You probably watched enough movies to realize how serious truck accidents are. The average American car weighs around 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. On the other hand, a truck can easily reach weights of up to 80,000 pounds. You don’t need great math skills to see the huge gap in the structure and difference of power between both vehicles. The thing with cargo trucks, semi-trucks, tractors, and other heavy-duty vehicles is that they are so powerful that getting into accidents with an average passenger car is like a hot knife through butter.
To help you understand the dynamics and repercussions of a commercial truck accident, we’ll provide you with an overview of the major consequences.
Legal Battles
Truck accidents are far from being mild accidents; the stakes are very high when it comes to getting the compensation you deserve. Since the injuries sustained are usually severe, there are a lot of expenses that are related to medical treatment and possible disability. It’s very important to take immediate action after the accident and report the incident to your lawyer. You can get more info here on how they investigate the scene of an accident as early as possible to make sure no evidence goes undocumented, in addition to handling the insurance claim. You don’t want to go against insurance companies without a very good lawyer by your side to avoid losing the compensation you’re owed.
Most Dangerous Types of Accidents
Not every truck accident happens in the same way as each scenario comes with its different set circumstances.
Jackknife - This type of accident is very common with trucks that are linked to a trailer. It happens when the driver of the truck suddenly presses the brakes, causing the trailer to swing pit at a very wide angle. The main culprit in jackknife accidents can be slick roads, weather conditions, high speed, poor lighting, curvy roadways, and the length of the truck. Trailers are quite heavy, which means that any passenger car that gets hit head-on while the trailer swerves at a high speed will probably be completely destroyed.
Head-on Collisions - These are one of the scariest types of accidents because of how fatal they can be. It’s often the result of the truck driver not paying enough attention to the road or sleeping while driving. Unlike passenger cars, trucks are quite tall in comparison. A head-on collision means that the truck will probably climb over the car, especially if it’s small, crushing it entirely.
Brake Failure - The brakes of huge trucks undertake a lot of stress to be able to stop the truck. Anything but proper maintenance can cause the brakes to deteriorate quickly. This can cause devastating accidents because the driver is either unaware of the brakes’ malfunctioning or miscalculated its efficiency. If a truck doesn’t stop at the right time, it can easily destroy passenger cars.
Injuries from Truck Accidents
Getting out alive of a truck accident is considered a lucky event. The injuries that can be sustained from a truck accident are usually pretty severe.
Back Injuries - The shockwaves sent from crashing into a truck can take a serious toll on your back and spine. These kinds of injuries are quite painful and long-term. This means that one should not expect to get back to work for at least a few months.
Broken Bones - It’s not uncommon for a truck accident to destroy one or more bones because of how powerful they can be. A passenger car can’t really handle any type of collision with the truck. Expect to get out of the situation with at least a few bones broken.
Head Injuries - One of the most dangerous types of injuries are the ones that are related to your brain in any way. The force of the crash can easily send someone’s head into a very vulnerable state. The problem is that these injuries aren’t necessarily apparent at first. The loss of cognitive and physical motor functions for a good while means that there is a high chance that the victim’s life will be considerably altered.
Spinal Cord and Paralysis - Surviving a truck accident with a direct injury to the spinal cord means that you are probably in a very sensitive position. There is a good chance that you may not be able to walk again because of how severe the damage on your spinal cord is. Some injuries may not be felt instantly, but ignoring them instead of trying to treat them will only make things worse.
Those who survive truck accidents are usually left with a physical disability or long-term injury. Unfortunately, there are many variables involved in such accidents, making it hard to pinpoint the blame on a single entity. But in the majority of cases, the one who’s usually responsible is the truck driver, so make sure that you keep as much distance as needed for trucks on the road.