Trucking Accidents
With the number of semis on the highways exploding, so too are the number of cases involving injuries and damages caused by negligent truck drivers. A high percentage of traffic crashes and deaths involve large trucks, i.e., any truck weighing more than 10,000 pounds. Because of their size--18-wheelers and tractor-trailers can weigh in excess of 80,000 pounds--crashes involving large trucks are more likely to result in serious injury and death than are car crashes. Approximately ten percent of all those injured in a large truck accident will die. In addition, large trucks are more likely to be involved in multiple-vehicle crashes than are passenger cars.
Trucking accidents are different from auto accidents in many ways, the most serious being the extent of damages and injuries sustained when a truck and an auto collide and the likelihood of deadly consequences. There are many types of truck accidents, including: head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, broadside collisions, right-hand squeeze accidents (when a driver attempts to pass a truck on the right side, not realizing the truck is making a wide right turn), center line crossover or bump collisions, lane-change collisions, and hit-and-run accidents involving trucks. Causes of truck accidents are equally varied: stopped or slow-moving trucks, jack-knifed trucks, vehicles sliding under trailers, and loss of control of the vehicle. Negligence, when behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler as a professional driver, rises to an even greater standard of negligence. Collisions caused by the trucker's negligence often lead to the most devastating and catastrophic injuries on the road.
Both Federal and state regulations govern trucking and cover areas such as safety of equipment and the duration of driver shifts. Trucking companies are required to keep records of such information and to make these records available to personal injury attorneys filing trucking accident claims. Poor equipment and driver fatigue can be causes of truck crashes, and a careful study of the trucking company records may be needed to determine if negligence has occurred.
When a trucking injury occurs, a thorough investigation and evaluation of the cause(s)--conducted by a personal injury attorney with direct experience handling truck accidents--is always the best way to proceed. Once the cause of the trucking accident, the severity of the injury, and liability are determined, a trucking injury lawyer and the victim can reach an informed decision about whether or not to pursue a lawsuit or other legal option.
The skilled personal injury lawyers and truck accident attorneys at Schwartz Zweben LLP and its affiliate law firms focus on trucking litigation cases and have successfully resolved a large number of these complex cases involving negligent truck drivers and the companies who hire them. They understand the intricacies of investigating, litigating, negotiating, and resolving truck injury claims and are committed to making highways safer by forcing negligent truckers and their employers to take responsibility for their actions. Our resources include a top-notch team of professional investigators and experts who can analyze the evidence, interpret Department of Transportation regulations, and help our trucking injury lawyers obtain swift justice and maximum cash awards for truck injuries, medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and all other related costs and expenses.
If you have suffered a truck injury, or if someone in your family died as the result of injuries sustained in a truck accident, contact the law offices of Schwartz Zweben LLP. A truck injury attorney on our team can offer you a free, confidential evaluation of your case, advise you of your rights, determine the best way to recover compensation for your injuries.
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