Weighing in at over 80,000 pounds, most eighteen-wheelers lack the maneuverability that allows smaller vehicles to avoid accidents. Because of the weight and forces involved when large trucks crash, truck accidents are known for causing devastating injuries.
For over a quarter of a century, Eisbrouch Marsh, LLC has been fighting for the rights of injured motorists in New Jersey and New York. If you have suffered severe injuries in a trucking accident, please call 201-342-5545 for your no-cost, no-obligation legal consultation.
- Common Causes of Truck Accidents
- Liability in a Truck Accident Case
- Serious Injuries in Truck Accident Cases
- Possible Compensation for Your Injuries
- When a Truck Crash Leads to Wrongful Death
- Truck Accident Statistics
- Call Eisbrouch Marsh Today
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Although truck drivers must possess a special commercial license in order to operate their vehicles, nearly one-third of all truck accidents are attributable to driver-related factors. Truck accidents are often caused by:
- Driver fatigue
- Distracted driving, including texting, eating, talking on the phone
- Alcohol or drug use while driving
- Speeding
- Failing to yield to other traffic
- Following too closely
- Misjudging gaps in traffic
- Swerving out of their lane
- Not checking for vehicles in their blindspots
Other causes of trucking accidents can include the failure to properly load cargo and the failure to properly maintain the vehicle, which may be the responsibility of the shipping or trucking company.
Liability in a Truck Accident Case
Determining liability in a truck accident case can be complex because of the regulations governing these large vehicles and the many parties that may be held liable for injuries. You may be able to recover damages from any of the following parties, depending on the specific facts of your case:
- Truck driver
- Trucking company
- Brake or tire manufacturers
- Shipping company
- Maintenance personnel
You may have a negligence claim against the driver or the trucking company, and you may have a product liability claim against the manufacturer of some of the truck’s parts. After investigating your case, we can file against and negotiate with all of the parties who can be held responsible for your injuries.
Serious Injuries in Truck Accident Cases
Trucking accidents often cause debilitating injuries that require extensive medical intervention. Injuries that we commonly see in truck accidents include:
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Burn injuries
- Broken bones
- Death
Don’t suffer alone. Let an experienced attorney handle the stress of negotiating with insurance companies and fighting your legal battles for fair compensation.
Possible Compensation for Your Injuries
In a truck accident case, our attorneys fight passionately on behalf of injury victims. In the aftermath of a crash, you'll be facing expenses and losses that are financial, emotional and mental in nature. Each case is unique, but some of the most common types of compensation awarded in successful claims include the following.
- Present and future medical expenses: You may have bills from the emergency room and other hospitalization bills. There will also be the expense of treating your injuries after the initial hospital visit, perhaps long-term treatment. Medical costs would also include physical rehabilitation, and any in-home modifications or assistive technology you need in order to live with your injury.
- Loss of wages: Compensation ought to be awarded to repay you for the income you are missing out on because of your injury. You may be unable to return to your former job duties, which directly affects your ability to support yourself as you did previously.
- Loss of enjoyment of life: Your injuries may change or eliminate the way you were able to engage in hobbies, sports, interests and physical activity. A diminished quality of life is a serious and dramatic consequence.
- Pain and suffering: Physical injuries lead to physical, emotional and mental pain. This anguish and discomfort you experience is not fair. You should not have to live with these effects without proper justice and compensation.
Talk to our attorneys about your case for free. Your complimentary case review provides an opportunity for us to hear about the accident that injured you, and to provide clear answers about your options for holding the responsible party accountable.
When a Truck Crash Leads to Wrongful Death
If a loved one was killed because of a truck crash, you may be able to pursue justice and compensation in a wrongful death claim. These cases hold responsible any party whose negligence directly causes the death of another person.
No amount of compensation can undo your grief or the loss of your loved one. Nonetheless, compensation awarded in this type of case can help with the real expenses and losses you are facing:
- Loved one's medical bills for treatment of the crash injuries
- Funeral costs
- Burial or cremation expenses
- Loss of loved one's companionship and guidance
- Loss of loved one's financial contributions, inheritance contributions, retirement savings and benefits
Rely on our experienced attorneys to fight compassionately on your behalf. We have been working with clients in New Jersey for decades. We've seen first-hand the devastation and grief of losing a family member because of someone else's carelessness. We communicate openly with you so that you know what is happening with your case and feel empowered to make decisions about the case as the opportunities arise.
Truck Accident Statistics
The most recent comprehensive statistics on fatal truck accidents are from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, for the year 2016:
- 3,986 people were killed in large truck accidents in 2016
- 66 percent of those killed were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles
- 17 percent of those killed were the occupants/drivers of large trucks
- 16 percent of those killed were pedestrians, motorcycle riders and bicyclists
- 60 percent of fatalities in large truck accidents that year occurred on major roads that are not classified as interstates or freeways
- 32 percent of these deadly crashes occurred on interstates and freeways
- 7 percent occurred on minor roads
- 48 percent of deadly truck crashes occurred between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. (comparatively, 30 percent of deadly crashes not involving large trucks occurred during these hours)
- 31 percent of the deadly truck accidents that killed passenger vehicle occupants were head-on collisions
- 20 percent of the deadly truck accidents that killed passenger vehicle occupants were crashes in which the front end of the passenger vehicle collided with the rear of the truck
In addition to these fatal accidents, there were thousands more that led to serious, non-fatal injuries. These injuries are often life-altering considering the large size and weight of trucks pitted against smaller passenger vehicles.
Call Eisbrouch Marsh Today
Eisbrouch Marsh can help you navigate the complex legal system to get the justice you deserve. With over 30 years of legal experience and a record of winning truck accident lawsuits, we can help you gain maximum compensation for your losses.
Call us today at 201-342-5545 for a no-charge, no-obligation consultation about your truck accident case.
We serve residents in northern New Jersey, including Hackensack, Newark, Bergen County, and Essex County from our offices in New Jersey and New York.
