Accidents between any two vehicles can cause serious injuries and damages, but when a large truck is involved, the situation can get even worse. Since tractor trailers are much larger and heavier than regular-sized vehicles, the devastation they can cause in a collision is even more of a threat. That’s where our Williamsport truck accident lawyer can help you.
If you’ve been involved in a wreck with a large truck and suffered injuries and damages, you could be interested in taking legal action to hold the negligent party accountable. With the help of the attorneys from Stapp Law, LLC, you can feel confident that you’ll have a strong claim against the other party and get justice.
Types of Collisions Involving Large Trucks
When you drive on Pennsylvania roads, especially in Williamsport, you’ll see many tractor trailers and heavy trucks on the highways and regular streets. With major routes passing through our city, we see large amounts of commercial trucks transporting goods within our state and to other states.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, or PennDOT, there were nearly 7,000 large trucks involved in collisions in 2020. In those crashes, there were 122 fatalities, and 22 of them were the occupant of the semi.
The occupants of passenger vehicles are more likely to sustain serious injuries or death in a truck wreck because of the size and weight difference. Let’s take a look at the types of collisions that 18-wheelers get involved in so you can better understand your position as the victim of a truck accident:
- Override. When a truck needs to stop suddenly, they can’t always stop in the distance they have. This leads to override accidents where they crash into the vehicle in front of them and then drive over their vehicle.
- Underride. Similar to an override, an underride is when the other vehicle needs to stop suddenly, but they end up crashing into the semi in front of them and going under the trailer or cab, depending on the crash.
- Jackknife. When a truck forms an L-shape in an accident, it’s known as a jackknife. This happens when the trucker loses control of the vehicle and the trailer swings around to form this shape.
- Rollover. If a tractor trailer tips over, it’s known as a rollover accident. These are especially dangerous for the truck driver.
- Overloaded trailer. Loading the trailer properly is one of the most important factors of driving a truck. When it’s overloaded or not loaded evenly, it can cause a serious wreck on the road, which is known as an overloaded trailer accident. An axle could break, the trailer could open and spill its contents, or the hitch could break and cause the trailer to detach from the cab.
Any one of these types of collisions could be life-threatening for everybody involved. That’s why it’s important to drive as carefully as possible around other vehicles, especially large trucks.
When you’ve been involved in one of the scenarios above and it wasn’t your fault, you could use the help of our Williamsport truck accident attorney. We understand how difficult it can be to recover from these crashes, which is why we’re here to help.
Causes of Tractor-Trailer Wrecks
Knowing the different types of accidents that commercial trucks can be involved in is important for you to identify what happened to you, but it’s also important to know the causes that could have created that situation in the first place. Not only will knowing the causes of semi-truck accidents help you understand your situation, but it can also inform your lawyers about what happened and who was at fault.
Here are some of the most common causes of large truck wrecks:
- Distracted driver
- Drunk driver
- Fatigued driver
- Poorly-trained driver
- Speeding
- Ignoring traffic lights and signs
- Getting cut off
- Unexpected braking
- Blind spots
- Animal crossings
- Defective brakes
- Tire blowout
- Hitch malfunction
- Overloaded or unevenly loaded trailer
- Heavy rain
- Snow
- Ice
- Poor road conditions
- Work zones
Any one of these factors on their own could lead to a deadly crash, but when one or more is present, it’s even more dangerous. It’s important for all drivers on the road, of both regular vehicles and tractor-trailers, to be vigilant of their surroundings and constantly aware while behind the wheel.
When one of these scenarios led to your truck wreck, you might be wondering what comes next. Our Williamsport truck accident lawyer is here to help you gather all the necessary evidence to prove the other party was at fault.
Let’s take a look at some of those elements of evidence we could use in your claim.
Evidence to Prove Fault in Your Truck Accident Claim
As mentioned, your truck accident lawyer’s help will be crucial after your wreck not only because they’re well-versed in personal injury law, but also because they know what to look for when collecting evidence. When you have their experience on your side, you can rest assured that you will have a strong case full of relevant and valuable evidence.
Here are some of the types of evidence that will be relevant in your Williamsport truck accident claim:
- Medical records
- Repair costs
- Police report
- Witness statements
- Black box data from the truck
- Driver’s hour logs
- Trucker’s driving records
- Maintenance records of the truck
- Stops and weigh-in information from the semi
- Surveillance cameras
- Trucking company information
- Records of company’s loading
All of the above could be used to prove the truck driver, trucking company, or another party was at fault for what happened so that you get the full and fair compensation you deserve for your injuries. When you have a Williamsport truck accident attorney from our firm on your side, you can feel confident that your claim is fully investigated and that we’ve collected all the evidence we need to prove you weren’t at fault.
Stapp Law, LLC Will Represent You in Your Accident Claim
Accidents with semis can be devastating. While trying to recover physically and emotionally, you’ll likely also be interested in recovering financially. That’s where Stapp Law, LLC comes in. Our truck accident attorneys are here to look into your claim and ensure you get the justice you deserve.
Reach out to our office today so we can get started discussing your legal options.
