Breaking Down the Challenging Aspects of Semi Truck Accident
According to an estimation by the United States Department of Transportation, approximately 20,175 people lost their lives to traffic accidents in 2022. Out of these fatalities, approximately 4,965 casualties happened due to a semi-truck accident. Find out what happens if you hit a semi truck and how much can you get from a semi truck accident. Learn about semi truck vs car accident statistics. If you’ve been in a semi-truck accident, it can be a confusing and difficult process to navigate. Learn more about what to do after a semi truck accident, and how our expert lawyers at Royce Injury can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Dangerous Semi-Trucks Characteristics
A semi-truck accident is dangerous not only for the people on the road but for the truck driver as well. However, a semi-truck accident is comparatively less dangerous for the truck driver than for people driving on the road. It is because there is a considerable difference between size, weight, height, and driving perspective between a semi truck and a car. If a semi-truck accident happens between a truck and any other vehicle, the truck driver is likely to receive fewer injuries. It is because the impact of the collision is higher for the vehicle/car driver. Sometimes, the force of the collision is so severe that it can cause instant death of the car driver because the normal weight of a semi is between 60,000 to 80,000 pounds. Due to the enormous size of a semi-truck, navigation is very challenging, and it is often hard to apply the brakes at the right time in case of an emergency. Blind spots in a semi-truck are one of the main causes of a Kansas semi-truck accident.
Types of Semi-Truck Accidents
The most common types of semi-truck accidents are;
Rollovers: The trailer rolls over on the road.
Rear-ends crash: Vehicle crash from the back.
Front-end collisions: Vehicle crash from the front.
Wide turn accidents: Narrow left-hand turns.
Side impact accidents: Vehicle collides from a side.
Jackknife accidents: Uncontrolled movement of the truck’s trailer when turning on the road.
Semi-Truck Accidents Injuries
The impact of a collision truck accident is often so dangerous that it can cause the instant death of the victim. In other cases, the vehicle driver may sustain temporary or permanent disability.
In most semi-truck accidents, personal injury attorneys have witnessed the following injuries;
- Brain injury
- Multiple bone fracture
- Spinal cord damage
- Organ amputation
- Internal bleeding
- Second or third-degree skin burns from the Fire of engine explosion
- scars and bruises
- Memory loss
- Organ loss
- Whiplash
What to do after a semi-truck accident?
If you have sustained injuries in a semi-truck accident, you can claim compensation against the at-fault party. You can claim compensation for financial losses such as loss of wages, loss of future employment due to permanent or temporary disability, medical expenses, expenses for psychological treatment such as PTSD, etc. You can also claim compensation for mental torture and agony.
Semi-Truck Accidents Causes
The causes of a semi-truck accident are similar to any other accident. Fortunately, almost all of these causes are preventable. By observing the traffic rules and safety measures given by the US Department of Transportation, we can ensure the safety of many people on the road. The common causes of a semi truck accident are as follows;
Drowsy driving: One of the causes of semi-truck accidents is that the driver is fatigued and sleep-deprived, and he fails to make an adequate analysis of the environment around him that is required while driving. IN 2020, almost 633 people lost their lives to accidents because of drowsy driving, and most of them were semi-truck accidents. Due to this fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) permits 11 to 14 hours as the hours of service in Kansas City.
Blind spots: The height of a semi truck doesn’t always make it easy for the driver to know if there is a car in front of them. The driving seat of a semi truck is so high up that sometimes other vehicles are invisible to the driver. This creates a blind spot issue and often causes a vehicle to crash semi truck.
Rash driving: Speeding or rash driving causes a lot of semi-truck accidents on the highways. Collisions usually happen due to the negligence of rash drivers who are speeding on busy roads and highways.
Tailgating: Driving too close to a semi truck can be dangerous for both — truck and vehicle drivers. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA), the recommended distance between truckers and vehicles should be at least one second for every 10 feet of vehicle length.
What Makes Truck Accident Cases So Complex?
The semi-truck accident cases are so complex because it is hard to prove the liability of the at-fault parties in such cases. There are many parties involved in a truck accident case — truck drivers, trucking companies, independent contractors, government agencies, truck manufacturers, and other parties. It requires expert truck accident lawyers to analyze who is liable to pay compensation to the victims in a truck accident. It is not always easy to establish that the at-fault party owed a duty of care to the victims without analyzing the evidence provided to the truck accident attorney. This evidence can be police reports, the records of the driver at the trucking company, the rules and regulations of tracking companies, weather conditions at the time of the accident, manufacturing defects, etc.
Bottom Line
An average semi-truck accident settlement is challenging to calculate without analyzing the available evidence first. After navigating through various parties and determining who is liable to pay compensation, a truck accident attorney can give you an estimation of compensation. If you have suffered injuries in a semi-truck accident, you can turn to our Kansas City accident lawyer.
At Royce Injury, we have experienced truck accident lawyers who can help you win fair damages for the injuries and monetary losses you have suffered.
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