Truck Accidents: Why It Is Different From Car Accidents

Truck accidents are collisions that involve semi-trucks, 18wheelers, commercial vehicles, and tractor-trailers that cause damage to property and personal injuries. Truck accidents are very different from car accidents because they are more dangerous and more complicated.

All vehicle accidents are not equal. The following are the main distinctions between truck accidents and car accidents:

It has different causes

In most cases, the reasons for truck crashes are not always apparent and straightforward. The common car accident is frequently caused by human error, such as reckless driving and distracted driving. While truck accidents are also commonly caused by human error, they might also compromise the trucking company.

Different injuries

One of the biggest differences between a truck accident and an average car accident is the extent of the injuries the accident can cause. The truck is way heavier than an average car that’s why it has more weight and momentum causing more severe injuries. If you are a victim of a road accident and injured, make sure to have a lawyer from Obrien and Ford to back you up. Hiring an injury attorney or getting an attorney from a firm that has outstanding records in handling auto accidents can help you understand your rights and proper compensations.

Monetary damages

Like car accidents, the truck accident victims can also obtain financial compensation for rehabilitation, medical care, loss of earning capacity, loss of income, and for the pain and suffering. But, since there are different parties involved in a trucking accident, the process can be more complicated than car crash cases.

Special licensing

Unlike small vehicles, the driver must undergo specialized training to drive a commercial truck, most especially if he will transport certain materials. To transport hazardous materials, the driver should use specific routes and should have a special license.

What Makes Small Cars Responsible For Truck Accidents

Every day, hundreds of thousands of injuries occur as a result of vehicular accidents in Texas. However, when the collision involves a commercial truck or other 18-wheeler truck, the result is often fatal.

While the National Highway Control has done much to avoid this kind of crashes from happening, they still occur occasionally. Anyone can prevent commercial truck accidents. Avoiding accidents involving large vehicles also means knowing the common causes of them.

If drivers know the common causes of commercial truck crashes, they can do their best to avoid making these errors. But sometimes, it is the driver of a smaller car that causes the accident involving commercial trucks. Here are the reasons why:

Small cars turn in front of trucks

One of the reasons why crashes occur is that some drivers misjudge the speed of the large trucks. That’s why they are prone to turn left in front of a truck at an intersection because they think they have much time to make the turn.

Small vehicles travel in blind spots

Smaller cars should not move too closely to trucks. Large trucks can’t see that there are smaller cars behind them. Additionally, cars should not stay directly in the middle of the side of a truck, since it is also a blind spot.

Trucks can’t slow down quickly

Commercial trucks need much more time to slow down to a stop. If smaller cars pull up in front of a truck and stop suddenly, there are greater risks that the truck will hit them. It is much better to stay in the same lane until it is safe to change.

Cars are not accelerating quickly

Small vehicles should make sure to accelerate fast enough if they are going to pull out in front of a truck at an intersection. Again, trucks can’t stop as quickly as cars. That’s why it is risky if commercial vehicles get cut off at an intersection.

Takeaway

Collisions involving commercial trucks can have devastating consequences. 18-wheeler truck accidents can also lead to catastrophic damages, injuries, and even wrongful death. However, not all accidents are caused by trucks, because smaller vehicles can also contribute to these terrifying accidents.

Addressing the problems caused by truck accidents can be more complicated, expensive, and dangerous than a regular passenger vehicle collision because of the unique aspects of truck accidents. Commercial trucks are heavier because it is larger than small cars, that’s why trucking accidents result in much greater harm.

Credits to the Author
Chris O’Brien has been handling personal injury cases in Western New York for more than 30 years. He enjoys a national reputation as not only a trial lawyer but also an educator of other trial lawyers. At the same time that he has recovered 20 million or multi-million dollar settlements on behalf of his clients, Chris has also taught trial skills in 21 states, districts, and territories as well as 2 provinces in Canada. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the National College of Advocacy, has been a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum for 20 years, and has been named as one of Western New York’s Top Ten Lawyers by Buffalo Business First.