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Truck crashes are easily among the deadliest accidents on our highways, and the related losses tend to be immense. The sheer size and weight of the tractor-trailers that we share our roads with ensure that ensuing accidents are exceptionally dangerous, and it’s the occupants of the other vehicles involved who are at the greatest risk. If a truck driver’s negligence leaves you or someone you care about injured in a truck crash, it’s time to consult with an experienced Kingstree, SC, truck wreck lawyer.
Truck Drivers Are Held to Higher Safety Standards
Truck drivers are professional drivers who man massive semis, and as a result, they are held to higher safety standards. These include hour-of-service restrictions that are designed to keep fatigued truckers off the road, zero-tolerance laws in relation to impaired driving, and beyond.
Related Safety Concerns
Truck drivers also experience additional safety concerns behind the wheel. These include expansive blind spots and longer stopping distances. When truckers fail to carefully check their blind spots before changing lanes, they put motorists around them at considerable risk, and when they fail to leave enough space between their rigs and forward traffic, they greatly increase the chances that life-threatening rear-end accidents will happen.
Recovering Your Losses
If a truck driver’s negligence leaves you injured, recovering your complete losses will make a serious difference in your ability to regain your health and well-being. In the wake of a terrifying truck wreck, you could be looking at serious losses in each of the following categories:
- Property damage to your vehicle and to anything inside your vehicle
- Your medical expenses, including your related ongoing healthcare needs
- Your lost income, which may include losses related to your career
- Your physical and emotional pain and suffering, which can overshadow your other losses combined
Reaching your most complete recovery after a truck wreck requires an accurate accounting of your physical, financial, and emotional losses, and your dedicated truck wreck attorney is standing by to help.
Your Truck Wreck Lawyer’s Role
If a truck driver’s negligence leaves you injured, a savvy truck wreck attorney can help in all the following ways:
- Gathering the evidence necessary to prove the truck driver’s negligence, such as if they were ticketed for speeding and your resulting legal damages.
- Guiding you skillfully through the claims process, which includes helping you avoid common mistakes, such as posting on social media while your claim is pending.
- Persuasively negotiating with the involved insurance company in pursuit of a just settlement.
- Being well-prepared to take your case to court if the insurance company isn’t interested in making a fair settlement offer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Truck Accidents
Who can be held responsible for a commercial truck accident in South Carolina?
Liability for a commercial truck accident may go beyond the driver. Depending on the circumstances, the liability may fall on the trucking company, the vehicle maintenance company, the cargo loading company, or the truck manufacturer. A trucking company, for example, could be liable for negligent hiring, failure to train drivers adequately or failure to maintain its vehicles properly. Identifying every potentially responsible party is important when pursuing compensation after a serious truck wreck.
What evidence is important in a South Carolina truck accident case?
Evidence can be very important in determining how a truck accident happened and who was at fault. Key records can include electronic logging device (ELD) data for the truck, event data recorder information, driver qualification records, maintenance and inspection reports, documents regarding the loading of the cargo, photographs, witness statements, and the official accident report. An attorney can help identify and preserve relevant evidence before it is lost, overwritten, or destroyed.
What is a truck’s black box, and can it help my accident claim?
Many commercial trucks have electronic systems that record information about the way the truck is driven. This data may include speed, braking activity, engine performance and other details surrounding a crash, depending on the equipment. This information can help investigators reconstruct an accident and determine if a driver may have been speeding, braking improperly or driving unsafely. Preserving electronic evidence quickly is important because some information may be overwritten or become unavailable.
Can a trucking company be held liable for a driver’s negligence?
Yes. A trucking company can be held legally liable for the negligent actions of a driver, if the driver was acting within the scope of employment. A company can also be held separately liable for its own negligence (failing to properly screen drivers, ignoring safety violations, or failing to perform required vehicle maintenance). Determining whether the trucking company contributed to the collision can be an important part of building a truck accident claim.
How do federal trucking regulations affect a truck accident injury claim?
Commercial trucking companies and drivers are subject to federal safety requirements set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and applicable state laws. These requirements deal with issues like driving hours, vehicle inspections, maintenance, driver qualifications, and cargo securement. Evidence that a driver or a trucking company violated a relevant safety regulation can help prove negligence. An attorney can review relevant records to determine whether regulatory violations contributed to the crash.
An Experienced Kingstree, SC, Truck Wreck Attorney Can Help
Cezar McKnight at The Law Offices of Cezar McKnight is a compassionate Kingstree, SC, truck wreck lawyer who has the legal skill, insight, and drive to fiercely advocate for your claim’s best possible resolution, and he will leave no stone unturned in his focused efforts to do so. For more information, please don’t wait to contact us online or call 843-374-4529 today.