Second to medical malpractice personal injury claims, trucking accident claims can be very complicated. This can be attributed to the fact that truck accidents involve many different factors. Another is the possibility that multiple individuals are affected by the collision occurrence as a result of just one truck incident. A sudden stop by a truck driver may initiate a group accident as other drivers or passenger vehicles run into the much larger truck. In addition, such trucks may be carrying cargo that falls off their vehicles causing property damage and injury.One article noted that another complication that results is when it involves diesel engine vehicles where drivers are unable to see particular areas when changing lanes or turning. Such difficulties may lead to some being driven off the road.
One expert stated the following, “Trucks are often more dangerous than any other vehicles. For example, when a commercial vehicle has a tire blowout it may cause the truck to swerve, as a result of the swerving the remains of the tire may fly into a car and cause damage or similar events to occur. Even the debris of the tire blowout could result in an accident by smaller vehicles because of the spines that protrude from the remains of the tire.”
Other issues that may complicated cases may be the company the drivers operate the vehicle for. It is not uncommon for insurance policies to have fine print that causes difficulties with claims. In addition, if there is a defect in a part of the truck another entity could be held responsible for the accident. Therefore, filing a claim for these accidents has many complications and a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration.
One article stated with regards to unrealistic expectation of truck drivers, “Many companies that hire operators of larger vehicles expect only so many hours to be used to travel from one area to another. This means a severe timetable must be implemented when driving. If the shipment is not dropped off within the window, the employee may be held responsible and incurs a reprimand or actionable offence by the company. However, additional regulations have caused certain hours for limitations on driving and staying awake. These complications could cause these individuals to adjust timetables with even more stress. Other practices of driving the vehicle could be dangerous as they speed to the appropriate destination.”
“Where longer hours of driving, higher speeds and shortcuts lead to an accident for both truck drivers and passenger vehicle operators; a personal injury claim may be filed against these persons as a result of such circumstances. In addition, large trucks require constant maintenance in order to resolve complex issues that could result in a breakdown. Where a defect exists this further complicates a personal injury matter with regards to the at fault party in the accident. It increases the number of defendants as it now includes the manufacturer of the defective part, the company that installed the part, etc.”
For representation in a trucking accident personal injury claim contact an Anchorage personal injury lawyer who specializes in such cases.
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