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Our truck accident lawyer Spartanburg, SC offers knows that operators of eighteen-wheel trucks often work extremely long and difficult hours. According to the US Department of Energy, an average Class 8 commercial truck travels more than 200% as far every year as any other type of highway vehicle: more than 65,000 miles. Truckers often work for a week straight before being required to take a day off. Urged by delivery companies to drive farther and longer, they often work for up to eight hours without stopping.
In today’s high-energy, consumer-focused society, large corporations place a premium on getting products to their customers faster and more effortlessly than ever. Our personal injury lawyers know in some cases, companies will begin transporting or packaging product orders even before they are purchased, just to get an edge over the competition. Experienced Spartanburg, SC truck accident lawyers understand that corporate interests increasingly place profits over people, often pushing their employees to work long hours and skirting the boundaries of workplace safety to squeeze out a little extra productivity.
Unfortunately, this approach can end in disaster. Trucking accidents are some of the most devastating and serious types of auto accidents faced by drivers and passengers across the United States. When a truck accident happens, no one wins. Commercial trucks weigh tens of thousands of pounds and can crush a passenger vehicle easily, even at low speeds. At highway speeds, surviving a truck accident without life-threatening injuries is nothing short of miraculous. Passenger vehicles are simply not designed to withstand the devastating impact of an 18-wheeler. Those fortunate enough to walk away from a truck accident are often left with lifelong injuries, including scars, fractures, severe whiplash, and more. No matter how severe a collision is, the costs associated with injury recovery and property damage repair can be significant. An experienced Spartanburg, SC truck accident lawyer can help accident victims obtain any compensation they may be entitled to. Access to proper compensation helps to make lost wages and significant medical bills easier to absorb financially.
Injuries from a truck accident can be severe even if they aren’t readily apparent. In most auto accidents, the vehicle’s crumple zones, seat belts, and other safety features protect passengers from the sudden acceleration of the impact. The energy of the collision is soaked up by twisted metal and plastic. But this doesn’t happen the same way in commercial truck accidents. The truck is so much larger and heavier that it simply can’t be stopped as quickly and the victims bear the brunt of the impact.
How Truck Accidents Differ from Auto Accidents
Many people mistakenly assume that commercial truck accident cases are the same as regular car accident cases. The truth is that truck accidents are so much different than collisions involving just passenger vehicles. Here are some of the biggest differences between truck accidents and auto accidents. If you’re facing surmounting financial losses because of a truck accident, please call a Spartanburg, SC truck accident lawyer now.
More Serious Injuries
One of the most heart-wrenching differences between trucking accidents and car accidents is the injuries they can cause. Because commercial trucks are so much larger and heavier than passenger vehicles, they are more likely to cause life-threatening injuries during accidents. Common injuries caused by truck accidents include traumatic brain injuries, burns, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and whiplash.
Bigger Insurance Policies
As a Spartanburg, SC truck accident lawyer might explain to you, because of the amount of damage commercial trucks can cause, drivers are required to carry much larger insurance policies than drivers of passenger vehicles. How much a truck driver pays for insurance may depend on several different factors, including their age, what they haul, how far they drive and CDL experience. These policies can be worth millions, so that’s why insurance companies often spend a lot of money fighting claims. With the right truck accident lawyer in Spartanburg, SC on your side, you can ensure you recover maximum damages.
More Extensive Property Damage
A commercial truck’s sheer size and weight can also cause greater property damage to any vehicle it hits. If your vehicle gets into a collision with a commercial truck, there’s a good chance that it will be totaled.
More Expensive Medical Bills
As mentioned above, truck accidents often result in more serious injuries. That’s why it stands to reason that the medical bills associated with the injuries are much higher. The traumatic injuries often mean additional testing, longer stays at the hospital and more extensive treatments. People injured in truck accidents also frequently have to take more time off work, which can affect their financial situation even more. A good truck accident lawyer Spartanburg, SC has to offer should take all of your losses into consideration to ensure you recover enough damages.
Different Regulations
Truck drivers often have to travel interstate, so they have to follow many more regulations than drivers of passenger vehicles. These regulations may include special driver’s licenses and qualifications, yearly inspections, logbooks and maintenance of trucks. These extra regulations make truck accident cases more complex when it comes to deciding the cause and liability of the accident.
Greater Chance of Death
As a Spartanburg, SC truck accident lawyer might explain to you, those involved in commercial truck accidents are more likely to die than people hurt in a wreck involving two passenger vehicles.
How Your Attorney Can Help With a Truck Accident Claim
Most vehicle accidents involve collisions between two automobiles that are about the same size. However, when you or someone you love crashes into a semi-truck or tractor-trailer that weighs around 75,000 pounds, the odds that your vehicle will sustain minimal damage are devastatingly low. The weight and size of the large 18-wheeler or tanker truck crashing into your smaller car can almost guarantee a great amount of damage and a long, complex legal battle over liability issues. Here are three ways a Spartanburg, South Carolina truck accident lawyer can help you with your claim after an accident with a big truck.
One of the main reasons to contact an attorney after an accident with a large truck is because of the appropriate knowledge base regarding large rigs, garbage trucks, UPS vehicles, and flatbed trailers that he or she can have. Many deaths occur each year due to accidents associated with semi-trucks or tractor-trailers. Here are some of the many causes of large truck accidents.
Even the most attentive driver can have problems with bad brakes, fish-tailing beds, or tire blowouts. The curves, grades, or maintenance of the road could also become an issue for an experienced driver if bad weather intervenes. That is why a knowledgeable attorney can be critical in helping you with your accident claim.
The insurance representative for the trucking company may begin investigating the accident scene within hours while your insurance company may be smaller and less able to send an adjuster to the site immediately. Your attorney can protect the evidence and gather information as soon as you contact him or her. He or she can also deal with both insurance companies – and that can relieve you of a great deal of stress.
When an attorney specializes in a specific area of law such as big truck accidents, the federal regulations and state laws mandating precautions and truck specifications are well known to those lawyers. When the federal government changes or updates a law, rule or regulation, experienced attorneys are updated and implement the information into their client’s cases immediately. That means your lawyer will have the latest information available to help you fight the insurance company, big corporations, and other lawyers.
You can protect yourself and your future by selecting an experienced big truck lawyer when you or someone you love collides with a large commercial truck. Don’t try to win the battle on your own; instead, rely on the expertise and knowledge your attorney can offer.
Were You Injured in a Truck Accident?
After a commercial truck accident, the damage can be far-reaching. Not only do the victims often owe thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills but the time they miss from work or family life can be devastating. In addition, those injured in a truck accident often find themselves suffering from post-traumatic stress, playing the images over and over in their mind and panicking whenever they get into a car. These kinds of injuries may not be visible, but they’re just as serious.
If you’ve been injured in a serious truck accident, you should seek medical attention and legal representation from a Spartanburg, SC truck accident lawyer with Poliakoff & Associates, P.A. immediately. The insurance agency representing the trucking or shipping company has one goal: paying you as little money as possible. They are not on your side. You need a Spartanburg, SC truck accident lawyer who is ready to hold these companies accountable for the damage they’ve done.
If you were recently injured in a truck accident, you should speak to an experienced truck accident lawyer in Spartanburg, SC as soon as possible. You deserve compensation for what happened to you. A truck accident lawyer can help you file a timely claim, gather evidence, identify key witnesses and negotiate with the insurance company. He or she can also protect your legal rights and increase your chances of receiving fair compensation. Call Poliakoff & Associates, P.A. to talk with a trusted Spartanburg, SC truck accident lawyer.