Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Driving a commercial truck, semi, or big rig poses obstacles that “regular” passenger car drivers do not face. One thing, they’re huge and can be hard to handle, especially on narrow roads that do not accommodate such cars. So, to keep away from accidents, all the truck drivers must take truck training.
For another, their size makes them more difficult to control, which means they can’t react as rapidly as a smaller passenger car to a sudden or unexpected motion. Even yet, truck accidents can cause by either a truck driver or a passenger car driver. When behind the wheel, any motorist must act appropriately and be alert of potential road risks at all times.
Commercial truck drivers are to blame for truck accidents:
Here are some of the most prevalent ways commercial truck drivers cause accidents:
- Driving skills, safety, and defensive driving training are all lacking.
- Trucking businesses’ frantic schedules cause fatigue or tiredness. Some trucking businesses reward drivers who can travel more miles and make more deliveries by paying them more. Such a routine encourages speeding and insufficient sleep.
Passenger vehicle drivers are to blame for truck accidents:
The truck driver is not to blame for every truck collision. Occasionally, the driver of a passenger car makes a mistake that results in an accident.
The following are just a few examples of how passenger car drivers create accidents:
- Drivers are failing to move a disabled car entirely onto the highway’s shoulder.
- Drive a car in the blind spots of a truck driver.
- When you’re driving between two or more heavy trucks, it’s essential to be aware of your surroundings.
- A sudden lane change in front of a truck is an example of a fast movement.
- In front of a truck, moved into traffic from the shoulder or merging from an on-ramp without adequate acceleration.
- When passing a truck making a right turn, move to the right.
- You have to blow to the side by air turbulence or crosswind when passing too close to a truck.
- When the truck’s speed underestimate, you have to make a left turn in front of a truck.
It’s crucial to remember as a passenger car driver that even though you have the right of way in a situation, it’s occasionally safer and necessary to yield to the truck. Because of its size and weight, it is more complex to handle than your automobile, and it is critical for your safety and the safety of other drivers that you give it the time and space it needs.
Identifying who is responsible for a truck accident:
In any situation, liability assumes that each person has a specific set of responsibilities and obligations.
As a driver of a car or truck, you are responsible for ensuring that your driving is reasonable by all applicable laws and traffic rules. It also implies that you owe every other driver and pedestrian to take reasonable precautions to ensure their safety.
The first thing your insurer or lawyer would consider after an accident is who is to blame. Your obligation and that of the truck driver split the liability.
In transportation accidents, there are two distinct scenarios;
- Jackknifing: If the road was slick or a driver was compelled to make an abrupt turn to avoid another car, a stalled truck, or whatever else, and the vehicle jackknifed, the driver is unlikely to be found accountable.
- Turning accidents: Making a successful right turn with a large truck generally necessitates two lanes.
When should you hire a truck accident lawyer?
It would help if you approached a truck accident differently than you would a standard car accident. Keep in mind that a trucking corporation is likely to have significant insurance coverage and deep funds, and it may be very ready to make an accident “go away.”
However, if you have serious injuries, this may not be in your best interests in the long run.
You should contact a truck accident attorney as soon as possible. Insurance adjusters are not permitted to provide legal advice. Your insurance company’s goal is to pay as little as possible to settle your claim – they’re not there to make sure that a settlement covers all of your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other accident-related expenses.
Only your attorney will be able to determine what all of it should be.