Truck accidents are uniquely dangerous. When a truck, such as an 18-wheeler, strikes a smaller vehicle, it can cause serious injuries or, in some cases, death. Understanding the causes and types of truck accidents can increase your preparedness as a driver. Read on for a list of the five most common types of truck accidents and tips for dealing with their aftermath.
- Most Common Truck Accidents
- What Do I Do After a Truck Accident?
- Contact Us Today for Help From a Truck Accident Lawyer
Most Common Truck Accidents
In 2022, University of Kentucky researchers published “Driver injuries in heavy vs. light and medium truck local crashes, 2010–2019.” The study’s goal was to determine the kinds of injuries that most commonly occur in truck accidents. However, as a byproduct, the researchers also discovered how truck accidents typically play out. These are among the most common truck accident types:
Running a Red Light
In the study, researchers sorted trucks into three categories, light, medium, and heavy. Light and medium trucks, which include smaller transport vehicles, were frequently involved in car accidents caused by running a red light. This is likely because small trucks appear more often in urban centers like New York City, which have more intersections than rural areas.
Turning in Front of Other Vehicles
Trucks, particularly heavy trucks, are longer than the average car. If a driver is inattentive while initiating a turn, they can block roadways and cause an accident.
Rollovers
During high-speed turns, gravity causes vehicles to lean away from the direction of the road’s curvature. This phenomenon is known as centrifugal force and presents a distinct risk to top-heavy trucks.
Rollover accidents happen when a truck flips over due to centrifugal force. University of Kentucky researchers believe rollover accidents primarily affect larger trucks, like tractor-trailers. Another study at the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine found that rollover accidents occur primarily on highways on-ramps and off-ramps. The following often caused these accidents:
- Oversteering
- Inattentiveness
- Driver fatigue
Drifting or Driving Off a Roadway
Trucking involves driving hundreds, if not thousands, of miles in a single trip. During these extended journeys, truckers encounter various roadways, including narrow highways. Highway driving has a small margin for error. If truckers are tired or inattentive, they can make a mistake and drift off these roadways. In a worst-case scenario, trucker drifting can cause a head-on collision with a driver in the opposite lane.
Collision With Another Vehicle
Vehicle collisions are often the byproduct of another type of truck accident. For example, imagine that a truck driver takes a turn too quickly and rolls their vehicle over, blocking multiple lanes of traffic. Several cars behind the truck can’t brake quickly enough, leading to a multi-vehicle pile-up.
Truck accidents involving collisions can cause serious injuries, like:
- Concussions
- Broken bones
- Dislocations
- Lacerations and cuts
- Severe sprains and strains
For a free legal consultation, call 516-932-0400
What Do I Do After a Truck Accident?
Truck accidents are often complex matters. You may be seriously injured and unsure of how to move forward. Taking these measures could speed up your case and increase your chances of receiving compensation:
Gather Documentation
Truck accident claims and lawsuits involve large amounts of evidence. If you cannot prove someone else caused your truck accident, it may be difficult to pursue compensation. Consider collecting these types of evidence:
- Documentation of your interactions with insurers
- Photos and videos of the accident, if possible
- Medical records
- Your truck accident-related expenses
- Contact information for all parties involved in the accident, including witnesses
Gathering this information may be challenging, particularly if you left the accident scene in an ambulance. By hiring a truck accident lawyer, you can entrust the accident investigation process to another party. A lawyer may rely on various experts to determine the cause of your accident.
Seek Medical Attention
This may sound obvious, but if you have any pain, loss of function or other symptoms as a result of your truck accident, please don’t just wait, hoping it will go away. We strongly suggest that you schedule a doctor’s appointment. Seeing a doctor has two primary benefits:
- You can get an accurate diagnosis of your injuries: Some truck accident injuries can worsen in the weeks and months after the accident. You may not know the full extent of your injuries yet. By speaking with a doctor, you can receive a diagnosis and begin treatment. The sooner you start treatment, the better.
- You can obtain proper documentation of your injury: Medical reports are crucial evidence in truck accident cases. They detail the extent of your injuries, which an attorney can prove to insurers that you aren’t lying about your pain or medical expenses.
Always listen to your doctor’s treatment recommendations after a truck accident. Aside from the important consideration, that failure to treat will impede your recovery, such failure could suggest to an insurance company or even a jury that you weren’t actually injured, which could significantly harm your case.
Consider Choosing Friedman & Simon LLP Injury Lawyers to be your Legal Counsel
In New York, you do not have to hire a lawyer after a truck accident occurs. However, working with a lawyer from our team of legal professionals could provide you with peace of mind. They can take over your case so you can focus on getting better. These are some of services that our lawyers typically provide to our clients:
- Gathering evidence and building a case
- Working with experts, such as crash reconstruction specialists
- Managing insurance settlement negotiations
- Fighting for injured parties’ compensation
- Pursuing a lawsuit if a settlement isn’t possible
- Fighting relentlessly to win the best possible case outcome for you
Contact Us Today for Help From a Truck Accident Lawyer
At Friedman & Simon, L.L.P., we’re proud to serve Jericho and the greater New York City area. Our goal as a legal team is twofold. We want to help you get better and receive fair compensation.
We’re here to fight for you every step of the way. If you were recently in a truck accident, contact our offices for a free case evaluation today.
Call or text 516-932-0400 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
