Truck Accidents

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are approximately 500,000 truck accidents across the country each year. Most of these truck accidents are minor, do not cause any injuries, and are not officially reported. But a concerning percentage of them are serious and change lives for the worse forever. About 5,000 truck accident fatalities per year or 14 per day are suffered by drivers and pedestrians.

Trucking companies try to skirt around the issue when the question of liability in a truck accident is raised. Do not be convinced by the opposition in your claim that the accident "just happened' or was caused by "bad luck." The truth is that the leading cause of truck accidents is human error, often on the part of the truck driver. Something as simple as changing lanes without giving motorists the time needed to move out of the way can be all it takes to cause a catastrophic wreck.

Truck accidents take many forms and types. The type of truck accident involved in your case is important because the liability will often change based on how the accident unfolded. Out of all the different types of truck accidents, jackknifes, rear-end collisions, wide-turn sideswipes, and rollover accidents are the most common.

Highways and freeways see more truck accidents on average than city streets. The reason is likely due to the fact that most commercial trucks and big rigs stay on the highway for the majority of their trips, only using the off-ramp nearest to their delivery destination. As such, you are far more likely to encounter a commercial truck – and a negligent commercial truck driver – on the highway. Furthermore, semi-trucks travel at their fastest speeds when on the highway, which inherently makes it more likely for a trucker to lose control of their vehicle or hit another motorist due to inattention.

To determine fault in a truck accident case, strong evidence will be needed because the opposition will be fiercely defensive. Oftentimes, an expert crash reconstructionist will be needed to uncover what happened with indisputable clarity. Unique evidence from the truck and the parent trucking company can also be used by your attorney, like data from the truck's "black box" recorder. This data usually shows if the brakes were applied at the time of impact and how many breaks the truck driver took that shift, which could indicate that the trucker was exhausted while driving.

Maryland follows the rule of contributory negligence. If you are found to have contributed to the accident, even slightly, you may be barred from recovering compensation. Trucking companies and their insurers often try to shift blame onto the other driver, so a prompt, thorough investigation into fault is critical.

Speak with an attorney first. Adjusters work for the trucking company, and recorded statements can be used to minimize your claim or argue that you were at fault. Early settlement offers are often made before the full extent of your injuries is known, and signing a release generally ends your right to seek more.