Articles Posted in Trucking Accidents

In trucking accidents, one of the most common types of non-fatal injuries sustained is the back injury. The violence of the collision between a truck and a passenger car usually causes the bodies of the car’s passengers and the truck’s driver to move very suddenly and violently, creating prime conditions for a variety of back problems.

One of the most common types of back injuries sustained in a trucking accident is the lumbar injury. This type of injury affects the lower middle of the back area, known as the lumbar area. Lumbar injuries prevent regular movement and can make work and normal activities very difficult for patients. Lumbar injuries are also very painful and in many cases doctors cannot tell patients when signs of improvement may be expected.

Another type of back injury common in truck accidents is the spinal cord injury. This type of injury affects the spine and may involve damaged bones, muscle, nerves, nerve endings, or cartilage. Many spinal cord injuries result in paralysis and are permanent.

Trucking accidents cause over 80,000 non-fatal personal injuries each year. Some of these injuries include burn injuries, which are among the most difficult injuries to sustain. Burn injuries occur when a truck is carrying a flammable substance which ignites when the truck is in a collision. A truck may also experience a fuel fire or a battery fire in a crash, causing burn injuries.

Due to the size of trucks, burn injuries sustained from these accidents tend to be severe. Fires can spread very quickly from the truck to any flammable substance on the road. Any substance contained in the truck can also ignite. Obviously, truck drivers can be susceptible to burn injuries if their truck catches fire and they cannot escape the cab in time. However, passengers of nearby cars involved in a collision may also be burned as fire spreads quickly. Even pedestrians may be affected.

Burn injuries sustained in a trucking accident can be fatal. Even if they are not, they can lead to lifelong scarring. For many people, this is very challenging as it can lead to on-job problems, depressions, relationship issues, and other problems. Some people who sustain serious burn injuries feel uncomfortable leaving the house and may initially want to isolate themselves. They may have feelings of sadness or anger. In cases where the burn injury reaches the tissue, bone, and muscle, a burn injury can cause extreme pain, loss of mobility, and may require years or physiotherapy.

Head or brain injuries sustained in a trucking accident can be dangerous or even fatal. Any truck accident involving a passenger car can cause a passenger in the car to be thrown about inside the vehicle. Being violently tossed about in an accident can cause the brain to crush up against the skull, causing damage. If the truck collision causes a passenger to smash their head against the interior of a car, the skull can crack or sustain other injuries.

What is insidious about head injuries is that they can be hard to detect. Someone may feel perfectly fine after a trucking accident and assume they have no personal injuries, only to be in severe distress only hours or days later. Some victims pass away because they delay treatment, assuming that all is well. It is essential to get a full physical examination after a trucking accident, even if you feel fine. If you have bumped or hit your head, you need to be examined for a possible concussion or other trauma.

In most car accidents and truck accidents, the most common type of head injury is the concussion. This occurs when swelling and bruising occur on the brain due to trauma. Concussions can be hard to diagnosis, because some patients do not show clear signs of symptoms. Some patients show symptoms immediately. Immediately after an accident or soon after an accident, a patient may show signs and symptoms such as:

Due to the sheer size and force of the vehicles involved, trucking accidents tend to be devastating. They are more likely than passenger car accidents to result in loss of life and trucking accidents also tend to cause serious personal injuries – including permanent spinal cord injuries, amputations, burn injuries, and other injuries – as well as significant property damage.

After a trucking accident, it is common for insurance companies to be very reassuring. The insurance providers covering trucking companies, in particular, often seem helpful, offering instant contracts to sign to ensure that compensation is doled out quickly. While it may be tempting to deal with only the trucking company’s insurance provider, if you have been in a serious trucking accidents and have lost a loved one or have suffered severe injuries, it is vital to seek professional help independently.

The first type of professional help you will want to seek is professional health care. Visit the best doctor, hospital, clinic, or specialists you can. Even if you don’t think you have been seriously injured, keep in mind that seemingly small and innocuous injuries and mishaps can have life-long permanent effects. That twinge in the back after an accident may become a life-long disability as well as a recurring source of pain. A bump on the head may be an asymptomatic brain injury. Without a thorough medical examination, there is just no way to know. Err on the side of caution and visit a qualified doctor of your choosing first. Keep a journal and take photos of any injuries and make sure that you retain copies of all medical records.

In 2006 alone, the FMCSA (the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) reported that large truck accidents caused 4 321 deaths and 77 000 personal injuries. That same year, 287,000 property damage claims were filed as a result of trucking accidents. Although many people believe that all vehicle accidents are the same, there are many important differences between car accidents and trucking accidents:

1) Severity. Trucking accidents are far more likely than car accidents to result in fatalities, serious property damage, and significant property damage. They are also more expensive and more complicated in legal terms, since more parties are involved. Trucking accidents are also more challenging to settle, often because many parties and insurance carriers are involved.

2) Fuel fires. Trucks are more likely than cars to catch fire, since trucks sometimes carry flammable materials. As well, trucks run on diesel fuel, which can ignite if this fuel comes into contact with battery spark. Trucking accidents resulting in fires often lead to serious burn injuries and fatalities.

Trucking accidents have been on the rise over the past twenty years, according to FMCSA (the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) and in a typical year nearly 5000 people lose these lives in trucking accidents. Another 130 000 people a year sustain serious injuries, such as brain injuries, amputations, spinal cord injuries, and other serious injuries. Truck accidents are also more likely than car accidents to result in serious personal injuries, substantial property loss, and fatalities.

After a trucking accident, it is often far more difficult to assign liability or responsibility. Unlike car accidents, trucking accidents often involve multiple parties – the driver of the car, the truck driver, the owner of the truck, the company renting or managing the truck. In addition, some trucks consist of a cab and trailer owned and managed by separate companies. In many cases, a truck is leased from an owner, so that the leasing company may be held partly liable. The shipper or loader of a truck may also be held liable if a load was incorrectly secured. Finally, the manufacturer of the truck or various truck parts may also be held partly responsible for a trucking accident.

There are many regulations and laws which determine who is responsible or liable in a trucking accident. Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations outlines most of the federal legislation governing trucks. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), state laws, and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) also govern the trucking industry. Determining which party may have violated some laws or regulations usually requires the services of a savvy and experienced personal injury attorney.

Trucking accidents cause many deaths each year. In fact, according to Road Safe America, highway accidents claim more than 42 000 lives each year. This is equivalent to the amount of people who would fill 200 commercial airliners. In fact, in order for aviation accidents to have the same death rate as highway accidents, there would have to be more than 16 aviation accidents involving commercial airlines a month.

These statistics do not even take into consideration the many personal injuries which trucking accidents cause. Trucking accidents often cause brain injuries, amputations, spinal cord injuries, broken limbs, burn injuries, and other serious injuries. This is above and beyond the financial and property damage such accidents inflict. For many survivors “lucky” enough to escape fatalities in a trucking accident, life-long injuries are the result.

Stephen C. Owings helped found Road Safe America, an advocacy group which aims to prevent trucking accidents. Owings believes that we are far more lax about traffic safety and trucking accident prevention than we are about airline safety. Partly, he feels this is because we have become immune to the many news stories about such accidents. Research seems to prove him right. According to Dr. Linda Degutis of the American Public Health Association, studies show that most Americans do not believe that highway accidents are preventable.

In trucking accidents, passenger vehicle drivers and truck drivers both have a duty to prevent accident. After an accident, it is typical for passenger vehicle drivers to blame truck drivers and for truck drivers to blame car drivers for an accident. Research has suggested that both truck driver error and passenger car error contribute to car accidents involving trucks.

For passenger car drivers, the main error involve not paying due attention to trucks. Some drivers simply do not exert special care around trucks. Common passenger car driver errors include:

1) Rapid lane changes near a truck. A truck cannot stop as quickly as a passenger car. Any sudden movements near a truck can cause an accident, since the truck needs extra time to move or stop.

2) Driving for extended periods of time in the truck’s blind spots. Large trucks have many blind spots – such as beside the truck and behind the truck. While it may be necessary to drive very briefly in these areas, you will want to get out of these “no-zones,” as they are called, as quickly as possible. If you cannot see the driver in his or her mirrors, the driver cannot usually see you.

3) Incorrect turns near a truck. When a truck is making a right turn, you should not be to the immediate right of the truck. Your car may be crushed or forced off the road if you are. Making a left turn in front of a truck can also be dangerous if you don’t give the truck enough time to slow down and stop.

4) Driving between large trucks. Driving between large trucks is not only scary – it is dangerous. When surrounded by large trucks, the passenger car driver often cannot see enough of the road to anticipate and respond to road conditions. Being stuck between two trucks also usually means being in the trucks’ blind spots.

Of course, truck drivers also have a responsibility to keep roads safe. There are a number of driver errors that truck drivers make which contribute to trucking accidents:

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If you have been in a trucking accident, you need a good Florida personal injury attorney. A qualified Florida personal injury lawyer can help you negotiate with insurance providers and can help you get the full amount of support you are entitled to under the law. If you have sustained a serious brain injury, burn injury, amputation, or other loss, a good attorney can help ensure that you get the full support you need to recover fully. Even if you think you do not need an attorney, you do. Without a good attorney, you are likely to get less support than you will need.

Finding a good Florida personal injury attorney usually begins with getting some recommendations. If you do not know anyone who has worked with a personal injury attorney, you may need to speak with an attorney yourself. Most attorneys offer a free initial consultation. This is a very useful way to get to know an attorney and to get some preliminary legal advice. When speaking with an attorney during your consultation, look for the following characteristics of a good attorney:

1) Experience. A good Florida personal injury attorney is one who has experience in the type of trucking accident you have experienced. Most attorneys will be happy to tell you about relevant experience they have. Look for a professional who has succeeded in the types of cases which are similar to your accident. You can also ask for referrals to speak with previous clients of an attorney. This will help you understand how happy past clients have been with the attorney.

After a trucking accident, getting back behind the wheel of a vehicle can be scary. In addition to the physical personal injuries trucking accidents cause, these accidents also cause trauma. It is not unusual for victims to experience insomnia, panic attacks, and other serious emotional upheavals and stresses after a trucking accident. Getting back into a car or truck is often difficult both for truck drivers and passenger car drivers who have been in a trucking accident. Here are a few ways drivers can make the transition less stressful:

1) Don’t rush it. For the first while after a trucking accident, consider taking public transportation, taxis, or relying on carpooling. Getting back behind the wheel too soon can spark fears, panic attacks, and other stresses. Allow yourself to heal fully – both physically and emotionally – before attempting to drive again.

2) Seek medical help. Make sure that you get a full physical by a qualified doctor after your accident. Keep in mind that some injuries — such as spinal cord injuries, whiplash, brain injuries, and even deep burn injuries – may affect your ability to drive. Discuss driving with your physician and ask when it is physically safe for you to resume driving.