How Are Truck Accidents Different From Car Accidents?

Truck accident lawsuits are different from car accidents due to their severity. There are fewer chances of getting alive without a scratch on the body from accidents involving big and heavy vehicles like long-haul trucks and semi-trucks. They even result in severe and critical injuries and sometimes even death.

The more is the severity of the crash, the more will be the damages, medical bills, and expenses.

Reasons How Truck Accidents Are Different

There are few main reasons why filing and dealing with truck accident lawsuits can be different from other personal injury cases. These reasons are:

• The long-haul truckers are backed up by large legal teams provided by companies who employ them, meaning dealing with multiple defendants
• Semi-truck and truck crashes are far more dangerous, leading to severe and life-threatening damages
• They must follow the regulations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. If not followed, these can be used against them in court.

Common Reasons For Truck Accidents

The most commonly identified reasons for the truck accident by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration include:

Brake Problems

Due to the heavy load, trucks, and semi-trucks are less likely to stop immediately on time during an emergency stop. A speeding truck is detrimental in so many ways.

Traffic Flow Interruption

Sometimes due to previous car or truck accidents, the roads get blocked, or the traffic gets diverted. A collision might lead to more crashes, usually in foggy or rainy conditions, resulting in rear collisions.

Prescription Or Over The Counter Drug Use

In America, about 91% of Truck drivers use booze and are drunk while on the job. According to The National Survey of U.S. Long-Haul Truck Driver Health and Injury, 81% of the long-haul truck drivers have either three health conditions hypertension, smoking, or obesity.

These figures are enough to know the dangers of driving beside them or even overtaking them.

Fatigue

According to the FMCSA, truck drivers can drive no longer than 11 hours per day with an upper cap of 14 hours. There also cannot work more than an average of 70 hours in a week.

Fatigued drivers cause more than 15% of truck accidents, according to a report. Drowsy driving is common as well.

Unfamiliarity With Roadway

Truck drivers are required to drive on roads throughout the state. The lack of knowledge and unfamiliarity with the roads is another common reason for truck accidents.

Truck Accident Investigation

If you have hired a truck accident lawyer to file a truck accident lawsuit, the prior investigation of the case is a crucial matter. Here are some of the things to cover up during truck accident investigation:

• It is important to witness and analyze the post-accident condition of the vehicles involved in the accident. This helps in identifying the severity of the crash.
• Don’t forget to get a hold of the black box and its data (if any). The black box data allows the plaintiff to discover the speed at which the truck driver was driving and other essential information.
• In the case of big commercial vehicles like tractors and trailers, there may be two different parties involved (i.e. multiple defendants) that may owe you big.
• Look out for how the truck was loaded. Overloaded trucks are another big reason for accidents.
• The insurance coverage of long-haul vehicles can also be managed by more than one insurance party. This enables the victim to get compensated from both parties, provided you build a stronger case.
• The network of investigators and witnesses plays a huge role in proving the case as well.
• Check out for any camera footage near the accident scene. The accident may have caught in one of highway installed cameras, car cameras, etc.

The Different Financial Compensation Avenues In A Truck Accident

There are many ways in which you can get compensated when involved in a truck accident. Some of these may be:

• Getting compensated for poor maintenance of the truck (you can track the truck vehicle history to ascertain its working conditions)
• Getting compensated for negligent hiring of a truck driver by the employer (look out for employment records, certifications, and any previous violations of the truck driver)
• The common monetary and non-monetary compensation of pain and suffering, medical bills, etc.

Who Is Liable For A Truck Accident?

Who will you sue when filing for a truck accident lawsuit? There are multiple parties involved in a truck accident than just a truck driver. The liability of a truck accident falls on the driver’s employer, driver’s insurance company, the trucking company, and even the truck manufacturer in some cases.