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Understanding the severity of truck accidents

Physics may not be your friend when it comes to truck accidents. Due to their sheer size and weight, trucks such as dump trucks and tractor trailers can cause catastrophic damage and injuries or death when involved in an accident with a pedestrian or car.

Although truck drivers are professionals and are typically careful on the road, they also have inherent disadvantages over cars on the road. Even with mirrors, they have significant blind spots. What’s more, they often require more space than other vehicles to turn due to their weight. Trucks also take a longer time and require more space to stop or slow and are prone to jackknifing. They are also more vulnerable to crosswinds than cars.

Even with laws restricting truck drivers from taking excessively long trips, driver fatigue is not uncommon and may also lead to a truck accident. Driver fatigue is highly dangerous, which is why truck drivers are required by law to take breaks and rest periodically.

If you are involved in a truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation for the damage to your vehicle, pain and suffering, medical costs and subsequent treatments, and money for lost wages due to your injuries. To prove your case, you must show that negligence led to the accident. This does not necessarily mean taking legal action against the driver, however. The trucking company, additional drivers on the road at the time of the accident, and the truck manufacturer may be liable as well. In order to properly file a suit, it may necessary to seek the guidance and representation of a lawyer familiar with motor vehicle accidents.

Source: “Truck Accident Overview,” Accessed August 18, 2015