Trucks play an essential role in the country’s economy. By moving goods from one place to another, trucking companies ensure that essential products arrive at the seller’s premises on time. This means booming businesses and little to no shortage of basic goods and services. According to statistics, large trucks make up a significant part of road vehicles. Truck companies have become a valuable part of the economy, employing many people.
Sadly, trucks are prone to accidents either by natural occurrences, unforeseen events, system malfunction, or driver negligence. The result may be catastrophic, leading to thousands of dollars worth of damage or, even worse, fatality. Every day, trucks get into sticky situations that may lead to accidents, e.g., tire blowouts, head-on collisions, overturning, and more. Here are the most common types of truck accident cases a truck accident attorney deals with.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injuries occur when one’s head hits a hard object after a sudden stop. The hard impact on the head may cause a concussion and further issues if not given medical attention quickly. Traumatic brain injuries are mostly associated with smaller motor vehicle crashes, but they may also occur after commercial truck accidents. Certain brain injuries can be classified as mild cases, although the effects may last long after the accident. In the event of a commercial truck accident, you need to seek medical attention first.
Next, you need to pursue your rights. Traumatic brain injuries need to be taken with utmost seriousness since the effects may last a lifetime. Unfortunately, they may take months to notice the effects. It is therefore advisable to seek legal help from your trusted accident attorney.
Back and Neck Injury
Your back and neck are vulnerable structures that may get hurt in case of an accident. Even though necks are flexible structures, they are still susceptible to injury since they’re less stable structures. Serious truck accidents may lead to severe injuries on the back. For instance, a serious head-on collision with a semi-truck or commercial truck is very likely to cause serious spine injuries that require long hospitalization periods.
Commercial trucks carry tons of weight, and hard impact with other fast-moving trucks or personal vehicles may lead to fatality. One may experience painful spine fractures, dislocations, and other issues such as weakness and fatigue.
Head Injuries
Fast-moving truck collisions often cause the driver to slam his head hard against the dashboard, seats, and windows. The hard impact may tag along with skull fractures which come in various forms – from simple fractures that don’t damage the skin to compound fractures that bulge inwards close to the brain.
Other head injuries may also become imminent after an accident, for instance, brain herniation, a condition where the brain bounces back and forth after impact. This may cause bleeding and misplaced brain tissue, permanent brain damage, and potential death. To be on the safe side, watch out for loss of consciousness, seizures, confusion, and memory loss after the accident.
Broken Bones
Big trucks require special skills to operate, and if mishandled, they may lead to severely damaged bones. For instance, when an 18-wheeler crashes into a personal vehicle, shattered glass is only part of the story. The smaller car driver may suffer from excruciating pain from broken bones.
Fractured and broken bones call for immediate medical attention. They may also take months to heal, meaning lost job hours, inability to work, lost wages, and inability to provide for your loved ones. During the recovery period, the victim is also faced with heavy medical bills. For this reason, you need to hire an experienced truck accident attorney to fight the battle on your behalf. This way, you can spend less time worrying about the legal procedures and more time on healing.
Truck Accident Causes
Truck accidents occur due to several reasons other than the driver’s negligence.
- Failure to obey traffic rules and signs.
- Lack of experience
- Distracted driving (e.g., when the driver is texting while driving)
- Poor judgment when negotiating (e.g., when negotiating corners)
- Too much pressure from top management, leading to stress and anxiety
- Malfunctioning brakes
Other common causes of truck accidents include negligence, driving under the influence, speeding, driving while sleepy, etc.
Regardless of the cause, truck accidents, in most cases, lead to catastrophic events which shouldn’t go unanswered. If you were recently involved in a minor or severe truck accident, now would be the best time to get in touch with a truck accident lawyer for more reliable solutions.
Also Read- Motor Vehicles Accident Claims Fund Act
