Have you or a loved one experienced an injury while in a crash with a semi-truck? If you’ve had a big truck accident or have been injured, be sure to call our attorneys and give them all the details of your accident. You deserve to be compensated for your suffering! If you have a semi-truck accident claim, a knowledgeable attorney may provide you with the legal representation you need.
How Do Big Truck Accidents Happen?
Semi-trucks are often times carrying large loads. This can make it difficult to stop fast enough to prevent accidents. Failing to stop in time can cause serious crashes. Sometimes, these semi-trucks are not properly maintained and the brakes may fail, or tires may blow out. It is also easy for a truck driver to become distracted while driving. Distractions commonly found while driving include cell phones, texting, eating/drinking, or even weather conditions.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents resulting in injury and death can have common causes. These include:
· Failing to yield to a truck or other vehicle on the road
· Speeding during inclement weather, like rain and snow
· Overly aggressive driving when passing large trucks
· Distracted driving, like talking or texting on a cell phone
· Tailgating, especially at night when visibility is low
· Truck driver fatigue leading to drowsiness/ sleep deprivation
· Brake failure or tire blowout due to poor maintenance of the truck
Truck Driver Fatigue and Sleep Deprivation
Truck drivers work long hours behind the wheel. They may be responsible for getting their cargo from one state to another. Drivers who become fatigued are more likely to cause serious accidents caused by drowsiness. They can also fall asleep while driving, which leads to other problems. Dangerous situations include the following:
· The driver drifts out of his own lane; he will drift from the lane to an area where another driver is; and this results in a major accident.
· A truck driver’s eyes shut from exhaustion, and he cannot see the car stopped ahead of him when he approaches it — which can result in a head-on collision.
· The driver may fall asleep at the wheel because of sleep deprivation, or lack of sleep due to working too many hours.
As semi-truck drivers attempt to avoid the accident, it can sometimes result in an overturned vehicle, creating chaos for anybody in the area.
Your car may also be overturned in the process of avoiding the initial truck accident. Some of the wrecks that are due to a driver’s sleep deprivation can result in death or permanent disability. They may result in severe bodily harm to either party involved.
Hiring a Truck Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one has been involved in one of these wrecks, contact an attorney who can work with you on your case. The initial consultation is usually free and they can inform you of your rights. Bringing your police report with you, (if possible) could be of great benefit to your lawyer.
It also helps to have a witness there who saw the whole accident, but this is not always possible or even advisable. Due to risk of re-injury, it may be best to wait for help in these situations.
The personal injury attorney may be able to inform you of what type of compensation you are entitled to should the truck driver be found to be at fault.