Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: ” Is a tractor-trailer accident the same as an automobile accident?”
A serious crash led to the death of a truck driver and a toddler near Fayetteville, NC. The crash happened on Interstate 95, causing the northbound lanes of traffic to be closed for hours while police investigated and cleared the accident. According to North Carolina State Police, the crash involved a semi truck and a Dodge Ram van. Investigators report that the driver of the semi truck failed to slow down when he encountered a traffic delay ahead. The truck swerved and hit the van, which was also traveling in the same direction. In addition to the fatalities, a woman was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
What Causes Truck Accidents?
Truck accidents can occur due to a number of causes. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) studied the common causes of truck accidents. They identified three main categories of causes — driver, vehicle, and environment. Driver errors are typically the most common critical cause of large truck crashes. Truck drivers may be improperly trained, inexperienced, or might get distracted while behind the wheel. Accidents may be caused by vehicle mechanical failure, load imbalance, or other problems. Environmental reasons include such things as poor weather or road conditions.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is a major concern among all drivers and especially for big rig drivers. Distracted driving includes anything that takes your mind off of driving, your hands off the wheel, or your eyes off the road. Texting while driving is an example of a distraction that checks all three boxes. Texting while driving is against the law in North Carolina and elsewhere. Fatigue is a common distraction among truck drivers. Truckers must follow specific rules that restrict them from driving for extended periods of time, among other rules. Trucks utilize electronic logging devices to record data related to truck operation.
Truck Accident Investigation
Truck accidents are often complicated and require extensive investigation. The first step of the investigation occurs at the scene of the accident. The victim or the family of a victim may need to use the services of an accident reconstruction specialist. This team of experts will gather and review evidence to determine what happened immediately before, during, and after a crash. The goal is to prove negligence. Negligence means that the party had a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused harm to another.
Truck accidents can be extremely complicated. Trucking companies often have dedicated legal teams in place to handle accident claims. It is important to seek legal assistance as soon as possible after a truck accident. In this accident, preliminary reports indicate that the truck driver may have acted negligently. However, a complete investigation and review of the data will provide more insight into the cause of the crash.
If you or someone you love was hurt in a truck accident, or any other accident, contact our skilled legal team at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, at (704) 370-2828 for a free consultation.
The skilled personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to maximizing the financial recovery and obtaining justice for every personal injury client injured by another party’s negligence. The issues our personal injury clients may be facing include, but are not limited to, slip and fall injuries, wrongful death, product liability, catastrophic injuries, dog bite claims, car and truck accident injuries, motorcycle injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI), nursing home negligence, spinal cord injury, boating accidents, and defective medical device injury. Our personal injury attorneys understand the devastating impact such an injury can have on a person’s life, and that the effects so often go beyond physical pain and suffering. The personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to helping clients determine the strength of their claims, and to aggressively pursuing the means necessary to achieve the best possible end result for each client’s particular situation.
Source:
https://abc11.com/deadly-crash-fayetteville-i-95-traffic-closure/11940920/
Image Credit:
https://www.freeimages.com/photo/truck-accident-1450067
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