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How Are Truck Accidents Different from Auto Accidents?

Posted on Tuesday, March 1st, 2022 at 4:47 pm    

Road collisions come in many forms, and each accident has its own unique factors that must be considered when assessing the losses. These differences become especially notable when we contrast car accidents with those involving commercial trucks. If you have had the misfortune of being in an accident with a large commercial vehicle and it was not your fault, it’s important to understand how such differences might come into play.

This is especially true if you are considering filing a claim for compensation. An experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to help you understand the complexities involved in litigation that deals with truck accidents. Having a lawyer on your side may well mean the difference between having to settle for a “lowball” amount and getting the kind of compensation you actually deserve.

car and truck headon

The Severity of Truck Accidents

Perhaps the most obvious place to begin discussing the difference between car-on-car accidents and truck-on-car accidents is the fact that accidents involving large commercial vehicles tend to be far more severe than those that only cars. In a collision, trucks are capable of imparting far more damage to smaller vehicles and are more likely to cause serious injury or even death to the drivers involved. The momentum that results from the sheer size and weight of a semi-truck moving at any speed is vastly greater than that of a car, and therefore the impact is going to be more intense, as well. The outcome of these collisions can be tragic, and survivors can often come away with lifelong debilitating injuries.

The Difficulties of Fighting a Trucking Company

In the litigation process, the greatest difference between commercial truck accidents and car crashes is that battling trucking companies can be overwhelming. Filing a claim for compensation after an accident with a semi-truck tends to involve not just an individual driver but also a trucking company with a powerful team of lawyers and insurance companies. The people that the trucking company hires to protect their interests are highly trained and aggressive. Their main goal is to do everything they can to avoid paying out large settlements for the accident.

For this reason, it is very important to have an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side. They will have dealt with trucking companies, their insurance representatives, and their lawyers many times before and will understand all the tricks they have up their sleeves.

Reach out to us, we’re here to help resolve your case.

Understanding the Causes of the Accident

Yet another difference between truck accidents and car accidents is that there are often very different factors that cause the collision. Car accidents usually occur as a consequence of human error, such as driver distraction, speeding, or intoxication. While truck accidents can also come about for these reasons, they are in many ways more often the result of the size and mass of the truck. These considerations tend to make it more difficult to see vehicles in their blind spots, stop quickly, or turn properly.

Accidents involving commercial trucks also happen frequently due to equipment failure. Drivers and trucking companies are responsible for maintaining the vehicle and having it checked regularly. Neglect of these matters often leads to vehicle malfunction. Sometimes a malfunction happens because of manufacturers’ defects as well. In this case, the legal claim would involve the manufacturer of the truck or its equipment in addition to (or instead of) the trucking company and the driver.

Having a seasoned personal injury attorney on your side will mean having the skill and knowledge necessary to determine the exact cause of the truck accident. This will involve an analysis of the following:

  • Trucking logs
  • The safety records of the trucking company
  • Driver’s records
  • Documents related to licensing and training of the driver
  • The black box from the truck

This kind of analysis tends to be more complex with truck accidents than with car accidents. If you have pressing questions related to your case, contact us today.

truck rear ended car

General Complexities of Truck Accident Claims

Car accident claims are certainly challenging. However, accidents involving commercial trucks usually involve multiple parties and more significant losses. The losses associated with a truck accident will include:

  • Economic losses, such as medical costs and lost earnings
  • Non-economic losses, like physical and psychological pain and suffering
  • Potential punitive damages that the court may award because the responsible parties acted in bad faith

It is essential to have the help of a seasoned personal injury attorney with experience in making these assessments.

Contact a Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Truck Accident Attorney Today

If you were injured in a truck accident in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky, contact Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC today for a free consultation about your case. Our experienced and skilled Cincinnati truck accident lawyers will be happy to help you through every step of the process so that you can secure the compensation you deserve. Call us now at (513) 351-5997, or reach out to us online.

Last Updated : November 2, 2022
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