Commercial trucks are essential to the country’s industry. They transport goods across the United States so that we can have supplies and food when we need them. Even though truck drivers are highly trained and must follow strict rules when driving their rigs, they still make mistakes and can cause serious collisions with other trucks and smaller vehicles on the road.
If you’ve been in a crash caused by a large truck, you could use the help of an Ocean Springs truck accident lawyer. You could be recovering from serious injuries as a result of the collision, and bills could be piling up as a result. With one of our attorneys on your side, you can recover the compensation you deserve for your damages and be able to focus on healing your physical and emotional injuries.
Causes of Truck Accidents
When a tractor trailer collides with a smaller car, the damages done are usually much more severe because of the size and weight difference between the two vehicles. Trucks are up to 30 times heavier than regular sized vehicles, which makes the injuries and damages that the car suffers much worse than what the truck driver is likely to incur.
In fact, when these deadly collisions happen, 67 percent of fatalities are the occupants of the passenger vehicles involved, whereas only 16 percent of the fatalities are truck drivers. Over 4,000 people died from large truck crashes in 2019, which means that nearly 3,000 of those deaths were in regular sized vehicles and over 600 were the truckers.
To understand why these collisions are so dangerous, let’s take a look at what causes them. That way, you can identify what caused your accident so that we can better determine who was at fault. Here are some of the factors that can lead to a large truck collision with another truck or with other vehicles, motorcyclists, or pedestrians:
- Driver error
- Speeding
- Drunk driver
- Driver fatigue
- Brake malfunction
- Tire blowout
- Defective truck part
- Overloaded trailer
- Cargo shifts
- Improperly maintained truck
While some of these factors would be the fault of the truck driver, some of them put the fault on another party. Sometimes the trucker is not at fault and their trucking company or part manufacturer are really the ones at fault. If the company doesn’t properly inspect or load the trailer, or if the truck part manufacturer sells a defective part, then they could be responsible for the accident.
Regardless of which party was specifically at fault for your collision and subsequent injuries, when you weren’t the person who caused the collision, you shouldn’t be the one who is financially responsible for all the damages you incurred. Our Ocean Springs truck accident lawyer can help you recover exactly what you’re owed so you can get back to your life.
Common Large Truck Crash Injuries
As mentioned above, there is a significant difference in size and weight between large trucks and regular sized vehicles. Because of this, collision injuries can be catastrophic and even deadly. After a commercial truck accident in Ocean Springs, you could be suffering from one or more of these injuries:
- Bruises and lacerations
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Internal organ damage and bleeding
- Neck and back injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Amputation
- Death
The most important step after being in a truck accident where you think you sustained injuries is getting medically evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible. Even if you don’t think you’ve been hurt, you could be severely injured, but the pain could be masked by adrenaline or shock. That’s why you should go to the hospital right away—doctors will be able to determine if you’re injured and start treatment right away.
Additionally, this helps you down the line if you choose to file a claim against the negligent driver, company, or part manufacturer. Having a firm record of your injuries and when you were hurt helps your truck accident attorney build your case and prove the depth of the damages that you suffered from.
Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law Will Represent You
When you’ve been injured and incurred other damages from the negligence of a trucking company, driver, part manufacturer, or another party, you deserve to get justice for what you’ve paid. With the help of an Ocean Springs truck accident lawyer from Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law, you’ll be able to get full and fair compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages.
We’ll fully investigate what happened so we can get a clear picture of the scenario, determine exactly who was responsible, and calculate what you’re owed. Reach out to our office today so we can get started working for you.
