Calvert County Truck Accident Attorney
Victims injured in truck accidents often sustain serious, life-threatening injuries that could take years to heal. Many individuals injured in a Calvert County truck accident might not know how to go about recovering compensation.
Fortunately, an experienced Calvert County truck accident attorney can help you determine who caused your accident. Truck accidents happen in many ways, and in many cases, a truck driver and the trucking company that employs them can be sued for an accident caused by its driver’s negligence. This helps maximize the damages you could be awarded in a successful lawsuit, which can include economic and non-economic losses you suffered.
If you were injured in a truck accident caused by another’s negligence, our Calvert County truck accident attorneys will fight to recover compensation for your damages. For a free case assessment, contact Rice Murtha Psoras.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Calvert County
Truck accidents occur in numerous ways, and the cause will greatly impact the types of legal strategies used to recover compensation. However, some causes are more likely to bring about a truck accident than others. The following are common causes of truck accidents in Calvert County:
- Driver fatigue
- Driver error
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Hours-of-service regulation violations
- Inexperienced truck drivers
- Improperly loaded cargo
- Inappropriate use of tie-downs
- Poor vehicle maintenance
- Reckless driving
- Driving in a truck’s blind spots
- DUI
- Defective truck parts
- Defective cargo securement equipment
Our Calvert County truck accident attorneys can help you determine the precise cause of your accident and prepare a lawsuit to file against the negligent party.
Parties That Can Be Held Liable for a Calvert County Truck Accident
Truck accident lawsuits tend to be more challenging than typical car accident cases. Several reasons account for this, one of them being that multiple parties could be responsible for causing a truck accident. Many commercial trucks are highly complex vehicles with many intricate parts and systems that could result in a catastrophic accident if they fail or are defective in some way.
Truck Driver
In most cases, the truck driver will be responsible for causing an accident in which someone is injured. Truckers owe a duty of care to operate safely, which includes observing all traffic laws and state and federal trucking regulations. For instance, if a driver ignores the limit on how many hours they can drive and causes an accident from fatigued driving, they can be held liable for violating the regulation against driving too long.
Trucking Company
Fortunately, most trucking companies are not let off the hook for accidents caused by their drivers. Under the legal theory of respondent superior, an employer can be held vicariously liable for an employee’s negligence if they caused an accident while performing within the scope of the normal job duties. For example, if a driver caused an accident while speeding to complete a delivery on time, that would likely be considered within their normal job functions, making their employer liable.
However, suppose the driver’s negligence did not cause an accident while performing job duties or the driver is an independent contractor. In that case, a trucking company can still be sued for its own negligence. Trucking companies are responsible for hiring safe drivers and ensuring they are trained properly. If a company was negligent in the hiring process or failed to train its employees properly, it could be held liable for the damages that result.
Other Third Parties
In some cases, another driver will be the cause of your truck accident injuries. It is not uncommon for a careless driver to cut a truck off while changing lanes, which could cause the truck to veer into another car to avoid the initial accident. More often than not, though, each driver will be partially to blame for bringing about your injuries.
Lastly, you can recover compensation from a designer or manufacturer of a truck part that fails and causes an accident. For instance, if a truck’s brake system fails, the root cause could have been a particular part of the system. Our Calvert County truck accident attorneys can help determine who is responsible for compensating you for your damages.
Compensation You Could Recover for a Truck Accident in Calvert County
The compensation you can recover in a Calvert County truck accident is referred to as damages and includes economic and non-economic losses you have incurred. The following are common forms of compensation you can claim in Calvert County:
Medical Expenses
Truck accidents are often responsible for terrible injuries. These injuries can require expensive, long-term treatment, and they could experience pain for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, victims can claim their current and past medical expenses and future medical costs their injuries might require.
Lost Wages
Victims can also claim lost wages if their injuries have caused them to miss any time at work. This includes time missed because your injuries prevented you from returning or for days you need to take off for doctor appointments and other treatments for your injuries. If a victim’s injuries are truly severe, they can also claim the loss of their future earning capacity.
Property Damage
Even minor truck accidents can cause tremendous physical damage to a car. Victims can get compensation for the repair or replacement costs they paid as a result of the accident.
Out-of-Pocket Expenses
Out-of-pocket expenses associated with your injuries can also be claimed. For instance, transportation costs for medical treatment and court proceedings can be claimed as damages. However, saving the receipts for such expenses is vital so they can be proven later.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering damages are non-economic and intended to compensate a victim for the emotional damage and physical pain a truck accident has caused. Proving pain and suffering damages can be challenging but can typically be shown through your testimony about how your injuries have impacted your life. Our Calvert County truck accident attorneys can review your case and help calculate the damages you are entitled to.
Our Calvert County Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help
If you were injured in a truck collision, our Calvert County truck accident attorneys can help you recover compensation from the parties that injured you. Call Rice Murtha Psoras today for a free review of your case.
