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How are Truck Accidents Different than Car Accidents?

Posted on: May 1, 2022

There are many differences between truck and car accidents. Truck accidents tend to be more tragic, causing more destruction and greater injuries. They also are usually more complex and it can be more challenging to figure out the precise cause.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a truck accident, you may be facing serious injuries and astronomical medical bills. Your health and wellbeing is what is most important and getting the compensation necessary to cover those expenses is crucial to ensuring you get better.

Truck Accidents Cause More Serious Injuries

Trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. That is many times more than your regular car. If a truck of that size and weight smashed into your vehicle, it is likely that you and your passengers will end up with severe injuries. A truck accident can destroy vehicles and lives. Even at slow speeds, a truck accident can result in catastrophic injuries, causing massive medical issues.

The most common injuries stemming from a truck accident include:

  • Amputation
  • Broken bones
  • Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries
  • Death
  • Lacerations
  • Paralysis
  • Sprains and strains

Because of the sheer force of a truck smashing into a smaller car, death can result. While not every truck accident will cause a death, it shows the severity of these types of accidents and how they can change your life in an instant.

Truck Accident Causes

Both cars and trucks have thousands of moving parts and pieces that must work in sync to operate vehicles correctly and safely. But trucks have many more than cars and many more potential issues that could go wrong. Because of this, the causes of truck accidents could vary.

While the leading cause of all vehicle accidents is human error, truck accidents can also be caused by problems with any one of the thousands of parts and components. Speed and the sheer size and weight of such enormous vehicles can also cause truck accidents.

This also means that there are many sources of potential liability. This could include:

  • The truck driver
  • The truck manufacturer
  • A parts manufacturer
  • The trucking company
  • The shipping company
  • Maintenance technician or company

Truck Accident Investigation Complexities

Because of the many potential sources of liability listed above, truck accidents often require an intense and thorough investigation to accurately determine who is to blame. Truck accident reconstruction experts may be needed to help comb through the wreckage and all of the evidence to ensure that the right party is held liable for your accident and injuries. This could be more than one party.

That is why a truck accident lawyer can help guide you after a truck accident, using their resources, which could include truck accident reconstruction experts. Knowing who and what caused your accident is key to getting maximum compensation.

Collecting Money Damages

The point of all this effort in finding out who caused your truck accident is to figure out who could potentially owe you compensation. You do this through a personal injury claim. While a lawsuit may be the furthest thing from your mind, understandably so, you will need to consider this so that you hold the negligent party liable for your truck accident and injuries.

When you file a personal injury claim, your goal is to prove that another party was negligent and owes you compensation. To prove negligence, you need to show that some other person or company:

  • Owed you a duty of care to act safely.
  • They breached that duty of care by acting in an unsafe manner.
  • Their breach caused a truck accident where you suffered injuries.

While it may seem obvious to you exactly what happened, you will need evidence to prove your allegations. Circling back again to the truck accident investigation, this is why it is crucial to have a thorough investigation of your accident to uncover all the evidence necessary to prove your claim.

Once you successfully prove negligence of another party, then you can work to collect compensation. Your lawyer may try to get you compensation for:

  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of companionship
  • Loss of life enjoyment
  • Lost earning potential
  • Lost income
  • Pain and suffering
  • Present and future medical expenses
  • Rehabilitation costs

Truck accidents cause serious injuries and you are likely to have to endure serious medical procedures. This could leave you out of work for a long time, reducing your ability to financially support yourself. Understanding the severity of your injuries is crucial to ensuring that you do not settle your case for too little, something your legal team can help you calculate and understand.

This is important because the insurance company representing the at fault driver or party responsible for your truck accident will probably call you just days after your crash to offer you a quick settlement. If you do not know the true value of your claim, you could end up succumbing to their pressure and taking a settlement that does not cover all of your needs. Signing a settlement agreement is final. If you realize months or even years later that you still have medical bills to pay related to your truck accident, you cannot go back to the insurance company and ask for more money. It will be too late.

Once you sign the settlement offer, you waive your right to bring any future claims against the insurance company for your truck accident injuries. If you take a lower settlement, this could mean you end up paying out of pocket to cover injuries and financial losses related to an accident you did not cause.

You have the ability to avoid this tragic situation by partnering with a trusted legal team. Do not let yourself become a victim of insurance company tactics.

Act Fast

Unfortunately, you do not have time to waste. Every state has a time limit to file a claim. Called a statute of limitations, this time clock starts the day of your accident. In New Jersey, that clock only lasts two years.

This might seem like a long time right now, like you can put off your decision about whether to file a personal injury claim until much later. You should not wait.

Consider all of the hurdles you will face during this time:

  • Extended hospital stays
  • In-facility rehabilitation
  • In-home care
  • Long periods of time out of work
  • Multiple doctor visits
  • Multiple surgeries

You may never be able to return to work at all, depending on the severity of your injuries. This will take all of your time and focus away from the legal claim. With a trusted legal team on your side, advocating for your best interests, you can focus on your health and wellbeing while they shoulder the burden of the legal complexities.

Waiting will only increase the chances of evidence going missing and witnesses forgetting what they saw. The sooner you speak with a lawyer, the faster your case will move forward, the sooner you may be able to get the compensation you need to cover all of your expenses. Speaking with a lawyer right away lets you focus on your medical needs while they worry about getting you compensation.

The Freehold Truck Accident Lawyers at Ellis Law May be Able to Get You the Benefits You Need

A truck accident can leave victims with life-altering injuries. These injuries may require a lifetime of medical care and attention, something that can become extremely expensive. To help you focus on your recovery and the compensation you need, speak with the Freehold truck accident lawyers at Ellis Law. Contact us today at 732-308-0200, or fill out our online form to schedule your free consultation with our experienced team. We proudly serve our neighbors in Freehold, East Brunswick, Toms River, Middletown, Jersey City, Neptune, Hudson County, Union County, Essex County, and Ocean County, as well as Brooklyn and New York, New York.

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