The Main Differences Between Truck and Car Accidents
Accidents that involve two or more passenger cars are significantly different than accidents that involve passenger vehicles and large trucks. An accident that involves a large semi-truck (or another type of large commercial vehicle) are often fatal for the occupants in the smaller vehicles. If they aren’t fatal, the injuries are usually much more severe.
It’s estimated that an average semi-truck is between 20 and 30 times heavier than an average passenger vehicle and have ground clearance that is just high enough for a smaller vehicle to slide under. If you have suffered an injury or had a loved one who was killed due to an truck accident, a personal injury attorney can help.
Keep reading to learn some of the biggest differences between truck and car accidents.
The Severity of the Injuries after a Truck Accident
Most truck accidents cause a very serious or even fatal injuries. Even a low-speed accident that involves a commercial vehicle may cause the need for both emergency and long-term medical care. While this is true, neither of these can guarantee that your health will be restored. In fact, there are many truck accident victims who have to deal with the financial, physical, and emotional consequences of injuries for their entire life.
The Accident’s Complexity
Accidents that involve passenger vehicles and commercial trucks are usually more complex for several reasons. The laws that regulate commercial trucking are extremely specific. Having knowledge of these laws is crucial when trying to build a case that puts the liability of a trucker, the company they drive for, or someone else.
The Causes of the Accident
There are several things that may go wrong when you are driving a semi-truck. Some of these things include remaining sober, sleeping regularly, following distance, speed and more. Each of these things are the driver’s responsibility. Others, the schedule, safety equipment, and size of the load aren’t. To secure compensation for these accidents the cause of the accident needs to be determined.
The Total Number of People Who Are Involved
Even if an accident only involves one vehicle and one semi-truck, several parties may actually be involved. In some case, liability for the truck accident may not just rest with the truck driver, even if they are clearly at fault. Issues including equipment failure, poorly secured loads, and unrealistic schedules may all be the responsibility of people who aren’t on the scene of the accident, but instead thousands of miles away.
Issues Related to Securing Compensation
Truck drivers and trucking companies usually have lawyers and insurance companies that work to minimize liability after an accident. If you aren’t prepared, you may see very little compensation.
Call a Truck Accident Attorney for Help
If you are involved in an accident with a large semi-truck and suffer injuries, or if someone you love has died, you can seek legal compensation. Contact an truck accident attorney for help.
