Getting into a motor vehicle accident with any other vehicle or object is awful and can result in major injuries and damage to your car. But, when you get into an accident with a truck, you’re dealing with a completely different set of circumstances. There are definite reasons to hire a Los Angeles truck accident lawyer if you’re in a collision with a truck and they’re mostly due to these five important ways truck accidents are different from car collisions.
Truck Accidents Are Usually More Severe
This difference is probably the most obvious one between car and truck crashes. Semi trucks are much heavier than even the biggest passenger truck so you’re already at a disadvantage in terms of size. When a larger object collides with a smaller object, it’s just a matter of physics that the smaller object will sustain more damage. And with more severe damage usually comes more severe injuries, especially when one or more of the vehicles is traveling at a high rate of speed.
Truck Accidents Often Have Different Causes
The majority of car and light truck accidents are caused by driver error. Someone makes a mistake and crashes into another vehicle or object. With a semi truck, accident causes are often related to the sheer size of a truck or mechanical issues that occur due to a malfunction or poor maintenance. For instance, a truck can’t always make tight turns and if they try to, they may topple over. Or a truck’s brakes may fail when coming down a steep mountain because the driver doesn’t know how to keep them cool.
A Trucking Company is Usually Involved in Truck Accidents
Any lawsuit filed against a truck driver for an accident is most likely going to also involve a trucking company. This can put a passenger car or truck driver at a huge disadvantage because a trucking company is going to have an entire fleet of high-powered attorneys to defend their driver, company, and brand against an injury or wrongful death claim. Even if the truck driver is 100% at fault, the trucking company’s lawyers will do whatever it takes to keep from paying out what an injured party deserves.
Truck Accident Claims are More Complex
For all of the above reasons listed here, claims that involve trucks are usually much more complex than those that only involve passenger vehicles. Often, the complexity arises from the number of parties involved in the case, including the driver, the trucking company, the insurance company or companies, possibly a maintenance company, and others. There are also the various regulations and laws that apply to truck drivers that could have an impact on a case and the amount of damages that are awarded.
Investigation into a Trucking Accident is Critical
While an investigation can be useful in a car accident that doesn’t involve a truck, it’s almost mandatory for a truck accident. This is because there are numerous factors that can be the cause of the accident, including weather, machinery, driver error, illegal activities, and more. Since there will be highly experienced attorneys fighting against paying your claim, you need a thorough investigation to prove their negligence.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that if you’re involved in an accident with a truck, you will need help in getting a settlement or being awarded damages in court. You should not attempt to represent yourself in such a case like this and instead hire an experienced truck accident attorney to fight on your behalf.