Any accident can cause serious injuries. Truck accidents are many times more severe. Because of the sheer size and weight of commercial trucks, they have the potential to cause catastrophic damage to the human body, including death. Even low-speed accidents can result in serious injuries.
T-bone collisions are even more severe. Because these accidents strike the sides of vehicles, which don’t often have airbags, the results can be deadly. Even when victims survive, their lives may be changed forever by their circumstances.
If a T-bone truck collision injured you or a loved one, you may pursue compensation from the negligent driver or at-fault party. To find out for sure and learn about your legal options, consult an experienced New Orleans truck collision attorney as soon as possible.
Calling Truck Collision Lawyers Near You
After a T-bone truck collision, you may face a lifetime of recovery. Truck accidents are some of the most severe accidents, causing catastrophic damage to human life. Your sole focus should be on adjusting to your new life and getting as healthy as you can, as quickly as you can. To achieve that goal, partner with a trusted New Orleans truck collision attorney as soon as possible after your accident. A personal injury attorney can relentlessly pursue justice for their injured neighbors and work to hold the negligent driver responsible for their actions.
Getting better and recovering from your injuries should be the only thing on your mind. Let a trusted legal advocate shoulder the burden of proving that you deserve money from the negligent truck driver. If a New Orleans T-bone truck collision injured you or a loved one, speak with a truck accident law firm with a 24-hour intake department today.
Causes of T-bone Truck Collisions
T-bone truck collisions happen for many reasons, just like any other vehicle accident. But the majority of these reasons center on human error. Because commercial trucks weigh so much more than your regular vehicle, up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded, any impact with a truck can kill those in smaller vehicles.
When truck drivers, employers, or manufacturers are not careful, accidents can happen. In many cases, this is negligence. This can give you a legal cause of action against the at-fault party.
#1. Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol
Truck drivers are subject to the same laws as every other driver on the road for driving drunk. You simply cannot do it.
Truck drivers often sleep in their vehicles and may want to unwind after a long day on the job, just like anyone else. However, they can hit the road again without delay, potentially driving their massive vehicle while still under the influence of alcohol.
Many truck drivers also take medication to help them sleep or stay awake. Sometimes prescribed and sometimes over-the-counter, medication can impair their judgment, just like alcohol. This makes it very difficult for a driver to react to changing road conditions and avoid collisions.
#2. Distracted Driving
Truck drivers have the same distractions as you do when you are driving. In fact, truckers often have more because they spend so many hours behind the wheel.
When a truck driver is distracted, whether, by their phone, a passenger, or just a daydream, they may not see another vehicle coming at them or notice they are drifting from their lane. Because they do not notice, they do not have time to react before impacting another vehicle. This often results in deadly collisions.
#3. Drowsy Driving
Drowsy driving is like driving drunk. When a driver does not get enough sleep, their mind is impaired to a degree that mimics drunk driving.
Truck drivers are also subject to specific laws that require them to take breaks and not drive for more than a certain amount of time. But because they have tight schedules and deadlines to meet, truck driver fatigue is a genuine concern. A drowsy truck driver can lose the ability to avoid collisions with other vehicles, often resulting in catastrophic accidents.
#4. Speeding
Speeding is common. But not everyone drives an 80,000-pound vehicle.
When truck drivers have that much weight under and behind them, they need to be careful. That is why you often see different speed limits for trucks than for your car. Because of the sheer size and weight of a tractor-trailer, they need more time to slow down so they need to travel at slower speeds.
But again, truckers have tight deadlines to meet. So too often, they end up exceeding the speed limit with deadly consequences.
#5. Reckless Driving
Just like any other driver on the road, truck drivers can be reckless.
What does that look like?
- Running red lights
- Failing to yield
- Changing lanes without signaling
- Tailgating
- Speeding
You may have even engaged in some of these activities. But you were not driving a semi-truck. Truck drivers can quickly lose control of their vehicle, causing the trailer to swing out of control, resulting in serious accidents.
#6. Poor Weather
Especially if a truck driver is unfamiliar with the area, poor weather conditions can have deadly results. Whether it is heavy rain, snow, fog, or high winds, truck drivers must take extra precautions in bad weather conditions.
When they do not, they can lose control of their vehicle and cause an accident. Much of this comes from experience on the road and training on dealing with poor weather. If a driver doesn’t know how to react to these conditions, they could cause an accident.
#7. Poor Road Conditions
Roads with potholes and broken pavement can also contribute to accidents. Because trucks are so large, it is less likely they can swerve to avoid hitting large potholes. Bad road conditions can lead to accidents.
While a truck driver may be partially to blame for the accident, the city or municipality in charge of maintaining the road could also be liable. This presents an extra layer of complexity, as bringing a claim against a government entity is challenging. For this, you would need an experienced attorney to guide you through suing a city, and you will most likely want to make additional claims against the driver.
#8. Inexperienced Drivers
Truck drivers must have special licenses that show they have completed at least minimum training, giving them adequate education to handle large trucks. But not every driver maintains that experience.
Young and new drivers especially have difficulty in challenging situations. They may even make careless mistakes that a more experienced driver would not make. If an inexperienced driver caused your T-bone truck collision, you could be entitled to compensation from them for your injuries.
#9. Defective Truck Parts
Semi-trucks are massive vehicles with thousands of components. These parts must be assembled correctly and worked perfectly every time the truck is on the road. When they do not, the results could be tragic.
Whether a truck’s brakes have failed or some other critical component did not work as intended, the truck manufacturer or parts manufacturer could also hold liability for your accident. Making this determination will not be easy or obvious and will probably require a great deal of investigation.
Who Is At-Fault
Determining fault in your T-bone truck collision is crucial. The person or company at fault for your accident will be the one you bring a claim against in an attempt to collect maximum compensation from them for your injuries and your suffering.
While more than one party could be at fault for your accident, you will need to make sure your claim names those parties. To figure out who is at fault, you may need to use the services of truck accident reconstruction experts. Because trucks have so many components and because these accidents can leave vehicles in thousands of pieces, using these experts to thoroughly investigate your accident can lead you and your legal team to the proper conclusion about whom to blame.
#1. Truck Driver
The most obvious place to look at fault for any accident is a driver. Truck accidents are no different. The truck driver causes many T-bone collisions.
They are the ones in charge of handling the truck. When a truck driver is drunk, drowsy, or negligent in any way, they may bear fault for your accident.
#2. Truck Company
The company that employs the truck driver could also be at fault for your accident. Truck companies are required to train their drivers. If your accident was caused because the truck driver received inadequate training, their employer could also be liable.
Truck companies may also be responsible for your accident through negligent hiring. As the truck driver’s employer, they must do a background check. If the driver had numerous moving violations or DUIs, but the company still hired them, they could be liable for your accident.
#3. Truck Manufacturer
The truck manufacturer could hold liability if you can prove the truck was defective somehow. Proving this will be difficult, but maybe worth your time as it could substantially increase your recovery.
Whether the truck was defectively designed or manufactured with some error, defects are often the source of truck accidents. Working with an experienced legal team can help you uncover whether the truck manufacturer holds responsibility for your crash.
#4. Parts Manufacturer
Just like a truck manufacturer could be liable, so could a parts manufacturer. They are required to build parts that meet specific standards and will not break down unexpectedly.
Not every truck manufacturer makes all of the parts for the trucks they sell. So, suing a parts manufacturer, if their part contributed to your accident, could be another way to increase your financial recovery.
#5. Maintenance Company
Many trucking companies have their own maintenance technicians. But others outsource this to third parties.
If a maintenance company failed to repair or maintain a truck properly and that was the cause of the accident, they could be responsible for your crash, too. If, for example, the maintenance company replaced the oil with the wrong kind, it could cause the engine to suffer serious trouble, resulting in an accident.
Fighting for Compensation
The point of determining who is to blame for your accident is simple—getting money from the at-fault party.
Together with your legal team, you can fight for maximum compensation, so you do not have to worry about paying a penny out of your own pocket for your medical expenses and financial losses related to your T-bone truck collision.
Your lawyer may try to get you compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Lost income
- Lost earning potential
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Present and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation costs
Because of the severity of your injuries, you may not be able to return to work ever again, at least not in the same job you held before your tragic accident. That will severely limit your ability to earn a living and support yourself.
You will need all the money you can ge
That is where your legal team comes in to help. Your mission is to focus on your health and well-being. Your legal team is there to support your truck accident claim, working diligently to get you every dollar necessary.
Contact a Truck Accident Attorney Today
If you were injured in a New Orleans T-bone truck collision, call an attorney right now for a free consultation. Because most personal injury cases are on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe attorney’s fees unless they win your case. Contact a truck accident attorney today.