Olney, MD Truck Accident Lawyers

Truck accidents are incredibly dangerous and should be taken incredibly seriously. A runaway truck can cause immense destruction and could leave you with extremely serious injuries if you are in a truck accident. You could wind up with enormous medical expenses and lifelong injuries.

You do not have to go it alone after a truck accident. A lawyer can negotiate with insurance companies and fight for you in court so that you get the compensation you are entitled to. Truck drivers, trucking companies, and other parties will try and make it seem like the accident was your fault so that they are not held accountable for their conduct. We can help fight for the justice you deserve and fight for compensation for your injuries in court.

Reach out to our truck accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras by phone at (410) 694-7291 to talk about your case.

Injuries From Truck Accidents in Olney, MD

Truck accidents can result in serious injury or death. The other vehicle’s occupants are far more likely to be injured than the truck driver since the truck is much larger than ordinary motor vehicles. Injuries sustained in a truck accident may require expensive surgeries and recovery therapies.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is when someone suffers a strong impact to the head that damages the brain. TBIs frequently result in permanent brain damage or, in serious cases, death.

A truck accident has the potential to cause multiple impacts to motorists. The first impact is when the truck hits the vehicle, and the subsequent impacts are when the motorist hits the inside of their vehicle or gets thrown out of the vehicle and hits the road.

Traumatic brain injuries can cause memory loss, mood swings, and headaches, even when treated. More serious TBIs can result in permanent cognitive deficiencies or loss of motor control.

Back and Neck Injuries

Forceful impacts to the neck and back can result in spinal cord injuries. Spinal court injuries can result in partial or full paralysis and should be taken very seriously. Essentially, the bones get knocked out of place from the impact and stop the brain from getting nerve impulses through the spinal cord to where they need to go. Even if you do not become paralyzed, a spinal cord injury can make it difficult to move around or cause chronic, permanent pain.

Lacerations and Puncture Wounds

Lacerations, or cuts on the body, can be caused by shattered window glass, plastic vehicle parts, or warped metal from the truck or your own vehicle. Lacerations to the extremities could result in lost fingers or toes, and cuts around the face could result in permanent disfigurement.

Puncture wounds are much more dangerous than cuts, even deep ones. Punctures are harder for doctors to treat and do more damage to internal organs than cuts.

Burns

Tractor trailers sometimes transport chemicals or other volatile substances on the road. A sudden strong impact like a car crash has the potential to cause the contents of the trailer to combust or even explode. Fire from the truck’s gas tank could also cause dangerous compounds to catch fire or burn the other vehicle’s occupants in their own right.

Even without chemicals or fire, burns can still happen to occupants of vehicles hit by trucks. Abrasions can happen from forcefully sliding against your vehicle’s interior or if you are ejected from the vehicle and slide on the roadway.

Burns can be complicated to treat. Victims of serious, third-degree burns will likely require surgery to recover fully.

Death

The grim reality is that truck accidents are often fatal for the other vehicle’s driver. The huge disparity between the size, weight, and energy of a big-rig truck and an ordinary car means that the odds are stacked against the ordinary motorist. The most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that in 71% of truck accidents where a fatality occurred, the deceased person was an occupant of the other vehicle.

Who Can You Sue in an Olney, MD Truck Accident Lawsuit?

While you might initially place blame for a truck accident on the driver, and rightly so, they might not be the only person responsible for the accident. The driver’s conduct on the road is only one link in a possible chain of events that could have contributed to your truck accident.

You should have your lawyer investigate the driver’s track record for any indication of substance abuse or driving infractions that the trucking company should have known about. If the trucking company knew and hired the driver anyway, it is possible the company negligently hired the driver.

Even if the driver’s record is squeaky clean, you should still file your lawsuit against the driver and their employer. The law lets employers be held responsible for the negligent actions of their employees under the doctrine of “respondeat superior” or “let the master answer.” The trick is that the trucking company must employ the driver, and the driver must be doing a work activity for the trucking company when the accident occurred. If the trucker is an independent contractor, the trucking company might not be liable in a lawsuit. In that case, your lawyer should analyze the contract to determine any other liable parties.

Aside from the trucker and the trucking company, the truck manufacturer could be liable for your injuries under some circumstances. If there was a defect in the truck due to the use of substandard materials or faulty installation of a key component, the manufacturer could be at fault for the accident.

Talk to an Olney, MD Lawyer Today

Call our truck accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 for a free case analysis.