is Aventis Law Firm Right for Me?
Choosing a law firm to represent you and your case is one of the most important decisions you can make. We understand that your case is important to you and choosing the right firm and attorney to represent you could make the difference for your case.
Attorney Nicole Liu has spent years working for some of the biggest insurance defense law firms in the State of Florida representing some of the largest insurance companies and corporations in the country, as well as big-box and specialty stores, large and small businesses, restaurants, gas stations, hospitals, and property owners. Because Nicole knows how the insurance companies think and the tactics they use to settle your case for as quickly and minimally as possible, she has a unique insight into how these companies defend their cases to get the best result for your case.
What types of cases does Aventis Law Firm handle?
At Aventis Law Firm, we handle claims in the pre-suit phase and at all levels of litigation. Our areas of practice include Auto Accidents, Bicycle Accidents, Boating Accidents, Drunk Driving Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Pedestrian Accidents, Trucking Accidents, Dog Bites, Premises Liability, Fire Claims & Burn Injuries, Slip and Fall, Negligent Security, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect, Wrongful Death, Products Liability, and Homeowners Insurance.
Please see our Areas of Practice for a detailed description of each.
How do I know if I have a case?How do I know if I have a case?
You do not need to make this decision on your own. Contact us and set up a free consultation to go over the facts of your case in detail. We will be able to tell you whom you can sue and what you can expect to recover, based on the facts of your accident. Essentially, in most situations, you will have a case if someone acted carelessly under the circumstances and caused your injuries. Applying this standard is more complicated than it sounds, however, which is why it is important to call us for a free consultation.
You may still have a case even if you do not feel hurt at the scene. The biological response to a traumatic situation like an accident sends a rush of adrenaline through the body, which can temporarily reduce sensations of pain. You may start feeling significant pain or developing other symptoms later. It is wise to consult a doctor even if you do not feel immediate, excruciating pain, since some of the most serious conditions emerge over time.
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