Sharing the road with big rigs puts you and your family at great risk of getting into an accident. Semi-truck accidents are usually caused for a variety of reasons – but – distracted driving is a main contributing factor. Sometimes, drivers. get bored on roads and direct their attention to cellphones to check out social media, FaceTime with their friends or family, or open YouTube.
Driver fatigue is also a contributing factor that leads to truck accidents. Truckers face high pressure to make quick deliveries, especially in the case of same-day deliveries. But the law required drivers to take their time to rest.
Speeding and Accidents
Apart from the previously mentioned potential causes of accidents, another main reason for semi-truck accidents is speeding. As there is a huge demand for timely deliveries, truckers try their best to take the edge down and make those deliveries on time. On that note, if the truck drivers are speeding, there is a higher likelihood that crashes can occur.
Improper Maintenance and Accidents
Another big reason for semi-truck crashes is that proper maintenance is not kept, which causes the trucks to break down. Usually, the owners of trucks try to cut costs by any means, which indicates that they are not very high on spending their profits on truck maintenance and ensuring their trucks are properly maintained.
Pressure from Truck Owners
The truck drivers are usually under immense pressure from truck owners to speed up and make those smiley deliveries so they can get their paychecks. Truckers are working to support their families, and unfortunately, the truckers do not get paid unless they are on the roads. This aspect indicates that the truckers aren’t paid for the time they are resting, whereas the law requires them to rest. They are also not paid for the time it takes to load and unload the trucks.
Who is to Blame in A Semi-Truck Wreck?
You might wonder about who to blame when it comes to a semi-truck wreck – the driver, the trucking company, or someone else. You should know that in accidents that involve semi-trucks, the lawyer will usually bring the case against the driver or the company. It can be anyone who might be responsible for the negligence that results in the wreck.
From there, the lawyer will assess the percentages and responsibilities. The big players in big trucking wrecks are the following:
- The owner of the trucking company.
- The driver of the semi-truck.
- Additional entities who are stakeholders of the trucking company.
The thing is that anybody who can be responsible for the accident needs to be made a party. If maintenance is the issue, driving fatigue might be the issue, or any other negligence is the issue – the responsible parties must be held accountable for the accident.
Why Contact A Lawyer Right Away?
Semi-trucks, also known as 18-wheelers, can cause serious injuries if you get into an accident with them. The intensity of the injuries can extend to permanent health issues, such as in the case of head injury or spinal cord injury.
On that note, if you do get into an accident with a semi-truck wheeler and you do not get a layer as soon as you can, there is a high chance that a lot of the evidence that your lawyer needs to ensure that you receive everything that you are entitled to – the lawyer won’t be able to get their hands on the evidence. So, you should never delay calling a personal injury lawyer, such as Belsky & Horowitz, LLC, and let them collect the evidence they need to help you get a higher settlement.
Truck Drivers Won’t Maintain Record Forever
Drivers are required to maintain all sorts of records, and they are only required to maintain those records for a specific time period. So, if you really delay hiring a personal injury lawyer or a truck accident lawyer to represent you – the evidence that the lawyer needs to help you might be destroyed by the time.
You want to be able to hold the respective people responsible. If you don’t get a lawyer as soon as possible, there is a chance that a lot of evidence that your lawyer needs will not be able to get their hands on that evidence.
Do Truck Drivers Tamper the Evidence?
You might be thinking about whether or not truckers maintain their logbooks accurately. The thing is that oftentimes, you have truckers who are outright lying in the logbooks. Now, this aspect doesn’t mean that all truckers are on the same page, as most truckers are essentially hard-working, ethical employees. But – there are some bad truckers out there who aren’t properly keeping their hourly logs and are also not getting the rest they need.
A lot of times, truckers lie on their logbooks to make quicker and more deliveries and keep up with the pressure that is put on them to make those deliveries. So, the log books might indicate that the drivers were resting within a specific time period – but – in reality, as shown through other evidence, they were truly on the road.
Your Lawyer Will Protect Your Interests
What typically happens when you get into an accident with a semi-truck is that the trucker is usually contacting their insurance company and attorney right away. Their insurance company then works from that very second to protect their interests, which is why it is incredibly important for you to contact an attorney right away, too.
The best part about personal injury cases is that most lawyers who handle these types of cases handle them based on contingency fees. This aspect indicates that you don’t have to pay the lawyer upfront, and the lawyer will only take your case if they are able to get you a settlement or verdict at the end of the case.
You won’t have to worry about any upfront fees or costs, which means that anybody can find a good personal injury lawyer to help them with the case. On that note, if you are too injured to call the lawyer yourself, you can ask a trustworthy friend or family to contact a lawyer on your behalf because getting a lawyer on board as soon as possible is incredibly important if you want to win the case.
