If you’ve recently been in a Gainesville cargo truck wreck, you may be wondering if compensation is possible. Fortunately, you can take steps to seek a settlement for the pain and suffering involved in the wreck and for the costs of recovery.
If a cargo truck driver has recently injured you, you can seek compensation for your injuries and the costs associated with your recovery. Our Gainesville cargo truck accident lawyers can help.
What Our Gainesville Cargo Truck Accident Lawyers Can Do for You
It’s no secret that the American roadways can be dangerous, especially when a truck is involved. There are many different cargo trucks and kinds of accidents with these trucks.
The damage and destruction caused by these accidents can be severe and life-altering. Filing a personal injury lawsuit can be one way to help recoup your damages from the liable drivers, companies, and municipalities.
Our Gainesville cargo truck accident lawyers can:
- Help you determine if you have a strong case
- Negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf
- Collect evidence and preserve it for trial
- Assist you in getting the necessary medical treatments from reliable doctors
- Help you get compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and other losses
Causes of Cargo Truck Accidents
Cargo trucks and similar vehicles that haul cargo across the U.S. carry thousands of pounds of equipment or materials each day. Due to this mass weight, cargo trucks are especially susceptible to rollover accidents, which can be serious or fatal in most cases.
Here are some common causes of cargo truck accidents:
- Driver Fatigue: Truck drivers often work long hours, sometimes exceeding legal limits or driving without adequate sleep. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that fatigue is a factor in at least 15% of large commercial trucks’ crashes.
- Distracted Driving: Truck drivers spend long hours on the road, which can contribute to distracted driving. Cellphones are a common distraction for all drivers. Still, truck drivers are also known to engage in other distracting behaviors such as reading, eating, or changing the radio station while driving.
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI): Driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol is against the law and puts everyone on the road at risk. Alcohol impairs judgment and slows reaction time, while drug use may cause mental impairment or hallucinations. Both situations can result in a dangerous truck accident.
- Speeding and Aggressive Driving: Truckers who speed or drive aggressively increase the chances of an accident. When combined with poor weather conditions or traffic congestion, speeding may prove deadly.
- Faulty Equipment: Cargo trucks pose severe risks on the road. Due to their large size, these vehicles need properly functioning parts for smooth operation. If a particular part of the truck malfunctions, it can cause an accident. For example, if a truck’s brakes fail or malfunction, it can collide with other vehicles on the road.
- Improperly Loaded or Secured Cargo: A shifting load on a cargo truck can cause it to tip over, or it may slide off the truck, spilling out onto the highway. Debris from such an accident can fall into another vehicle’s path and cause a collision. Even if it doesn’t spill out, an improperly loaded cargo can cause instability, leading to a rollover accident.
Injuries and Damages in a Cargo Truck Accident
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an average of 325,000 large trucks were involved in accidents on U.S. roads and highways in 2016 alone. Of those, 4,586 ended in fatalities, with 88,000 people being injured.
Examples of injuries in cargo truck accidents include:
- Head and brain injuries from trauma to the head or whiplash
- Spinal cord damage from compression or trauma
- Internal organ damage from blunt force impact
- Bone fractures and broken bones from high-force impact
- Dislocations, ligament damage, muscle damage, and other soft tissue trauma
- Back and neck trauma from whiplash or from being hit by heavy items in the cargo hold
- Lacerations and deep cuts from objects moving around inside of the cab during an accident
Damages You Can Recover
Depending on the evidence of your case, you can recover different types of damages, including:
- Medical bills
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
Unfortunately, some victims do not survive cargo truck collisions. If your loved one was killed in a truck accident, you might file a wrongful death claim.
Determining Liability in a Cargo Truck Accident
If you were involved in an accident with a cargo truck, determining liability can be challenging. Because so many parties may be held liable if an accident occurs, the victim of a crash involving a cargo truck has the right to seek compensation from one or all of those parties. The party at fault in a trucking accident can be:
- The truck driver
- Trucking company
- Manufacturer of vehicle’s parts
- Government agency
When an accident occurs, the fault must be determined before liability can be assigned. Multiple factors must determine fault, including traffic violations, speed limits, weather and road conditions, and more.
In addition to determining fault for the accident, your lawyer must also determine the party responsible for the cargo on the truck. This is important because it determines who may be held liable for the damage. As such, it’s essential to talk to a cargo truck accident lawyer to help you. Our law firm can help you determine the at-fault party and the person liable for the damages.
Let Our Cargo Truck Accident Attorney Handle Your Case
If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a cargo truck accident, we want to help. The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine is ready to help you recover from your damages by filing and pursuing a claim on your behalf. Call us at 1-800-747-3733 for a free case evaluation and get started with your case today.