When lawyers prepare a lawsuit for a client that was injured in a truck accident, each of them focuses on determining who should be held responsible. Sometimes the truck’s special features offer a bit of a clue.
Noteworthy features of cargo trucks:
Also known as box trucks and cargo vans, those huge vehicles carry a variety of items for many different companies. Each company is responsible for seeing that the loaded van is well-balanced. Each of those same companies should follow the legal standards for the loading process.
An accident involving a cargo van can create debris on the road. If that debris proves hazardous, that fact can provide an accident victim with grounds for demanding for larger compensation package.
Noteworthy features of tractor trailers:
Also known as big rigs and semi-trucks, these enormous vehicles can weigh up to 40 tons. Any one of them could jackknife and injure an innocent motorist. Due to the vehicle’s size and weight, the affected driver, along with any passengers could suffer catastrophic injuries.
Dangers associated with oversized loads:
Any one of these can prove hard to control. For that reason, the government expects trucking companies to hire drivers that have been trained to handle a truck with an oversized load. Personal Injury Lawyer in Richmond Hill knows that a company that failed to follow that regulation could be held responsible for a truck accident.
What if the truck’s driver was charged with DWI?
In that case, a lawyer would tell the injured victim that he or she had a clear legal road on the path to obtaining a fair compensation. In other words, it would be obvious that the driver was responsible for the accident.
Other causes for accidents that involve trucks:
The trucking or leasing company fails to arrange for routine maintenance of its large transport vehicles. A part could wear out, depriving the driver of the ability to control the truck’s movements. If the truck’s horn malfunctioned, the driver could not alert other drivers, when a dangerous situation lay up ahead.
Distracted drivers: The distraction would not have to be a cell phone. It could be a laptop computer, a GPS system or a radio. All of those are examples of the sorts of entertainment items and information equipment that force a driver to take his or her eyes off of the road.
Speeding: Trucks carry a great deal of weight. As a truck’s speed increases, that weight creates a greater impact, if it meets up with another vehicle, or with an immovable object. That fact underscores the dangers associated with a speeding truck.
Not staying in a single lane, except when passing. Any motorist could become startled by the unexplained movement of a large truck from its chosen lane into one of the road’s other lanes. Obviously, a startled motorist could respond in a careless and neglectful manner.