Clinton, MD Truck Accident Lawyer

We all get a little nervous when we pass a giant truck on the highway. While many are fortunate enough to pass by safely, others are not. Truck accident injuries can be devastating, and injured drivers deserve fair compensation.

Injuries from truck accidents tend to be extremely serious, with many injured victims experiencing long-term complications, disabilities, or disfigurements. Because injuries are often severe, damages are usually significant, and a lot of compensation might be at stake. Truck accidents often occur because of trucker negligence, including distracted driving or driving while fatigued. Additionally, accidents happen because of equipment failures. Truckers and truck companies are typically liable for collisions, but other parties might also be implicated in your case.

You can set up a review of your crash claims with our truck accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras by calling (410) 694-7291.

Injuries and Damages in Clinton, MD Truck Accident Lawsuits

Due to the sheer size of trucks, accidents with these vehicles often lead to devastating outcomes for drivers, passengers, and even pedestrians. In many cases, multiple vehicles are affected by the accidents, and numerous drivers and passengers are affected. Injuries are often catastrophic, with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, severe lacerations, and severe fractures commonly reported.

For many, injuries are not just physical but psychological too. Truck accidents are known for being so severe that many people do not survive. Those who do often grapple with the aftermath of a near-death experience and struggle to come to terms with the toll their injuries have taken on their bodies. Often, survivors of such accidents might not mentally recover from the ordeal for many years.

The above injuries come with various economic and non-economic implications. Severe injuries tend to come with equally severe medical bills. On top of that, injured victims might be so injured that they cannot return to work, causing them to fall even deeper into financial ruin. Additionally, dealing with the economic fallout is extremely difficult while contending with deep psychological wounds. Our truck accident attorneys can help you account for these losses and injuries when calculating damages.

How a Truck Accident Might Happen in Clinton, MD

Truck accidents might result from any number of problems, errors, or malfunctions. Trucks are huge vehicles that rely on skilled drivers and complicated equipment to operate safely. Human error is often at the heart of many truck accidents, but equipment failures might also play a significant role.

Distractions on the road are ubiquitous across many road collisions, not just truck accidents. However, when a truck driver is distracted, the consequences might be extreme or even deadly. Phones and other electronic devices are arguably one of the biggest distractions behind the wheel today. If the trucker involved in your accident was on their phone during the accident, they might be liable.

Driver fatigue is another serious problem on the road, especially among truckers. Truckers often make very long trips on very tight deadlines. As such, employers often pressure them to drive for as long as possible before taking a break. Unfortunately, this means many truck drivers become very tired behind the wheel, and they doze off, leading to severe accidents and injuries.

Aside from human error, equipment failures or malfunctions are known to cause truck accidents. For example, the underride bar under the truck is meant to stop other vehicles from accidentally becoming wedged under the truck. For example, if the trucker must stop short because another negligent driver cut them off, the underride bar would stop the car behind the truck from becoming trapped underneath it. If the underride bar fails, the people in the car might be badly hurt.

Who Should Be Held Liable for a Truck Accident in Clinton, MD?

The key to a successful truck accident lawsuit is making sure the right defendants are named in your case. This is often easier said than done since various parties might have contributed to the crash, and not all of them might make themselves known.

Truck Drivers

You should name the truck driver as a defendant in your lawsuit. The truck driver is often the primary defendant in these cases as their actions are the direct and proximate cause of the collision. Truck drivers are required to carry insurance just like any other driver on the road. They must also carry special commercial insurance designed for trucks and truck drivers. As such, even if you only sue a single trucker, there should be enough insurance coverage to pay for your damages in a lawsuit.

Truck Companies

The truck driver’s employer might also be liable for the crash even if they were not present when the accident happened. Employers may be held vicariously liable if an employee negligently injured someone while on the job. The negligence should have occurred within the scope of the employment. If the driver took an unauthorized detour or drove the truck without proper permission from their employer, the trucking company might not be liable.

Alternatively, you can sue the trucking company for negligent hiring. This is often an option when the truck driver is so incompetent or unfit for the job that the trucking company is negligent in hiring them in the first place. The key here is proving that the trucking company knew the trucker was unfit for the job when they hired them. This is a common legal strategy in cases where truckers cause crashes because they are intoxicated and have a history of drunk driving violations that their employer knew or should have known about.

Other Liable Parties

In addition to the truck driver and their employer, other parties might be partially to blame for the accident. For example, another driver might have brake-checked the trucker, causing them to swerve into other vehicles. The first driver in such a case should be sued for their role in the crash. Unfortunately, identifying all potentially liable drivers is often difficult. We might need to rely on security cameras or dash cam footage, police investigations, and witness testimony to determine if other drivers contributed to the accident.

Call Our Clinton, MD Truck Accident Lawyers for Help Now

You can arrange an evaluation of your accident case and damages with our truck accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras by calling (410) 694-7291.