Bowie, MD Truck Accident Lawyer

Motor vehicle accidents often leave those involved injured. Truck accidents almost universally result in serious injuries, often requiring a long hospital stay and followed by a lengthy recovery. Unfortunately, truck accidents also frequently result in death since their size and weight increase their ability to cause destruction. The results of a truck accident could leave you with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, permanent injuries, or grieving the death of a loved one.

Our lawyers are here to help you deal with the aftermath of a truck accident. We can work with you to get you peace of mind and the financial compensation you deserve. Discuss your particular truck accident with an attorney so they can handle your case as effectively as possible.

Our truck accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras can be reached at (410) 694-7291 for a free case review.

When to File a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Bowie, MD

You should make every effort to file your lawsuit with the help of our truck accident attorneys right away. There is a law in place called the statute of limitations that puts a timer on how long you have to sue and try to recover damages. Once time is up, if you try to bring a lawsuit, it will be thrown out, and you will not recover anything.

The statutory period for a personal injury action in Maryland is three years. This is a hard cutoff; if you file three years and one day later, it is too late.

There are some limited exceptions to this rule. If your truck accident happened to you as a minor, the statutory period will not start until the day before you turn 18.

Who to Sue in a Bowie, MD Truck Accident Lawsuit

It is likely a good idea to sue the driver’s employer in your truck accident lawsuit. Employers are sometimes liable for the conduct of their employees while their employees are doing job-related tasks. Unless the truck driver in your case was not doing something work-related when you were hit, their employer is likely liable.

Medical expenses for injuries sustained in a truck accident are often as severe as the injuries themselves. A truck driver might not be able to compensate you for your injuries. In other words, they are “judgment proof.” The driver’s employer is likely in a better position to provide financial compensation, and you can often sue them and the driver together in one case.

If you allege that some defect with the truck caused your truck accident, the manufacturer might be liable. This sort of thing would not be the fault of the truck driver or the employer, provided that they followed industry standards and routinely inspected the truck and otherwise maintained it. Like the driver’s employer, the manufacturing company is likely in a better position to pay damages after the accident.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Bowie, MD

Depending on the particular facts of your case, there are different ways to argue that you are entitled to compensation after a truck accident. We will go into some of those claims that might be pertinent to your situation.

Negligence

Negligence refers to a failure to act like an ordinary, prudent person should under the circumstances. You need to prove two things to find a party’s conduct negligent. First, that the negligent party had a duty to act reasonably under the circumstances. Second, that the negligent party failed to uphold that duty.

Drivers could be found negligent because they did not follow traffic laws. To prove negligence in this way, all that needs to be established is that there was a traffic law in place to protect people and that the driver did not follow that law. For example, if the speed limit is 30 miles an hour and the driver is going 31 miles an hour when they hit you, the driver was negligent because they went over the speed limit. This is a failure to follow the rules of the road instead of a failure to act reasonably.

Truck drivers have additional rules governing how long they can drive. Truck drivers cannot drive more than 8 hours without a break or more than 11 hours in a workday. There are also limits on how long they can be on duty in a given day or given week. becoming fatigued and slow to react on the road can easily lead to a deadly accident. Violating regular industry trucking practices could generate a negligence claim against the driver or their employer.

Products Liability

Product liability is when you sue a manufacturer for a dangerous or defective product. In effect, you allege that the product in question was either designed poorly or made incorrectly, and one of those factors led to your injuries. In the context of a truck accident, this could refer to a defect in the truck or trailer that ultimately led to the accident. For example, you could have a claim against the truck manufacturer if the linkage mechanism holding the trailer onto the truck was too weak, and the trailer snapped off, crashing into your car.

Driver Fatigue

If the driver is fatigued, they might not be able to make a split-second decision while driving and hit another vehicle. Truckers have regulations limiting how long they can be on the road in one sitting because of the dangers of driving a heavy vehicle while fatigued. If a driver ignores these rules to try and make more money from more deliveries, that might have contributed to your truck accident.

Call Our Lawyers Today for a Free Discussion of Your Case

Call our truck accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 for a free case review.