Flatbed trailers are often large and carry bulky cargo that is often oddly shaped and hard to fit into a traditional tractor-trailer. If cargo comes loose from these flatbed trucks or if the truck fishtails or sways off course, it could cause a serious accident that can cause substantial damage and serious injuries to the cars and drivers in the area.
If you were injured in a crash involving a flatbed trailer truck or if a loved one died in an accident with a flatbed trailer, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras today. Our Maryland car crash attorneys can help you and your family get the compensation you deserve from the at-fault driver and trucking company. For a free legal consultation on your potential case, call our attorneys today at (410) 694-7291.
Suing a Trucking Company for Flatbed Trailer Accidents in Maryland
If you were involved in a crash with a flatbed trailer truck or another 18-wheeler, you might be entitled to file a lawsuit for your injuries. While all car and truck drivers on the road must carry auto insurance, the damages paid through an insurance settlement might cover only a percentage of the damages you face for medical bills and lost wages, and insurance policies will usually deny coverage for pain and suffering damages altogether. This typically means that the best way to get full compensation, especially in the case of a truck accident, is by suing the at-fault driver and the trucking company that hired them.
Trucking companies are often responsible for their drivers’ mistakes. Like any other employer, trucking companies can often be held accountable for the damages and injuries their drivers cause while working within the scope of their duties. For truck drivers, this would cover any injuries they cause in an accident while they are out on their route.
Truck accident injury cases often involve substantial damages. While a lawsuit can unlock full damages for your injuries, the individual driver is often unable to afford the full damages you faced. Because of this, lawsuits that include the trucking company as a defendant are often more able to get the victim the compensation they need.
Trucking companies can also be responsible for mistakes that they caused directly, sharing partial fault alongside the driver in some crashes. If the trucking company is responsible for maintaining the vehicle, they can be responsible for any equipment problems involving faulty lighting, tires, or cargo tie-downs that contribute to the crash. They can also be responsible for hiring a driver they knew or should have known would be dangerous, such as a driver with a past history of serious accidents, traffic tickets, DUI, or other serious driving problems.
Types of Injuries from Flatbed Truck Accidents in Maryland
Flatbed trucks pose a danger on the road because of their size and weight. Like any tractor-trailer, these vehicles can be very large and can cause substantial damage and injury when they crash into another vehicle. They also pose safety risks because of a higher chance of fishtailing, swerving, or swaying, especially under especially windy conditions. These trucks are also so large that they cause visibility issues for other drivers on the road and for the truck driver, who might not check their blind spots properly before causing a crash. Injuries in a truck accident can range from mild bumps and bruises to severe neck, back, and brain injuries. Other injuries could include broken bones, amputation, paralysis, and fatal injuries.
Flatbed trailers, specifically, also carry additional risks from their cargo. These trucks often carry large cargo that is strapped down to the flatbed, such as pipes, tubes, beams, and other construction materials. If the cargo comes loose, even the smallest pieces could strike a car behind the truck. This could cause an accident, or the force of the object could instantly kill or injure a driver or passenger.
Additionally, the flatbed itself can be especially dangerous. Cars behind the truck could crash into the back of the flatbed, potentially shearing off the front part of the top of their car, resulting in substantial injuries to the occupants.
Compensation for Trucking Accidents in Baltimore Involving Flatbed Trucks
When you sue for injuries in a car crash in Maryland, you are often entitled to claim damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. the damages for medical care costs can cover any expenses you faced for physical or mental health care related to the crash. This means covering the cost of surgeries, rehabilitation, and follow-up appointments as well as counseling for PTSD or other effects of the crash.
Similarly, you can claim damages for both physical and mental effects through damages for pain and suffering. These damages can include direct compensation for the physical pain you experienced as well as the emotional and mental suffering of the injuries. Additionally, you can claim damages for lost enjoyment in life and the activities you used to love, and a Baltimore truck accident attorney can help.
Damages can also be claimed for any wages you lost because of the injuries. This includes not only wages you missed while you were recovering from your injuries but also any wages you will miss going forward if the injuries make it hard to return to your old job at your previous pay rate.
Call Our Maryland Flatbed Truck Accident Injury Lawyers for a Free Case Consultation
Truck accidents can leave victims with serious injuries that require substantial compensation. They can also leave families with a lost loved one. In either case, our Maryland lawyer for car accidents caused by a flatbed trailer might be able to fight to get you and your family the compensation you need to keep going. For a free legal consultation after a truck accident with a flatbed trailer, call the Baltimore car crash lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.