T-bone accidents, rear-end collisions, rollover accidents, underride accidents, and head-on collisions are all types of truck accidents that can result in injury, death, and property damage. Such accidents are also commonly traumatic for victims, who can suffer symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression as a consequence of a truck collision.
Truck accidents happen for a reason. That reason, in most cases, is negligence. Victims can file insurance claims and lawsuits when they suffer because of someone else's negligence. Allow a Brooksville truck accident lawyer to identify responsible parties and fight for the fair financial outcome you deserve.
All Types of Truck Accidents (Including These) Result Because of Someone's Negligence
When you think of traffic accidents, you probably think of someone speeding, tailgating, texting while driving, or losing control of their vehicle while drunk. These are all forms of negligence, and they are the exact types of negligence that can cause:
Head-On Collisions
Few traffic accidents are as high-risk as a head-on collision involving a commercial truck. When vehicles collide head-on, it may indicate that:
- Someone was impaired (whether by intoxication, drug use, or visual impairment)
- Someone missed or disregarded traffic indicators (like lane markings or a one-way sign)
- The roadway was not sufficiently marked (perhaps because a one-way sign had fallen or traffic signals were malfunctioning)
Head-on collisions can also happen when a motorist loses control of their vehicle. For instance, a truck driver who was driving while distracted might veer into oncoming traffic without realizing it.
Rear-End Truck Accidents
Some might dismiss rear-end accidents as relatively minor collisions despite the fact this kind of accident is associated with potentially serious injuries like whiplash.
When a truck is involved in a rear-end collision, though, there is always a risk of serious injury. The size and weight of a truck may crush a vehicle in front, endangering those in both rear seats (particularly) and front seats. Tailgating and brake failures are two potential causes of a rear-end truck accident.
T-Bone Collisions
T-bone collisions are also known as side-impact accidents. When a truck hits another vehicle in a T-formation, it may indicate that:
- The truck driver failed to stop at a stop sign, red light, or yield sign
- The truck driver failed to give the right of way to another vehicle
- The truck driver was speeding and unable to stop before the collision
- The truck's brakes failed
- The roadway did not have functioning traffic signals, a stop sign, or other indicators that may have prevented the collision
A truck can crush an entire vehicle, so everyone is at risk during a T-bone accident. However, those on the side of the vehicle hit by the truck are in particularly grave danger.
Rollover Accidents
Trucks are prone to rolling over because:
- They are taller than most vehicles
- They can be more topheavy than most vehicles
- A long, heavy cargo trailer can pull the weight of the vehicle in unnatural ways, leading to a rollover
- Because trucks take longer to stop, a driver may need to swerve aggressively to avoid an accident (which may increase the risk of the truck rolling over)
If you or your vehicle was hit during a rollover accident, your lawyer will determine whose negligence caused the rollover to occur.
Sideswipe Truck Accidents
When vehicles scrape together, it's called a sideswipe accident. While these collisions can be less violent than other types of accidents (especially head-on and side-impact accidents), a sideswipe accident can still cause serious injury.
Those involved in sideswipe accidents may:
- Suffer brain trauma from the sudden impact
- Suffer serious lacerations, eye injuries, or other injuries because of broken glass, debris, and other projectiles
- Endure significant psychological and emotional trauma because of the accident
Any kind of truck accident has the potential to cause serious harm, and a sideswipe accident is no exception. These collisions may happen when a truck driver fails to maintain their lane.
Multi-Vehicle Truck Accidents
Some common types of truck accidents involve multiple vehicles. Trucks can contribute to pileups, while cargo that falls or spills from a truck may land in the way of oncoming vehicles. When multiple vehicles crash in a short time span, diagnosing liability for the accident can be particularly difficult.
Every truck accident demands liability. As the victim of someone's negligence, hire a truck accident attorney to establish liability, document your damages, and pursue fair compensation for you.
How Negligence Leads to Truck Accidents, Injuries, Wrongful Deaths, and Lasting Trauma
It would take a long time to list all the possible causes of truck accidents. Therefore, let's discuss some of the most common types of negligence that lead (directly or indirectly) to truck collisions.
Your truck accident may have happened because of:
A Truck Driver's Negligence
Truck drivers have many responsibilities, most of which are meant to reduce the likelihood of an accident. A truck driver may be liable for a resulting collision if they:
- Speed, tailgate, misjudge the right of way, or engage in other dangerous driving acts
- Drive while impaired by alcohol or any drug
- Use prescribed medication in a way that impairs them
- Drive while their health makes them unfit to do so
- Break any Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations
- Drive without necessary credentials
- Fail to conduct necessary inspections or get service for their truck
Most accidents happen because of driver error. The truck driver will, therefore, be one of the first parties your lawyer evaluates when determining fault for your collision.
A Trucking Company's Negligence
Trucking companies are often financially responsible for their employees' negligence. Therefore, you can sue a trucking company if their driver caused your collision.
Trucking companies can also be negligent in ways that lead to collisions. Some common failures by such companies include:
- Hiring drivers who are unfit to operate a truck
- Failing to ensure trucks and trailers are roadworthy
- Failing to closely monitor drivers (and regularly test them for drug and alcohol use)
- Allowing or encouraging employees to violate FMCSA regulations
If a trucking company's representative did anything that contributed to your accident, your lawyer will document those failures.
A Vehicle or Trailer Manufacturer's Negligence
If a defective truck or trailer played a role in your accident, your attorney will determine if the manufacturer of the defective product owes you compensation.
A Municipality's Negligence
Preventing truck accidents starts with the roads. A municipality can be financially liable when a truck accident results from:
- Traffic signals that are out of order (or malfunctioning)
- Absent or downed traffic signs
- Roads with potholes, cracks, uneven surfaces, or other blemishes
- Inadequate lighting at night
- Work zones that are dangerously positioned (or pose other hazards like uncontained debris)
- Any other hazards a municipality was responsible for preventing or correcting
If any other failures contributed to your accident, your lawyer will identify those failures. Whatever the reasons for your accident, your truck accident attorney will document negligence and establish who is financially liable for your damages.
Steps Every Truck Accident Victim Must Take (to Protect Their Health and Financial Wellbeing)
Your attorney will fight to secure fair compensation for your accident-related damages. Each case requires a unique strategy, and strategies are subject to change. Though many variables will determine how your case ultimately unfolds, you can bet that your lawyer will:
Collect Evidence and Determine Fault for the Truck Accident
When they seek compensation for truck accident victims, attorneys must first establish who is at fault for the collision. Types of evidence that attorneys can use to prove fault are:
- Evidence from the trucking company, which may include video from inside the truck, black-box data, truck inspection records, and relevant employment records
- Video of the accident (which may come from traffic cameras and other sources)
- Any report from a responding law enforcement official
- An expert's reconstruction of the collision, this can be particularly helpful in lieu of clear video footage
Your lawyer will also record your account of the accident. Together, all evidence may prove beyond a doubt who caused your accident.
Set a Settlement Target and Negotiate on Your Behalf
Your lawyer will document your damages with medical records, invoices for vehicle repairs, and other relevant materials. Your legal team will also calculate the specific financial value of those damages.
Equipped with documentation and a precise calculation, your attorney will then present their settlement demands to liable parties.
Sue Anyone You're Eligible to Sue (If You Decide To)
Those who may be defendants in a truck accident lawsuit include:
- A negligent truck driver
- A trucking company (whether it was negligent or merely employed a negligent driver)
- A truck manufacturer
- A cargo trailer manufacturer
- A municipality
Your lawyer will counsel you throughout your case, including if you face the decision of whether to file a truck accident lawsuit. If you choose to sue, your lawyer will directly name liable parties as defendants.
Represent You in Court (If Your Case Requires a Trial)
If you sue a trucking company or any other liable party, there's a chance your case will go to trial. While your lawyer can continue negotiating a settlement before trial starts, they will prepare for the possibility of court.
This will be your case. Your attorney will help you make the right decisions, but you will ultimately decide whether to accept a settlement or let your lawyer fight for you in court.
Protect You from Insurers' and Lawyers' Bad-Faith Tactics
Insurance companies, trucking companies, and other parties who owe compensation to a truck accident victim may fight. These parties, and insurers, in particular, may:
- Accuse you of causing the accident (either solely or in combination with another party)
- Deny your claim for compensation (for several possible reasons)
- Undervalue your accident-related losses
- Claim that one or more injuries you're claiming happened independent of the truck accident
One common tactic is offering a quick, lowball settlement to a truck accident victim. Knowing that accident victims are often under immense stress (including financial hardship), the insurer may delay your truck accident claim and wait for you to cave to its offer.
An attorney will neutralize such bad-faith tactics, fighting urgently to resolve your case by securing all the money you deserve.
Why Lawyers Are Especially Valuable in Truck Accident Cases
There are many challenges unique to truck accident cases, which include:
- Overcoming defensive efforts from a trucking company's insurance provider and attorneys
- Securing evidence from a trucking company (and possibly other parties who are hostile to your case)
- Identifying the exact cause of the collision (which can be difficult because the trucking industry and trucks themselves are complicated)
Truck accident lawyers regularly clear these hurdles and will overcome these challenges on your behalf.
Damages Truck Accident Victims Often Receive Compensation For
Your attorney will conduct an in-depth accounting of your accident-related damages. They will compassionately and urgently secure proof of all harm that liable parties have caused, which may include:
- Medical costs, which can result from ambulance transport, care in the emergency department, overnight hospital stays, medications, surgeries, rehab services, and all other care related to the collision
- Pain and suffering, which is a term that can refer to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), physical pain, lost quality of life, sleep loss, scarring, amputation injuries, depression, anxiety, and other types of non-economic harm
- Mental health services, which are often necessary for truck accident victims to work through their trauma
- Professional damages, including but not limited to lost income
- Property expenses, including the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and securing temporary transport
Lawyers follow step-by-step protocols to ensure they account for all of their clients' damages. Your lawyer may obtain fair compensation through settlement negotiations or at trial, and your lawyer will operate in lockstep with your wishes.
Avoid Risk, Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer Today
There is no out-of-pocket cost to hire a Brooksville personal injury attorney. Your lawyer will only receive a fee if they win for you.
Don't wait. Find the right lawyer for your case as soon as possible. If you do wait, your attorney may be unable to secure valuable evidence, and you can even miss the filing deadline for your case. Reach out to a truck accident lawyer today.
James Wayne Holliday
James Wayne Holliday has been practicing law since 1995. He has been named as a “Best Attorney” Lifetime Charter Member in Florida, an honor awarded to less than one percent of the nation’s lawyers.
Mr. Holliday has earned a reputation as a relentless trial lawyer because of his outstanding work ethic and thorough preparation of his cases for trial.
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