What causes a truck accident?
The most common reasons for truck accidents often have a few factors at play:
- Speeding
- Not checking a blind spot
- Fatigued or Asleep Drivers
- Drivers Under the Influence
- Distracted Driver
Any one of these causes can easily result in a potentially deadly collision. Often, a combination such as speeding and a fatigued driver can lead to one of the many types of truck accidents. Truck drivers have a responsibility to transport their cargo safely, as well as keep the road safe for other drivers and their passengers. And trucking companies have a responsibility to make sure their vehicles are safe. This responsibility is especially great when one considers the sheer size and amount of damage a truck can do to another car, a motorcyclist, a pedestrian or even personal property.
How serious are truck accidents?
It only takes seconds for a truck accident to leave victims with serious injuries. These include broken bones, internal injuries and injuries to the head, neck or back. More severe injuries include traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injuries. Recovery can take months or even years. In some cases, victims are left with a permanent disability.
When negligence leads to a collision that leaves people injured, victims deserve financial compensation. But recovering compensation can be a long and complicated process.
The truck driver or trucking company that was at fault for causing your accident may deny responsibility. You may even be blamed for what happened. Insurance companies are supposed to help, but they are always concerned about profits. Keeping payments down helps them keep profit margins up.
That’s why you need experienced legal representation. We understand the devastating impact a truck accident can have on your life – physical, emotional and financial. We understand the obstacles you’ll face when trying to recover compensation for your injuries. And we are ready to fight to hold negligent parties accountable.
How a truck accident lawyer can help
Trucking companies and their insurance carriers will aggressively fight your claim because they know there’s a lot of money at stake. There are many tactics they use to try to minimize your compensation. For example, they may question the seriousness of your injuries. They may seek access to your medical records to look for evidence that your injuries were pre-existing.
Another common tactic insurance companies use to try to pay you less is making you a settlement offer soon after the collision. They may say it’s the best that they can do, but they’ll promise quick payment. As your medical expenses start to add up, accepting their offer may seem tempting. But their offer will fall far short of covering all of the damages you’ve suffered. Moreover, in trucking cases, there are often multiple insurance companies involved, and accepting a settlement offer from one company can affect the other companies’ liability as well, depending on the situation.
That’s why you need an experienced New Hampshire truck accident lawyer on your side. We take your case seriously from the start and are dedicated to helping you get the best outcome.
We start by getting the facts. Our legal team investigates your accident. We gather evidence, including evidence controlled by the trucking company. This includes hours of service (HOS) logs and information from the truck’s event data recorder (the truck’s “black box”). We seek access to maintenance and employment records.
Our lawyers carefully review all documentation, including accident reports and medical records. We identify and interview witnesses. If needed, we consult accident reconstruction experts and other specialists who can help us understand how the collision happened.
We know how to prove negligence. We know how to build strong cases that hold negligent parties accountable. We know the tactics that insurance companies use to try to pay you less and how to fight back.
A firm that gets results
Our attorneys will fight for maximum compensation. This includes compensation for all current and future medical expenses related to your injuries. This can cover the costs of surgery, hospitalization, medication, physical therapy, home health care and follow-up appointments with doctors.
You can also seek damages for lost wages if your injuries left you unable to work. In addition, we may seek compensation for other damages such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
When we build a strong case, insurance companies often agree to settlement negotiations. But we are not interested in helping them save money. Any resolution of your case has to be one that meets your needs. If the insurance company won’t settle, our experienced litigators will fight for you court.
We represent truck accident victims
If you’ve been hurt in a truck accident, it’s important to get trusted legal advice as soon as possible. The statute of limitations for taking legal action is generally three years from the date of your crash. But it’s important to start work on your case before evidence gets lost or destroyed and before the memories of witnesses start to fade.
Thousands of trucks transport cargo throughout the state of New Hampshire, and many people fall victim to accidents caused by them. The injuries and property damage can be devastating and difficult for victims to recover from. If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of a truck accident, contact us. You need reliable legal counsel that you can depend on. Depend on us.
Rollover Accidents
Fast speeds, especially on inclines, can easily lead to a rollover truck accident. Truck drivers often have strict deadlines to meet, and may ignore speed limits to make up time on the road. Large trucks are not equipped to maneuver in the same way as an ordinary passenger car, and thus can easily roll over when making sharp turns at high speeds. These accidents can crush other cars, cause multiple car accidents or spill cargo and hazardous materials onto the road.
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Jackknife Accidents
These types of accidents occur when the truck driver loses control and the vehicle lurches into a 90-degree angle, forming a shape similar to a jackknife. Generally, this happens when wheels become locked but the rest of the vehicle keeps moving forward. The truck driver has often lost control of the vehicle, and this can easily result in a collision. A truck may jackknife as a result of a sleepy driver, speeding on a curve, following too closely, or any number of other reasons.
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Underride Accidents
There has been a recent push for under and side guards to be mandatory on all commercial trucks in order to help prevent the often fatal outcomes that underride collisions bring. Poor truck maintenance can easily result in brake lights that do not work, meaning that the cars behind them do not have ample time to make a complete stop. Even with underride guards (which can also be poorly maintained, or non-existent), the metal can break through windshields and the frame of a car and cause catastrophic or fatal damage. May types of trucker carelessness, including distracted driving, driver negligence and general poor driving can all contribute to a smaller vehicle becoming lodged beneath a truck. Catastrophic or fatal injuries are all too common in this type of impact.
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Rear End Collisions
Being rear-ended by a truck can cause major damage to any vehicle. The sheer size of a truck in comparison to a passenger vehicle often automatically results in serious damage, often totaling the cars of its victims. Trucks need a much longer time to brake and come to a complete stop, which their drivers should be trained to know. Not braking in time could indicate speeding, following too close, distracted driving, or poor reaction time due to being under the influence of a substance. Fatigue on the part of the truck driver is often a contributing factor as well.
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