Camp Springs, MD Truck Accident Lawyer

Countless trucks go across the USA all the time to get things where they need to be. It is not unusual for trucks to travel across multiple states on their journey. Because there are so many trucks on the road, it should be no surprise that truck accidents happen from time to time. Unfortunately, these accidents are also frequently very destructive because of the sheer mass of 18-wheelers, semi-trucks, and other big-rig vehicles. The resulting injuries can be life-altering for the victim and are likely to be incredibly expensive to treat – even with good insurance.

When you get injured in a truck accident, you need legal help right away. That is where we come in. We are experienced attorneys who can help you fight for the justice and the compensation that you need after a truck accident.

For a free assessment of your case, call our truck accident lawyers from Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.

How Do Truck Accidents Happen in Camp Springs, MD?

Truck accidents happen in many ways. While it may seem like an unimportant detail in the grand scheme of things, the cause of your specific accident is of critical importance to our truck accident attorneys because it helps figure out the correct party to bring to court. You can only get damages from parties that caused your injuries, so anything you can do to help determine who caused your accident – including diagnosing the nature of your truck accident – is helpful to your case.

Negligent Drivers

A frequent cause of truck accidents is the truck driver making a mistake. When someone does something careless that injures someone else, that is called “negligence,” in legal speak. Truck drivers can be negligent in all the ways that other drivers can. So, if a trucker is speeding, ignoring traffic signs, or aggressively driving their vehicle and gets in an accident, the accident likely was caused by the trucker’s negligence.

Truckers can also be negligent in industry-specific ways. For example, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has rules about how long truckers are allowed to stay behind the wheel before they need to take a break. Truckers cannot drive for more than eight hours in a row without taking a 30-minute break. Additionally, truckers cannot drive for more than 14 consecutive hours after a prior 10 hours off duty. Finally, truckers may not drive beyond eleven hours after 10 hours off duty. These rules are in place because tired driving is incredibly dangerous, and truckers are driving very dangerous vehicles. If a trucker stays on the road for too long, that is considered negligent driving, and they could be liable for your injuries.

Negligent Truck Companies

Trucking companies can also be negligent and cause accidents through their conduct. One way that this can happen is through negligent hiring and training practices. Negligent hiring is when a company hires somebody to do a job that the company knows is not qualified to do the job. Here, the job is driving a large truck. Driving a large vehicle has its own special skill set that needs to be developed and practiced. Accordingly, truckers have commercial driver’s licenses that signify that they are qualified to drive certain big-rig vehicles. If, for example, a trucking company hires someone they know is not qualified in order to cut costs, they could be liable for your injuries. Additionally, trucking companies are sometimes required to provide additional training for their personnel. If this training is not up to snuff and that lack of training leads to an accident, the company could be liable.

Negligent Manufacturers

In some cases, the accident may be caused by a problem with the truck. These problems are generally known as “defects” and include things like faulty brakes, problems with the materials used in the truck, and improper installation of some components such as airbags. When these important parts of a truck fail, they can lead to people getting injured. Accordingly, you can file a suit against the party responsible for the defect.

Who you file against will depend on the nature of the defect. For example, if the cause of your accident was that brakes were repaired incorrectly during maintenance, you would bring your suit against the repair shop that worked on the truck. On the other hand, if the problem is baked into the design of the truck, you may be compelled to sue the company that made the truck.

How Our Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help You after a Truck Accident in Camp Springs, MD

When you retain our truck accident lawyers, we can help you in a lot of ways in preparing your truck accident lawsuit. This goes far beyond the culminating jury trial that may happen in your case. In fact, a jury trial is really the cherry on top of a lengthy legal process. Many cases do not even go to trial and are resolved in the legal system before that point.

One of the early parts of the process that lawyers do is gather evidence. We can do this from a wide variety of sources, including eyewitnesses, medical centers and providers, and even the other side’s lawyers. This is not unusual. It is actually a formal process called “discovery,” which helps to ensure that both sides are working from a somewhat even base of facts.

We can also interact with adverse parties so that you do not have to and can focus on your recovery. Finally, we can fight for you in court for the best possible outcome for your case.

Our Camp Springs, MD Truck Accident Attorneys are Ready to Help You

Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s truck accident lawyers are only a phone call away when you call (410) 694-7291.