If you or someone you care about has been harmed in an 18-wheeler accident in the San Antonio area, you need an accomplished personal injury attorney with extensive trucking litigation experience on your side. An expert San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyer can help you pursue maximum compensation and hold all responsible parties fully accountable.
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Common Factors That Contribute to Truck Accidents
While every commercial trucking accident has unique circumstances, some common factors often play a role in these collisions, including:
Truck Driver Fatigue
Drowsy driving is a leading cause of truck crashes nationwide. Drivers may be pressured by their companies to violate hours of service regulations, which limit driving time before mandatory rest periods. Fatigued big rig operators can easily zone out and fail to react appropriately to traffic conditions.
Speeding or Aggressive Driving
Large tractor-trailers require much more time and distance to brake than passenger cars due to their size and weight. Excess speed dramatically increases the forces involved in a collision. Aggressive driving behaviors like unsafe lane changes and tailgating also boost the risks.
Impaired Driving
Some truckers, unfortunately, get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or even prescription medications that cause drowsiness. Their reaction time and decision-making abilities are dangerously compromised.
Distracted Driving
Truck drivers face many potential distractions, including eating, texting, adjusting the GPS, or even reading paperwork while driving. Taking their eyes off the road for even a few seconds can lead to a crash.
Improper Truck Maintenance
Brake defects, bald tires, and other mechanical problems due to lack of maintenance elevate the chances of an accident. Trucking companies are required to keep detailed maintenance records and ensure repairs are done promptly.
Hazards of the Roadways
Debris on highways, narrow lanes, lack of adequate truck parking, and congested traffic all contribute to accident risks. Construction zones also present challenges for maneuvering large vehicles.
Catastrophic Injuries That Can Result From 18-Wheeler Crashes
Due to the tremendous size and weight of commercial trucks, the damage caused in collisions is often catastrophic and permanently life-altering:
- Traumatic brain injuries – The frontal lobe of the brain can sustain substantial damage as it impacts the skull at high velocity in a crash. Even mild traumatic brain injury can have lasting cognitive effects.
- Spinal cord damage – Forceful hyperextension, hyperflexion, or rotation of the spinal column may fracture or dislocate vertebrae, rupture discs, or severe the spinal cord. This frequently results in some degree of paralysis and loss of sensation.
- Amputated limbs – When a limb becomes trapped or pinned between the semi and another vehicle or object, the crushing forces often destroy muscles, bones, nerves, and tissues beyond repair. Amputation is required.
- Internal organ damage – The impact sustained in a commercial trucking collision can cause lacerations, hematomas, or total rupture of organs like the spleen, kidneys, liver, bladder, stomach, or intestines. This necessitates risky surgical repair procedures.
- Severe burns – Fires sometimes erupt after a collision ruptures the fuel tanks and causes ignition. Victims may sustain disfiguring burns over large portions of their bodies. Multiple painful skin grafting surgeries are typically required along with rehabilitation.
- Orthopedic injuries – Fractures of the limbs, pelvis, and hips, shoulder injuries, herniated discs, and other orthopedic trauma routinely result from the forces sustained in a semi-truck crash as well.
Proving Liability and Negligence in Truck Accident Claims
There are unique legal complexities involved when filing a claim after a commercial trucking collision. Experienced attorneys use crash reconstruction specialists to recreate the accident scene and analyze the factors that may have contributed to the crash. Depending on these factors, the truck driver, trucking company, manufacturer, cargo loader, or other parties may share liability.
A qualified lawyer conducts in-depth investigations and discovery to pinpoint negligence. Sources of proof may include:
- The truck’s black box data recorder
- GPS and tracking records
- Driver logbooks and hours of service records
- Maintenance work orders and inspection reports
- Witness statements
- Police accident reports
- Photographs and video footage
- Hazardous roadway conditions
- Truck driver history and qualifications
Thorough evidence gathering, litigation experience, and negotiation skills are key to building a strong injury claim after an 18-wheeler crash. An attorney experienced in federal regulations specific to the trucking industry is also important.
Pursuing Full Financial Recovery After a San Antonio Truck Accident
The losses that often stem from a catastrophic semi-truck collision can be extensive and include:
- All past and future medical expenses from hospitalization, surgeries, therapy, in-home care, prosthetics, medications and more
- Lost income and/or reduced earning capacity if disabilities prohibit returning to work
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement or permanent disabilities
- Loss of companionship and consortium damages for spouse and family members
- PTSD, depression, or anxiety disorders resulting from the trauma
- Damage or destruction of personal vehicle and other property
With so much at stake, it is imperative to have an accomplished San Antonio truck accident attorney who can compute both current and future damages, fully document evidence of losses, and demand maximum compensation on your behalf, either through settlement negotiations or trial litigation.
Conclusion
The consequences of an 18-wheeler collision are severe, and victims cannot leave their potential compensation to chance by hiring an attorney unfamiliar with the intricacies of truck accident law. It is essential to select legal counsel with specific experience handling tractor-trailer injury claims.
They will understand factors like federal safety regulations, complex insurance policies, standards for negligence, and how to effectively negotiate with trucking defense attorneys.
