According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 120,000 large truck crashes in the United States caused injuries, and more than 5,000 truck accidents were fatal in the most recent year for which statistics are available. These dangerous incidents can cause catastrophic injuries, substantial property damage, and altered lives for truck accident victims and their families.
If you were injured or lost a loved one in an accident of this nature, the Fayetteville truck & 18-wheeler accident lawyers at Horton Personal Injury Lawyers can help you navigate the legal process. We guide you compassionately every step of the way while offering aggressive legal representation aimed at recovering maximum compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Not every Fayetteville personal injury law firm is equally equipped to handle complex truck accident cases. Our founding attorney, Bill Horton, is rated as Premium on Lawyer.com and is a Super Lawyer. He is also a member of the Trial Lawyers College, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He is also listed as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers. Most indicative of our abilities is the fact that our personal injury law firm has secured several $1 million+ recoveries in truck accident cases, including $16 million in one case.
These accolades and unparalleled level of experience are useful when navigating the complexities of truck accident cases, which often include:
In a typical car accident case, one driver is found primarily at fault for the accident. However, in truck accident cases, multiple parties can potentially be held liable for the accident, including the truck driver, trucking company, cargo loading company, or truck owner. Sorting out liability and dealing with multiple insurance companies regarding one claim can be difficult if you are not experienced with this unique matter.
18-wheelers are 70-80 feet in length, 13.5 feet in height, 8.5 feet in width, and weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. When a vehicle of this size slams into an average 4,000-pound vehicle, the occupants in the smaller vehicle often suffer serious injuries, such as:
While commercial trucking operations must maintain much higher levels of insurance, when larger claims involving life-altering injuries are present, insurance companies will fight tooth and nail to limit their liability. You need an experienced attorney who can present a compelling case of liability and calculate the full extent of your damages.
Commercial trucking operations must comply with federal regulations when they transport goods across state lines. This includes:
Commercial truck drivers and companies must also follow state regulations, such as weight and size restrictions, hazardous material rules (when applicable), and roadway safety regulations.
At Horton Personal Injury Lawyers, our legal team has extensive experience handling personal injury cases involving the matters above.
To determine who is responsible for your crash, it’s crucial to understand how large truck accidents often occur. Some of the most common causes of truck accidents include the following:
As explained above, commercial trucks are much larger and sit higher than passenger vehicles. They have wide-turning radii and much longer stopping distances. Truck drivers can make handling mistakes. Sometimes these mistakes are due to inexperience or lack of training.
Sometimes, commercial truck drivers turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with the stresses of the job. Drugs, alcohol, prescription medications, and sometimes even over-the-counter medications can negatively affect drivers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes the following effects of alcohol on driving ability:
Because of the risks outlined above and the disastrous consequences that can occur when a truck driver causes a crash, the federal government holds commercial truck drivers to stricter alcohol limits. It’s illegal for a commercial truck driver to have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent or higher when operating any vehicle, which is half of the amount allowed for regular drivers.
These effects can make it more likely that serious accidents will occur.
Drivers of large trucks often work long shifts. When drivers are fatigued, they suffer from many of the same effects as alcohol impairment. The federal government recognizes this significant risk and has established rules that set daily and weekly limits for truck drivers, as well as require mandatory breaks.
However, many truck drivers and trucking companies willingly violate these rules. They sometimes falsify logbooks or tamper with electronic logging devices to conceal these violations. An experienced attorney can conduct a careful investigation to unveil such violations.
Truck drivers are under strict deadlines to meet deliveries. They may even be financially incentivized to make faster deliveries, which can lead to unsafe driving practices, such as:
Distracted driving is any activity that takes a driver’s mind off the task of driving, wheels off the steering wheel, or eyes off the roadway. Truck drivers can engage in various types of distracted activities, including:
Distracted driving is dangerous for anyone, but it is even more so for those operating a large vehicle weighing tons of pounds.
18-wheelers can carry lots of cargo at one time. However, if this cargo is not properly loaded, it can shift during transit, leading to dangerous jackknife and rollover accidents when drivers lose control of their vehicles. Cargo can also fall off the truck into the unsuspecting path of other motorists.
Commercial trucks have thousands of moving parts. If these components fail or are not properly maintained, they can cause the driver to lose control and crashes to occur. Common mechanical issues that contribute to truck accidents include:
Sometimes, a part in the large truck is defective and compromises the vehicle’s safety.
Various parties can potentially be at fault for a truck accident, such as:
The first party you may turn to for liability is the truck driver. Truck drivers may have sped, driven distracted, or been under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they caused an accident. They can be financially liable for the harm that they cause.
Trucking companies are legally responsible for the negligence of their actions. These large companies once tried to avoid liability by classifying drivers as independent contractors, but current federal regulations hold companies responsible for their drivers’ negligence, regardless of how their employment status is internally classified.
Additionally, trucking companies can contribute to crashes by:
Sometimes, truck owners lease their vehicles to independent drivers or trucking companies. They could be responsible for injuries caused by improper maintenance of their trucks or trailers.
Truck companies sometimes outsource repairs and maintenance to independent mechanics. Mechanic shops, maintenance companies, and others could be responsible for injuries caused by poor maintenance.
Cargo loading companies can be liable for accidents in which improper loading contributed to a crash.
When defective trucks or parts contribute to a crash, their manufacturers can be held responsible.
Large truck crashes can leave devastation in their wake, causing life-altering injuries that affect the victim’s mobility and ability to work. They can lead to chronic pain and emotional distress that far outlast the physical injuries.
Injury victims have the right to seek full and fair compensation for all of their accident-related damages, such as:
Our experienced legal team can identify all the damages that we can include in your truck accident claim and fight tirelessly to recover them.
One of the most crucial roles of a truck driver is gathering evidence to help build a strong personal injury claim on your behalf. Evidence in your truck accident claim might include the following:
Our legal team is experienced in identifying, gathering, and preserving critical evidence, such as the forms identified above. However, it’s crucial for injury victims to reach out quickly to an experienced lawyer as soon as possible after a traffic accident so we can begin preserving this evidence before it is lost or destroyed.
If you were injured in a truck accident that wasn’t your fault, you may have the right to recover significant compensation. Horton Personal Injury Lawyers can protect your legal interests while you focus on your medical recovery. Contact us today to get started with a free case evaluation.