Bronx Truck Accident Lawyer

Truck accident cases involving a semi-truck, garbage truck, delivery truck, or other large vehicle type cause serious injuries and wrongful death far more often than a car accident involving smaller vehicles. The severity of injuries and the likelihood of death increase due to the size and weight of a commercial truck compared to a smaller motor vehicle. 

When fully loaded, a tractor-trailer can weigh up to 30 times what a passenger vehicle weighs. During a crash, the tons of metal surrounding the truck driver can protect him or her from serious injuries while other drivers in the New York City area take the brunt of the crash. Besides the risk of severe injury or death in truck accident cases, these personal injury claims can be challenging to pursue. 

Don't Delay in Contacting a Truck Accident Lawyer for Help With Your Case

While it might seem obvious to you that the truck driver caused the accident that injured you, this may not be the case. For example, their supervisor might have threatened termination if the driver refused to work while fatigued or to transport an oversized load. The truck's mechanic or manufacturer could have acted negligently as well. 

As a Raphaelson & Levine client, you can feel confident that the injury attorneys at our law office will begin investigating your truck accident case right away. Determining liability is a crucial and time-consuming first step in the personal injury lawsuit process. We dedicate our time and resources to determining how the accident happened and who bears responsibility for it because we want to hold all parties accountable. 

Our truck accident lawyers also take great pride in obtaining maximum compensation on behalf of our clients. We have in-depth knowledge of the numerous laws truckers and trucking companies must follow under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration guidelines. Please contact the law office of Raphaelson & Levine today to schedule a time for a free review of your truck accident case. You may reach us at 212-268-3222.

Common Types of Truck Accident Cases

An accident between a private motor vehicle and a commercial truck can happen for various reasons, but some causes are more common than others. Our truck accident attorneys have noticed the type of accidents described below occur the most in our years of experience representing truck accident victims.

Accident Caused by a Spilled Load

People who load cargo into a commercial truck must adequately secure the load with tie-downs and not load so much into the vehicle that it exceeds weight limits. Tanker trucks carrying gasoline or other flammable liquid must have proper security measures in place to avoid dangerous spillage. These types of truck accident cases often have multiple victims from toxic exposure or a pile-up on the road due to the truck driver spilling a load. 

Head-on Collision

When a bus or big rig driver loses control of the vehicle, they can easily cross the center line and crash head-on into another vehicle. Head-on collisions are serious accidents that can cause immediate death or serious injuries expected to last for life. If you have lost a loved one to wrongful death or have permanent injuries caused by a large truck, please don't hesitate to contact Raphaelson & Levine at 212-268-3222.

Jackknife Accident

Semi-trucks come equipped with a tractor that hitches to a trailer. The trailer pivots and bends around corners in response to driver turns. Inexperienced truckers often make the mistake of braking too hard and causing the tractor-trailer to skid, known as jackknifing. The out-of-control trailer can strike other vehicles or even come loose from the tractor-trailer altogether and continue traveling until it crashes into another vehicle.

Rear-end Collision

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a tractor-trailer driver needs at least 200 yards to stop the truck when traveling 65 miles per hour. This is much more space than the driver of a motor vehicle needs to prevent a rear-end collision. Because of this, truck drivers are much more likely to cause a rear-end collision that leads to serious injuries among the driver or passengers of the vehicle traveling directly in front of him or her.

Rollover Accident

Top-heavy commercial trucks such as garbage, cement, or dump trucks tend to cause rollover accidents most often. A truck driver’s greatest risk causing a rollover accident in a top-heavy commercial truck comes from not reducing speed enough to round corners safely.

Regardless of how your crash with a commercial truck occurred, Raphaelson & Levine are here to help you file a personal injury lawsuit for the compensation you deserve. If you're tired of unpaid medical bills and not working while also dealing with the pain of serious injuries, please contact Raphaelson & Levine at 212-268-3222. We will instruct you on filing a personal injury claim against the responsible parties during your free case evaluation.

Causes of Bronx Truck Accidents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration states that speeding by commercial truck drivers is the leading cause of accidents. Other trucker actions that can cause a crash include:

Distracted Driving

Commercial truckers can drive thousands of miles every week. Like any other driver, they can become bored and start paying more attention to distractions than the road. This could include texting or talking on a handheld smartphone while driving to eating a full meal behind the wheel or just daydreaming. Because a large truck needs more time to stop, a distraction of even a few seconds could cause a serious truck accident injury.

Driving While Fatigued

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enforces Hours of Service to ensure that truck drivers receive adequate rest before driving. Although trucking companies know the Hours of Service rules, managers may push employees to drive a large truck while fatigued or forgo mandatory rest periods. This irresponsible decision can have a tragic outcome and cause the wrongful death or serious injuries of someone else. 

Drunk Driving and Driving Under the Influence

Driving with an unsafe level of drugs in the bloodstream is far more common in the trucking industry than driving after consuming alcohol. Trucking accidents occur the most often when a driver has taken a drug that helps him or her stay awake such as methamphetamines, cocaine, or another stimulant. Despite frequent testing of truck drivers, these violations still occur with alarming regularity. Another person's drug problem shouldn't cause you serious injuries. The New York truck accident lawyers at our law firm will pursue justice for you. Please contact us today at 212-268-3222.

Road and weather conditions: A poorly maintained road or inclement weather conditions could easily cause a truck crash or bus accidents. The government of New York City, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, or wherever the accident occurred may be responsible in the case of poorly maintained roads. As you would expect, suing the government in a personal injury case can be complicated. You also have less time under New York's statute of limitations to do so.

Vehicle failure caused by lack of maintenance, timely repair, or manufacturing defect: According to the Institute for Highway Safety, nearly 50 percent of commercial trucks have at least one significant mechanical problem and should undergo repair before anyone drives the vehicle. Typical examples include failure of brake systems, coupling systems, lights, wheels, and power trains.

Common Injuries in Commercial Truck Accident Cases

Injuries sustained in a tractor trailer accident or other types of truck accidents can be among the most severe types of motor vehicle accidents. Traumatic brain injury is just one example of a serious injury that can cause long-term complications. Even if you have no obvious physical injuries, you're likely to find your ability to think, reason, concentrate, or control extreme mood shifts a great challenge after a traumatic brain injury. Other types of head trauma could include bleeding in the brain, a fractured skull, or nerve damage.

Broken Bone Injuries

Broken bones involving the ankles, legs, spine, arms, or feet are common after an NYC truck accident. The force of a big rig crashing with a normal-sized car can crush bones and cause complex fractures with slow healing time. 

Whiplash Injury

Whiplash is the most common type of neck injury in car accidents and truck accidents. A whiplash injury happens when the neck snaps back and forth quickly and repeatedly after a crash. Memory loss, chronic headaches, fatigue, and dizziness can occur regularly after both whiplash and traumatic brain injury.

Back, Knee and Shoulder Injury

Back, knee and shoulder injuries are common after a crash involving a commercial truck and a motor vehicle. The same is true of deep lacerations and burns that require extensive and often painful treatment. Lastly, and perhaps the most tragic outcome besides wrongful death, are truck accidents that cause paraplegia, quadriplegia, or another spinal cord injury that permanently affects the accident victim's mobility and opportunity to remain self-sufficient. 

How Do I Schedule a Consultation with a Bronx Truck Accident Lawyer?

At Raphaelson & Levine, our results speak for themselves. We invite you to review our testimonials and case settlements on our website and then contact us at 212-268-3222 to request a free case evaluation with a law firm’s truck accident lawyer. You may also complete a contact form on our website, and someone from our law office will return your call by the next business day.

We look forward to meeting you and learning more about how the truck accident has affected you. Remember that a truck can include an 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, bus, garbage truck, or other oversized vehicle operated for commercial purposes.