Truck accidents refer to collisions or incidents involving large commercial vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, delivery trucks, and other heavy-duty vehicles. These accidents can have devastating consequences due to the sheer size and weight of these trucks. A fully-loaded big rig can easily weigh 80,000 pounds or more. In contrast, the average passenger vehicle weighs just 3,000 pounds. As such, passenger car occupants often suffer severe injuries after a collision with a commercial truck. Sadly, many lose their lives.
Unfortunately, truck accidents often lead to complex legal and insurance issues. Determining liability and seeking compensation can be challenging due to the involvement of various parties, including the truck driver, trucking company, manufacturers, and others. Understanding truck accidents is essential for victims and their families to protect their rights and pursue fair compensation.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents can be caused by many factors, making each case unique and complex. Identifying the root cause of a truck accident is of utmost importance to determine liability and seek rightful compensation.
Some of the most common causes of truck accidents include:
- Fatigue and drowsy driving
- Speeding and aggressive driving
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving or drugged driving
- Poor truck maintenance
- Brake issues or tire blowouts
- Improper loading of cargo
- Trucking part defect
- Adverse weather conditions or road defects
The Full Impact of Truck Accidents in Colorado
Truck accidents can result in a wide range of injuries, varying in severity. Common types of injuries include whiplash, fractures, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal organ damage, and lacerations.
Occupants of passenger cars, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians involved in truck accidents often suffer more severe injuries than those involving smaller vehicles. Trucks’ increased height and ground clearance can lead to devastating underride accidents, where smaller vehicles slide underneath the truck, resulting in horrific injuries and fatalities.
Truck accidents can cause significant property damage to all vehicles involved. Due to their massive size and weight, trucks can easily crush smaller cars and cause extensive damage to other road infrastructure, such as guardrails, barriers, and traffic signs. Property damage resulting from truck accidents can lead to extensive repair costs and insurance claims.
Truck accidents have far-reaching consequences beyond immediate personal injuries and property damage. They can significantly affect victims’ lives, families, and communities, leading to emotional trauma, financial hardships, and changes in quality of life.
There can be severe environmental consequences in certain truck accidents, especially those involving tanker trucks carrying hazardous materials. Accidents from hazardous material spills can contaminate soil, water sources, and the surrounding environment. These spills may affect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health for decades. Emergency response teams must promptly address hazardous material spills to mitigate the environmental impact and protect public safety.
How Can a Lawyer Help After a Truck Accident?
Truck accident cases involve intricate legal issues and regulations, including state and federal laws specific to the trucking industry. As such, injured truck accident victims must hire an experienced attorney if they want to go up against large trucking companies and their legal teams.
A skilled truck crash attorney will thoroughly investigate the accident to gather critical evidence, such as witness statements, accident reports, and data from trucking company records or onboard technology. This evidence is crucial in establishing liability and proving the extent of damages.
Obtaining data from onboard technology, often called “black boxes,” is a crucial aspect of investigating truck accidents. These electronic data recorders, also known as Event Data Recorders (EDRs) or Electronic Control Modules (ECMs), are similar to the black boxes used in airplanes. They store valuable information about the truck’s performance and the events leading up to and during an accident.
In truck accidents, liability may extend beyond just the truck driver. The trucking company, vehicle manufacturer, maintenance provider, or other parties could share responsibility for the accident. An attorney can identify all potentially liable parties to ensure you pursue proper compensation.
Filing an Insurance Claim After a Truck Accident
After being involved in a truck accident, you can seek compensation for your injuries, property damage, and other losses. Filing an insurance claim is typically the first step in pursuing compensation.
Depending on the circumstances of the accident and the extent of the damages, you may be eligible for various types of compensation, which can include:
- Medical Expenses: Compensation for past and future medical treatment, hospital stays, surgeries, medications, therapy, and other healthcare-related costs.
- Lost Wages: Compensation for the income, benefits, and wages lost due to the inability to work during recovery from injuries.
- Property Damage: Reimbursement for repairing or replacing your vehicle and any other damaged property.
- Pain and Suffering: Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and diminished quality of life resulting from the accident and injuries.
- Disability and Impairment: Compensation for any permanent disabilities or impairments resulting from the accident.
- Wrongful Death: If the accident resulted in the death of a loved one, surviving family members may be eligible to seek compensation through a wrongful death claim.
Filing an insurance claim after a truck accident can be complex and challenging. Having the guidance of a skilled personal injury attorney can help ease some of the burdens you face. With a Colorado truck accident attorney on your side, you can focus on rebuilding your life after a devastating truck accident.
Contact Our Truck Accident Law Firm Today
If you get hurt in a truck accident, you need a law firm on your side that can go toe-to-toe with large trucking companies and insurers – and win. You need Colorado Accident Attorneys. Our law firm helps truck accident victims in Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs, Boulder and Fort Collins. We know that trucking companies and their insurers will do whatever they can to reduce their liabilities. We push back and fight aggressively for justice and the compensation you deserve.
Call us at (303) 567-7981 to set up a free consultation. We are located south of Denver in Greenwood Village and are here to help you explore your legal options. We are here to help you rebuild your life after a devastating truck crash.
