Severna Park, MD Truck Accident Lawyer

Thousands of semi trucks and 18-wheelers take to the road across the country every day. Sadly, some of these trucks will also get into motor vehicle accidents. Truck accidents are almost always very destructive because of the sheer bulk of the vehicles involved. Any ordinary vehicle hit by a truck will likely suffer serious damage, and a truck that cannot move after an accident will block that roadway for some time, forcing other drivers to maneuver around it.

If you were hit by a truck, chances are your vehicle got badly damaged, you got injured, or both. Medical bills and vehicle repairs can easily reach exorbitant amounts. Our lawyers can provide experienced legal counsel and fight to recover your damages in court.

Contact the truck accident lawyers from Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 for a free case review.

How Soon Should You File a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Severna Park, MD?

You should file your lawsuit as soon as possible. The statute of limitations makes it so you only have a certain amount of time to sue for damages. In Maryland, the statutory period for truck accident lawsuits is three years per M.D. Code § 5-101.

Additionally, filing your lawsuit sooner gives your lawyer more time to prepare a case. Giving your lawyer more time to work with you can improve your case and potentially increase your chance of recovery in court.

Causes of Truck Accidents in Severna Park, MD

Various factors could contribute to a truck accident taking place. Mistakes from the truck driver, carelessness on the part of the trucking company, or a problem with the truck itself could all cause a truck accident. More relevant to your case, the cause of your truck accident is going to be determinative of who will be liable in a court of law. Work with our truck accident lawyers to figure out the cause of your specific truck accident based on investigations of the facts and evidence we collect in your case.

Negligent Driving

A negligent truck driver is a dangerous truck driver. To prove that a driver was negligent, you need to show that they acted carelessly and that carelessness caused your injuries. Speeding, drunk driving, staying behind the wheel of a truck beyond regulated limits, or following another driver too closely are all examples of careless conduct a truck driver might do that could lead to an accident.

Improper Loading

Improperly loaded trucks are not safe to drive on the road. The amount and diversity of cargo an 18-wheeler can carry is truly immense. Anything from logs to steel coils to other cars could be transported inside a trailer or on a truck bed.

Improperly loaded cargo can shift around and cause the weight distribution of the truck to change. This makes the truck prone to oversteering, which could cause another vehicle to get hit or cause the truck to fall on its side, blocking the road and scattering debris everywhere.

The trucker or dedicated personnel are responsible for loading the truck and properly securing cargo. The cargo must be secured in such a way that it can barely move so there is no risk of it falling off or throwing its weight around. If the loader did not secure the cargo correctly, they could share some degree of liability.

Tire Blowouts

Worn-out and overused tires can pop under pressure from a heavy truck loaded with goods. Tire blowouts can cause the trucker to lose control of their vehicle and careen into a guardrail, another vehicle, or other obstacles.

Trucks are supposed to be inspected before going underway. This includes making sure that the tires are safe to drive on and not worn out. If an inspection failed to notice and change out faulty tires, the inspectors might face liability for the injuries you suffered.

Manufacturing Defects

Even if the driver and trucking company do their job responsibly, a problem with the truck itself could still cause an accident. A manufacturing defect occurs when a mistake happens during the construction or repair of the truck. Examples of manufacturing defects include faulty transmission wiring or the use of the wrong materials in the construction of the truck.

An accident caused by a manufacturing defect could let you recover damages from the manufacturer.

Recovering Damages in a Severna Park, MD Truck Accident Lawsuit

Civil suits are designed to try and “make the plaintiff whole” again. This means that damages awarded are supposed to put the plaintiff in a similar position to where they were before their injury. While that may not be able to be done due to the nature of the damages sustained, courts try and compensate plaintiffs as best they can to put them back where they were before an accident.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are based on amounts of money. Things that have bills or receipts that say how much they are worth. Common examples of economic damages awarded to plaintiffs include medical bills and vehicle repair costs.

Lost earning potential can also factor into economic damages. If you cannot do your previous job or had to take a less lucrative position because of your injuries, the difference between your current earnings and what you could have earned if you were not injured can be awarded as economic damages.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are less tangible than economic damages. Damages for physical pain and mental anguish can be awarded in a truck accident lawsuit.

Things like “pain” and “distress” do not have a codified dollar amount attached to them, so it is up to the jury to decide how much you should be awarded in non-economic damages. Usually, the more serious your injuries, the higher the amount of non-economic damages is.

Call Our Severna, Park, MD Lawyers for a free case review.

Have the truck accident lawyers from Rice, Murtha & Psoras review your case by calling (410) 694-7291 today.