Motor vehicle accidents are a fact of life in a country where such a high percentage of goods travel by road. In Texas in 2019, a reportable crash occurred every 56 seconds, and an accident caused injury to a person just over every two minutes. With that many injured people, accountability for negligence is a necessity.
Increased dangers in truck accidents
Tractor trailers are massive vehicles that can weigh upwards of 40 tons when fully loaded. Motor vehicle accidents involving trucks frequently result in serious injury and death to others. Even just losing a wheel off the truck leads to a potentially lethal projectile hurtling down a highway.
With that much weight, truck drivers must account for increased stopping distance, lack of maneuverability and a number of other factors all while managing long hours on the road. Those aspects lead to fatigue, distraction and potential maintenance issues when companies sacrifice safety to keep the wheels moving.
Who can you turn to?
With so many moving parts, a truck accident is a highly technical investigation to conduct. An experienced truck accident attorney possesses the knowledge, connections and wherewithal to pursue any claims that you may have. An accident investigation into something seemingly as small as a lost wheel can involve:
- An accident reconstruction expert
- A mechanical engineer
- A metallurgist
- Other experts
On top of all that, the trucking company will move to recover and repair its property as soon as possible which will result in the destruction of valuable evidence. An attorney will know to demand that they preserve the truck, all parts and any maintenance records for review by the team of experts. It’s easy to see how complicated these investigations can turn out to be.
If a motor vehicle accident involving a truck or tractor trailer caused injuries to you or a loved one, a personal injury attorney with significant experience in truck accidents is a must. They will be able to guide you through the process, and they can give you the best chance to obtain compensation for lost wages, medical bills, property damage and other losses.
