Truck accident lawsuits are common in the truck industry as many separate parties could be partly liable for a truck accident. As a truck crash victim, you and your truck accident attorney must prove that the driver, the trucking company, or a defective part manufacturer was negligent in a truck accident.
How Truck Accidents Happen
Truck accidents may take many forms and be due to various factors, including:
- Rollover accidents
- Rear-end accidents
- Jackknife accidents
- Tire blowouts
- Under-ride accidents
- Wide right turn accidents
- Head-on accidents
- T-bone accidents
- Blind spot accidents
- Load-shift accidents
There could be several contributing factors for a truck accident, such as high winds pushing a truck and trailer over onto its side or a construction zone lane shift with improper signage leading to a head-on collision. Sometimes, another driver will cut the truck off, forcing the truck driver to brake suddenly and causing the trailer to jackknife.
At other times, the truck driver or company may have been negligent. A driver might have been impaired at the time of the accident, or the truck company might have ignored trucking laws about driver service hours and rest time.
Trucks have large blind spots, making it dangerous for other vehicles nearby. If driving near a truck, ensure it is safe to pass and proceed cautiously. If your exit is coming up soon and you don’t have time to pass safely, slow down to give yourself room to brake if the truck ahead of you must stop or change lanes suddenly.
Common Injuries in Truck Accidents
Victims in truck accidents often suffer traumatic injuries due to the weight differences between most trucks and passenger vehicles. Typical injuries in truck accidents include:
- Broken bones
- Severe burns
- Internal bleeding or organ damage
- Limb amputations
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Death
The forces involved in truck accidents are often much more impactful than in car collisions, typically leading to more severe injuries.
Who Is Liable for a Truck Accident?
Your truck accident attorney can help you determine liable parties for your injuries. But who might be liable in truck accident lawsuits? Liable parties who may have been negligent in your truck accident case could include:
- The truck driver for failing to adhere to applicable driving laws
- The trucking company for pushing the driver beyond the FMCSA Hours of Service Regulations
- Another driver whose reckless driving forced the truck driver to take sudden corrective action
- A road construction contractor that failed to use appropriate signage and signaling
- A parts manufacturer that produced a defective truck part
- The truck maintenance contractor that installed a defective truck part
- The loading company that prepared the truck for service failed to secure the load properly
You must prove negligence by any potentially liable party to pursue compensation for your claim.
Compensation Available in Truck Accident Lawsuits
Insurance companies don’t like to pay claims, and with multiple liable parties in a lawsuit, the defending parties will attempt to shift blame to the other defendants to minimize their share of fault. Tactics like these often complicate truck accident lawsuits.
Your truck accident attorney can help you pursue economic, non-economic, and punitive damages against any liable parties who contributed to your injuries by sending spoliation letters to protect evidence, securing evidence for your claim, and arranging expert witness testimony.
Contact a Trucking Accident Attorney in Connecticut
For a truck accident case in Connecticut, reach out to the Law Offices of James A. Welcome. Call today at (475) 241-0824 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a truck accident attorney at one of our offices.