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:

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.