When you’re driving on the road in a regular vehicle, you’ve most likely experienced large trucks sharing the road with you. Commercial truck drivers are trained professionals who have regulated hours and rules to prevent them from being reckless or negligent behind the wheel. But even with those regulations in place, accidents with large trucks still happen from negligence and recklessness.
Unfortunately, accidents between trucks and other motor vehicles are especially dangerous because of the size difference and weight of the rigs, as they weigh 20 to 30 times more than regular-sized vehicles. In 2018, over 4,000 people died in truck accidents, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Of those who died, 67 percent were drivers and passengers of regular-sized vehicles.
Common Injuries from Truck Accidents
When you get into an accident with a tractor trailer, you are more likely to experience catastrophic injuries and serious damages than in a regular accident between two regular sized motor vehicles. When you decide to file a truck accident claim with a personal injury attorney, they will fully investigate your claim, and that includes the extent of your injuries and damages. Here are some of the injuries that we typically see after an accident with a large truck:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck and spine injuries
- Loss of limb
- Burns
- Disfigurement
- Paralysis
Injuries like the ones above can have a serious impact on your life physically, emotionally, and financially. On top of your trip to the emergency room, there are many other medical services you could end up needing. Depending on your injuries, you could need imaging, specialist appointments, surgery, physical therapy, emotional therapy, and medication. Even if you have insurance, your medical bills could start to add up.
These injuries could also change your way of life and limit your physical abilities. Your injuries might keep you from completing basic human needs, physical activities you previously enjoyed, or even working. If you’re experiencing severe pain or limited movement that keeps you from getting back to work, then you could be facing lost wages as well.
Your medical bills and missing wages are important to document so when we investigate your Carbondale truck accident claim we can calculate an accurate figure that you should receive in compensation for your injuries and other damages. An experienced attorney from Prince Law Firm knows how to compile your documents and information so we can properly build your case and ensure you fully recover financially.
FMCSA Regulations
Many of the causes of truck accidents stem from negligence and recklessness, which are direct violations of the regulations in place to prevent these accidents from happening. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the organization who makes the regulations for truck drivers so they can ensure they are being as safe as possible. Some of those regulations include working hours, markings on trucks, and weight of the trailers.
Truck drivers have limited hours that they can work to ensure that they are not driving for long hours without a break. A trucker can only drive for 11 consecutive hours before they must take a 10 hour break. Even if a driver takes an hour off within their 11 hour chunk, they still must take 10 consecutive hours off duty.
As far as marking goes, an interstate motor carrier must display their USDOT number, and requires that commercial motor vehicles to be marked with the legal name of the business entity who owns or controls the vehicle.
In terms of weight limits, there are a couple general rules to follow. The limit for the vehicle’s gross weight is 80,000 pounds. There are also limits to how much weight is on a single axle, which is 20,000 pounds, and a tandem axle group, which is 34,000 pounds. When a trucker or their company violates any of these standards, they are at a higher risk for causing an accident.
Prince Law Firm Can Represent You
After an accident with a large truck, you could be dealing with a lot of financial stress as well as physical and emotional injuries. When you didn’t cause the accident, you shouldn’t have to bear those burdens alone. With legal representation from a Carbondale truck accident lawyer from Prince Law Firm, you’ll be able to ensure that the liable party is held responsible for their actions that caused the accident and they’ll likely take measures to make sure it never happens again. We will help you fight for justice and make sure you receive proper compensation for all of your medical bills, mechanical bills, and any lost wages you might have from being out of work from your injuries.
Since the injuries from large truck accidents are usually more catastrophic than regular car accidents, you’ll definitely want legal support so you get justice for those injuries. Since we perform a full investigation of what happened, we will look into how your injuries will affect the rest of your life. If you’re unable to ever go back to work, need continued medical care, or experience loss of enjoyment of life, these are all things that we will consider when we are evaluating what fair compensation would mean for you.
Although our office is based in Marion, we will represent citizens of Carbondale because we want to help all the people we can. If you think you have a case, contact our office today so we can discuss what steps we can take toward getting you the justice you deserve.
