How Can A Cherry Hill Truck Accident Lawyer Help You?
We rely on semi-trucks and the trucking industry to deliver a majority of the consumer goods on our shelves. Semi-trucks also transport raw materials, works in progress, building materials, and other freight to warehouses, manufacturing plants, and distribution centres across the country.
Despite their economic benefit, every year semi-trucks are involved in hundreds of thousands accidents, many of which result in serious injury or death. In 2019 alone, according to the United States Department of Transportation, 4,119 people died in large truck accidents.
Trucks and their attached semi-trailers are some of the largest vehicles operating on the roads, often weighing more than 20 times more than an average passenger vehicle. It is no surprise that the vast majority of fatalities in accidents involving semi-trucks are the occupants of passenger vehicles.
Victims of truck accidents and their families may be eligible to pursue a claim for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. It is important to contact a Cherry Hill auto accident lawyer as soon as possible to determine if you have a case.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
As with any highway crash, semi-truck accidents can result from a myriad of factors. Often, an accident has multiple causes, especially when more than one vehicle is involved. The most common causes of semi-truck accidents include:
- Speeding – While some trucking companies install devices to track or regulate the speed of their fleet, this safety precaution is not universal. Even where it is implemented, these measures can be ignored or circumvented. Considering their size, speeding in a semi-truck is exponentially more dangerous than with a passenger vehicle.
- Distracted, careless, or inattentive driving – Many professional truck drivers spend inordinate amounts of time behind the wheel and it is no surprise that occasional distraction, carelessness, and inattentiveness can occur. Traveling at high speeds, it only takes a moment of looking away from the road to result in a serious accident.
- Fatigue – State and federal regulations limit the amount of time a commercial driver can spend behind the wheel. These regulations are in place to prevent overly-tired and fatigued drivers from creating dangerous situations on the road. However, these regulations are not always followed.
- Aggressive driving – Road rage is all too common in our society and commercial semi-truck drivers are not immune. Aggressive driving actions such as tailgating, failure to yield, erratic lane changing, or violating rules of the road are incredibly dangerous when the driver is behind the wheel of a large truck.
- Intoxication – Despite regulation and testing to ensure sobriety, intoxicated commercial truck drivers are responsible for serious accidents resulting in serious injury or death.
- Defective truck or truck parts – Whether due to a manufacturing defect, a failure to inspect, or a failure to repair, a semi-truck defect presents an enormous risk to everyone on the road.
- Overloading / exceeding weight limits – Commercial trucks have weight regulations that vary depending upon the size of the truck and nature of the cargo. These weight limits are checked at weigh stations along the highways. Regardless, some trucks are still overloaded, and carrying this extra weight makes braking more difficult and tire blowouts more likely.
- Dangerous road conditions – Weather, construction, inadequate maintenance, and poor lighting can lead to dangerous road conditions. These conditions can reduce visibility and create dangerous situations for commercial trucks and the passenger vehicles that share the road with them.
Common Injuries Resulting from Truck Accidents
Accidents involving large trucks commonly result in serious injury or death. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 23% of all truck accidents result in injury with 1% resulting in fatalities.
And while these numbers have declined in the last two decades, serious accidents are still all too common. When truck accidents do occur, survivors are often left with injuries that can impact their quality of life on a long-term, even permanent, basis. The most common injuries include:
- Back and neck injury – This can include minor and temporary pain from neck and back sprain to serious injuries such as dislocated discs and spinal cord damage. These more serious conditions can lead to a lifetime of pain and decreased capacity.
- Head injury – Those involved in large truck accidents are susceptible to head injuries from direct impact and from whiplash due to rapid acceleration or deceleration. Most serious are brain injuries which can lead to a long term or permanent decrease in cognitive and motor functioning.
- Broken bones – While some broken bones can be treated easily, serious injuries involving multiple fractures and crushed bone can require surgical intervention and long term care.
- Lacerations – Truck accidents, particularly those involving multiple vehicles, can create large amounts of flying debris including broken glass, metal shards, and hard plastic, Propelled at high rates of speed from an impact, this debris can result in severe cuts and puncture wounds. Serious injuries of this nature can require long term care and leave a victim permanently scarred and disfigured.
- Burns – Truck accidents can result in fire and explosions, subjecting those involved in the crash to serious risk of burn. Likewise, crash victims can also experience friction burns from being forcibly scraped along the vehicle interior or being ejected from their vehicle across the pavement. In some cases, a commercial semi-truck carrying hazardous materials can rupture, exposing those involved to a risk of chemical burn. Burns can be very serious injuries requiring long term treatment and eventual plastic surgery.
Who Is Liable for a Truck Accident?
Determining fault and liability in a Cherry Hill truck accident is complicated and you should contact an experienced Cherry hill truck accident lawyer to make sure you are pursuing the right claim against the right parties. Truck drivers, the driver’s employer, the truck owner, and the trucking company may be liable for negligence in a trucking accident. Further, product manufacturers who produced the truck or trailer may be found liable in the case of a product defect.
Why Do You Need A Cherry Hill Truck Accident Lawyer?
Victims of and their families often feel overwhelmed in the aftermath of a serious truck accident. Dealing with attorneys representing trucking companies and their insurance carriers can seem like too much to handle. An experienced Cherry Hill truck accident lawyer may be able to help you recover the compensation needed to make yourself whole following an accident.
If you need legal assistance in a truck accident in Cherry Hill, please contact our experienced lawyers. Sign up for a consultation and get help as soon as possible.