Big rig or tractor-trailer accidents sometimes cause catastrophic or deadly casualties, particularly at California highway speeds. Our practice focuses on building and proving claims in cases where the spine or brain has been badly hurt, and the person can’t work. Our ability to back up your request for damages with specific documentation about all of your current and future losses can give you a significant advantage in getting your claim settled. Most of the time, accident reconstruction specialists, highway safety engineers, materials experts, and people in the trucking industry will testify and write reports to show how and why your accident happened. We focus on quickly investigating everything that could affect who is responsible, from the truck’s driver to the owner’s maintenance service. More than one person or group can be held responsible in many truck accident cases. Call (408) 716-1629 to contact our lawyers at Shea & Shea – A Professional Law Corporation in Santa Clara.

What Is The Frequency Of Truck Accidents?

Almost 5,000 individuals are killed in truck accidents, with many more suffering severe physical injuries. While heavy trucks (including tractor-trailers and 18-wheelers) account for just 4% of the 268 million motor vehicles, they are responsible for up to 10% of highway fatalities. At least one-third of the accidents were caused by truck driver mistakes. The majority of those killed in truck accidents were automobile and motorcycle drivers and passengers.

Road safety has always been an issue, but several trucking rules have been enacted to reduce the number of trucking accidents. However, when up against at least 80 000 pounds of large trucks, a 3 000-pound automobile is unlikely to have a chance. Due to their size and weight, large trucks cannot stop as fast, resulting in deadly accidents. Cars often fall beneath heavy trucks and may be deadly even at modest speeds. Those who survive may have irreversible brain damage.

What Are The Most Common Factors Leading Up To A Truck Accident?

As said before, the truck driver’s mistake is to blame for most of these incidents. Examples are inattention, careless/reckless/distracted driving, speeding, impairment due to sickness, alcohol intoxication, or driver weariness.

Fatigue is a severe and even fatal issue in the transportation business. Driver drowsiness may cause catastrophic harm to people on the road and the other health issues it can bring. Truckers often put in long hours on the road, averaging just 4 hours of sleep each day, well short of the 8 hours required to recharge their energy for optimal performance. It’s no surprise that most truck drivers endure at least one six-minute period of tiredness on the road every day.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Law says that truckers can only drive for 11 hours in 14 hours to stop this from happening. After 8 hours of driving, they also have to stop for 30 minutes. Federal rules also say that drivers can’t be on the job for more than 60 hours a week. If you don’t follow the rules, you could be sued and lose pay.

Most truck accidents happen because the driver is not paying attention. Anything that makes the driver take their eyes off the road is a recipe for an accident. If you talk to the dispatcher, send a text message, write something down, or eat, there could be problems. This should be told to every truck driver. Billboards and other things outside the truck have caused almost 10,000 accidents.

What Should You Do If You’ve Been In A Truck Accident?

    • Stop. Inspect yourself, your companions, and the environment for any injuries. You must stay at the accident site to ensure the safety of yourself and others. Put your warning lights on and use cones to notify approaching vehicles of your presence.
    • You should always seek medical attention, no matter how well you believe you are doing. Injuries to the body might take hours or even days to become evident. This might harm your accident claims if you don’t go to the doctor when they tell you to.
    • Make a list of anybody who may have seen anything unusual. Obtain a copy of the witness statement or a way to get in touch with the witness. Your injury lawyer may need to consult with them throughout your case examination. However, it is the responsibility of the police to carry out a thorough investigation and speak with any witnesses who may be in the vicinity.
    • Take photographs and record the incident. In a truck collision, thoroughness is not a bad thing.
    • A truck accident lawyer may help you.

 

We, Will, Make Our Resources Available To You

We use treating physicians, forensic medical experts, specialists in vocational rehabilitation, economists, pain management experts, and experts from many other fields to figure out and document all of your losses. If the defense disputes that you have a closed head injury, we will use a neuropsychologist to link a loss of cognitive function to a particular blow to the head. If you have had a lot of burns, we will work with a life care nurse and a case management expert to list all the costs you can expect to have during a long recovery. Our lawyers will also carefully look into what caused your truck accident as we plan your legal strategy.

We will work with you and your physicians from the outset of the case to ensure you obtain medical treatment and diagnostic testing, even if your primary insurance refuses reimbursement. Because proof of culpability and damages in our cases typically entails highly technical evidence given by experts, we must often devote substantial resources to preparing and presenting the facts required to prove your claim. We advance all case costs and only recoup them if we win.

For More Information, Contact Shea & Shea – A Professional Law Corporation Today.

A truck accident may cause severe damage, and include numerous people that are at blame. Our Santa Clara lawyers can assist you in obtaining the financial recompense you need to go on with your life. Call us immediately at (408) 716-1629 for a free first consultation with one of our motor vehicle accident. You may also make an appointment by using our contact form to send us an email.

Areas We Serve:

San Jose | San Francisco | San Mateo | Hayward | Santa Clara | Contra Costa | Alameda | Solano | Sonoma | Napa | Marin

Shea & Shea - A Professional Law Corporation 2007 West Hedding Street
#100
San Jose, CA 95128

P.: 408-292-2434
Fax: 408-292-1264
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