What Are the Types of Injuries Suffered in Trucking Accidents?

Whenever a large commercial truck, such as a big rig, tractor-trailer, or 18-wheeler, strikes a smaller passenger vehicle, bicycle, or motorcycle, the individuals on the receiving end typically suffer the more severe injuries in the accident.

In general, the more forceful a truck collision and the higher the vehicle speeds, the more likely an accident victim will suffer permanent or fatal injuries.

If you suffered injuries in a recent truck accident, consult a truck accident lawyer in your area as quickly as possible about your legal rights and potential options. Your lawyer can investigate your truck accident, gather documents, and file a claim for favorable monetary compensation with the appropriate insurance company adjuster.

By retaining legal counsel as quickly as possible in your case, you increase your chances of obtaining a favorable monetary settlement. Your lawyer will aggressively represent your legal interests and negotiate with insurance company adjusters to pursue the monetary recovery you deserve for your injuries.

How Do Truck Accidents Occur?

Truck accidents frequently happen when truck people drive negligently and carelessly.

One common cause of local truck accidents is moving violations. When truck drivers violate standard traffic laws that apply to all vehicles, they significantly increase their chances of causing an accident.

Common road-rule violations that lead to trucking accidents include a truck driver’s failure to yield the right-of-way to another vehicle at the proper time, excessive speeding, failure to use turn signals, or failure to use mirrors.

A truck accident may also happen when a driver violates state or federal motor carrier regulations. These regulations set load limits for large commercial vehicles and establish standards for loading and unloading procedures, lighting requirements for tractors and trailers, and regulations for properly securing cargo to a trailer before setting off on a journey.

When truck drivers and trucking companies do not follow motor carrier regulations, a top-heavy truck may offset its center of gravity and tip over. Additionally, unsecured or improperly secured cargo may roll off the truck bed and into the road, causing a severe traffic accident.

Truck accidents may also happen when fatigued drivers take the wheel. To arrive at their final destination ahead of schedule, some truck drivers drive for hours on end without taking periodic rest breaks. Fatigued may cause lack of concentration, delayed reflexes, and delayed reaction time. Furthermore, if a truck driver falls asleep at the wheel, they may lose control of their vehicle and crash.

A truck accident may also happen when a driver operates their vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. While most passenger vehicle drivers are legally intoxicated if they have a blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, of at least 0.08 percent, a much lower legal limit applies to commercial vehicle operators.

An intoxicated truck driver may lose their ability to focus on the road and experience dizziness, nausea, and blurred vision, which prevent the truck driver from seeing other vehicles. An intoxicated truck driver may also experience impaired judgment, limited concentration, and delayed reflexes. As a result, a truck driver may not stop in time to avoid striking another vehicle or pedestrian.

Suppose you sustained injuries in a truck accident that resulted from a truck driver or trucking company’s negligence. In that case, consult a truck accident attorney in your area as quickly as possible about your legal options. Your lawyer can chart a successful course of action for your case and pursue the maximum monetary damages you deserve for your accident-related losses.

Victims’ Injuries in Local Truck Accidents

A driver or passenger who is on the receiving end of a truck accident may suffer extremely serious physical and mental injuries. The injuries a truck accident victim sustains in their crash depend upon the number of collisions, the speeds of the involved vehicles, the collision force, and other accident-related factors.

Common truck accident injuries include open lacerations and bruises, bone fractures, rib fractures, soft tissue whiplash injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), internal bleeding, internal organ damage, mouth and teeth injuries, facial contusions, complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries, full and partial paralysis injuries, and death.

If you suffered one or more injuries in your recent truck accident, attend prescribed medical appointments, undergo recommended medical procedures, attend physical therapy sessions, and consult medical specialists.

By following through with your recommended medical treatment regimen, you are more likely to obtain a full recovery from your accident-related injuries. Also, when it comes time to file a personal injury claim, it shows the insurance company that you took your injuries and medical treatment seriously and that your injuries deserve favorable monetary compensation.

When you receive treatment for your injuries, your truck accident attorney can gather evidence on your behalf and prepare to file a claim with the appropriate insurance company.

Who Is at Fault for a Truck Accident?

The most likely responsible individual in a truck accident scenario is the negligent truck driver. However, other individuals or entities may share responsibility for one of these accidents. Trucking companies that employ negligent truck drivers may also contribute to a truck accident.

In some situations, you can hold trucking companies liable for the negligent actions or inactions of their employee drivers. At other times, you can hold trucking companies liable for hiring or retaining a driver with a known record of moving violations or DUIs.

Other potentially responsible parties may include truck part manufacturers when truck parts malfunction on the road and cause an accident, along with truck repair facilities when individuals and facilities perform repair work in an unworkmanlike manner.

A skilled truck accident attorney in your area can identify all potentially responsible parties for your accident and file the appropriate claim or lawsuit on your behalf.

Filing an Insurance Claim Following a Truck Accident

Depending on where your truck accident happens, your lawyer might file several types of claims on your behalf. If your truck accident occurred in a no-fault jurisdiction, your lawyer can file a claim under your own personal injury protection, or PIP, insurance policy up to the available policy limits.

PIP insurance frequently compensates accident victims for immediate medical expenses, lost income, and other economic losses from their truck accident.

However, if an accident victim in a no-fault jurisdiction suffers a permanent or disabling injury/impairment (for example, a full or partial paralysis injury), they may file a personal injury claim directly against the at-fault truck driver or trucking company’s insurer.

To recover monetary damages in a third-party claim, the accident victim must establish that the at-fault party behaved unreasonably or irresponsibly and, as a result, the truck accident occurred.

In fault-based jurisdictions, the accident victim can file a third-party personal injury claim with the at-fault driver’s insurer. To recover monetary damages in a third-party personal injury claim, the accident victim must fully establish their legal burden of proof.

First, they must prove that the truck driver owed them a legal duty of care. Truck drivers have a duty to follow all traffic laws and regulations and drive in accordance with state and federal motor carrier regulations.

Next, the truck accident victim must demonstrate that the truck driver or trucking company violated their legal duty of care. For example, a truck driver might have broken the speed limit, driven while distracted, or driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The accident victim must also establish that the truck driver’s negligent actions or inactions were both the actual and the foreseeable cause of the subject accident.

Finally, the accident victim needs to demonstrate they suffered at least one physical injury in the accident. Property damage alone will not give you a personal injury claim.

Types of Third-party Monetary Damages That a Truck Accident Victim May Recover

As part of a third-party claim (or a lawsuit that the accident victim files in the court system), accident victims may have access to additional monetary damages, including compensation for accident-related medical expenses, lost earning capacity, and lost income.

They may also receive monetary damages for all of their intangible losses, including compensation for loss of the ability to use a body part, loss of life enjoyment, mental anguish, physical pain and suffering, inconvenience, loss of spousal consortium, permanent disability or disfigurement, lifetime care costs, long-term care costs, and humiliation from visible scars on the accident victim’s body.

Your truck accident attorney can file the appropriate claim on your behalf and anticipate the likely settlement or verdict value of your case. Yor lawyer will set reasonable expectations about how your case will turn out and the settlement compensation you may receive.

Speak With a Truck Accident Lawyer in Your Area Today

If you recently suffered injuries as a direct result of a truck accident, you need to involve a personal injury attorney in your case as quickly as possible. If you wait too long, the statute of limitations in your jurisdiction may prevent you from filing a personal injury lawsuit seeking monetary damages for your injuries.

A truck accident attorney can investigate your case and file the necessary claims with the appropriate insurance companies. Your lawyer will also review all potential settlement or litigation options in your case and maximize the monetary damages you receive for your accident-related injuries and losses.

Truck crashes are complicated events, and the resulting injuries can often be catastrophic. You need someone advocating for full compensation for your physical, mental, and financial losses.

Never handle the process alone or delay seeking legal representation. A truck accident lawyer will give you immediate peace of mind that someone is pursuing the support you need.