Charles County Truck Accident Attorney
Truck accidents are a common occurrence in Charles County. Unfortunately, even relatively minor truck accidents can still cause serious injuries.
However, a Charles County truck accident attorney can help victims recover compensation in these difficult cases. Truck accidents can be caused in numerous ways. In some cases, other parties besides the truck driver could be responsible for causing an accident. In many situations, a truck driver’s employer can also be held liable for their driver’s negligence. However, a case will depend heavily on the type of truck involved in your accident.
If you were injured in a truck accident, our Charles County truck accident attorneys can help you recover the compensation you deserve. For a free case evaluation, Contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras today at (410) 694-7291.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Charles County
Truck accidents cause some of the most devasting injuries in Charles County and throughout Maryland. Most commercial trucks are complex vehicles with many systems equipped to assist the driver, but they can also prove distracting. There are many other ways a truck driver can cause a truck accident considering the long hours of driving typically involved and other concerns specific to trucks hauling cargo. Our Charles County Truck Accident attorneys can help you hold a truck driver responsible for their negligence regardless of how they caused your injuries.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is arguably the leading cause of most accidents but can be responsible for catastrophic truck accidents. Truck drivers have many responsibilities and communicate with several different parties to perform their job. A truck driver can easily become distracted while texting or checking their GPS. Taking their eyes off the road for even a second can have serious consequences for the cars around them.
Driving While Fatigued
Fatigued driving is a leading car of truck accidents in Charles County. More and more truck drivers are pushed to operate long hours to meet tight deadlines. In the worst-case scenarios, a truck driver could fall asleep at the wheel after pushing themselves too long, resulting in devastating or possibly deadly injuries. Although the hours a truck driver is permitted to be on the road without a mandatory break is regulated by state and federal law, some drivers and their employers ignore these regulations to complete their orders faster.
Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Trucks
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can also contribute to a truck accident victim’s injury. No individuals operating a vehicle are permitted to do so under the influence of alcohol or drugs. However, some truck drivers have been known to take substances like amphetamines to keep themselves awake during long hauls. Stimulants can impair a driver’s ability to operate their truck safely, potentially leading to a serious accident.
Poor Cargo Securement
Truck accidents can occur if the driver or the individuals responsible for loading and securing cargo do so in a negligent manner. Large tractor-trucks are difficult vehicles to control. If the cargo inside has been loaded improperly, terrible accidents can occur, including causing a truck to jackknife on itself due to the shifting weight.
Inadequate Training
If a driver has not been properly trained to drive the truck they have been assigned, foreseeable accidents are likely to occur. If a driver lacks the training they claimed to have, and the employer did not check, or the trucking company failed to adequately train their employees, both the driver and their employer could be held liable for their negligence. Our Charles County Truck Accident attorneys can review your case to determine the exact cause of your accident and who to hold responsible.
Types of Trucks that Can Be Involved in a Charles County Truck Accident
Charles County sits just outside Washington, D.C., one of the country’s busiest hubs for commercial traffic. As such, numerous commercial trucks come in and out of the area to conduct their business. Each type of commercial truck case is different and will depend heavily on the type of truck that caused your accident. The following are some common types of trucks that victims are injured by in Charles County:
- Tractor-trailers, also known as 18-wheelers
- Amazon Trucks
- Rental moving trucks
- Cargo trucks
- Refrigerator trucks
- Flatbed trucks
- Oil tanker trucks
- Garbage trucks
- Tow trucks
- Dump trucks
- Concrete mixers
- Mail delivery trucks
- Fire engines
Truck accident cases are often complex because multiple parties could be liable for your injuries depending on the type of truck involved. Our Charles County truck accident attorneys can help you overcome the challenges in your case regardless of the type of truck that injured you.
Determining Liability in a Charles County Truck Accident Case
There could be a few parties responsible for your injuries, depending on how the accident occurred and whose negligence caused it. While the driver and their employer are usually the liable parties, others could be involved that are also to blame for your damages.
Truck Driver
Typically, the truck driver is the person who will be analyzed first for liability. Truck drivers are responsible for inspecting and maintaining their trucks so they are safe to drive on the road. A truck driver could also cause an accident in one of the numbers of ways mentioned previously.
Truck Driver’s Employer
In many cases, a truck driver’s employer can also be held liable for accidents caused by their employee’s negligence. According to the legal doctrine of vicarious liability, a trucking company can be held responsible for the negligent acts of their employees if they caused an accident in the performance of their typical job duties. They can also be held liable for failing to conduct background checks for new drivers or do not train their drivers properly.
Other Third Parties
Sometimes, a party other than the truck driver or their employer is responsible for causing an accident. For instance, one of the many systems that ensure a truck operates safely could have malfunctioned because of a design or manufacturing defect.
In other cases, other drivers could have caused the accident that you were injured. However, it is common that the truck driver and the other drivers involved each contributed to causing your injuries.
Lastly, a third-party mechanic or repair shop could be liable if they failed to complete the tasks that a trucking company hired them to perform. While a trucking company cannot outsource its inspection responsibilities because of certain regulations, it can hire third parties for basic repairs. These cases can be exceedingly complex, but our Charles County truck accident attorneys can help you determine who caused your injuries and recover compensation from the negligent party.
Our Charles County Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help
If you were hurt because of a truck accident, seek help from our experienced Charles County truck accident attorneys by calling Rice, Murtha & Psoras today at (410) 694-7291 for a free case review.
