Getting Victims Injured in Semi Truck Accidents the Compensation They Deserve

If you were involved in a Minneapolis truck accident caused by the negligence of the driver, a malfunctioning part, or an overloaded truck (or for any other reason), you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. The damages from commercial truck and semi-truck accidents can add up fast, putting serious financial strain and stress on families. An experienced Minneapolis Truck Accident Attorney can help you to understand your rights and options, and if you choose, to help you file a truck accident injury claim. Contact the experienced attorneys at Sand Law LLC today for a free, no obligation consultation.

Semi Truck Accident Statistics

Getting into a car accident can be devastating, no matter the size of the vehicle. But accidents involving passenger vehicles and large trucks can cause particularly severe injuries and fatalities. The average 18-wheel semi-truck weighs around 80,000 pounds, while a passenger car only weighs around 3,000 pounds.

While large truck crashes aren’t as common as car versus car accidents, they still occur every day in the United States. In 2018, 4,136 people died because of large truck accidents. 67% percent of these deaths were people in passenger cars, while 16% were truck occupants, and 15% were pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

[HOW A SEMI-TRUCK ACCIDENT AND CAR ACCIDENT DIFFER]

How Does Insurance Work for Truck Accidents?

Dealing with insurance companies can be tricky. There are often many different parties involved in truck accidents, depending on the cause of the accident and number of liable parties. However, you can rest assured that most semi truck and commercial trucks are well-insured.

You could be dealing with a variety of different people, including the insurance companies for the manufacturers of the truck, the company the driver works for, the driver’s personal insurance, and possibly others like a mechanic or safety inspector.

Truck accident cases are notoriously tricky for this reason specifically. That’s why it’s important to hire an experienced truck accident lawyer who knows how to investigate and pursue truck accident cases successfully.

Who’s to Blame for Your Accident?

When you get into an accident, it’s easy to feel angry and upset about what happened to you. These are completely understandable emotions. Determining liability for truck accidents is a bit more complex than for a car accident but an experienced attorney can determine fault through a thorough investigation.

Sand Law will help you get to the bottom of the cause of your accident and who is liable. For example, if the brakes went out, the company who does repairs, or even the company who performs safety checks may be liable for your accident. It is also common for trucker to violate federal regulations in order to deliver more loads or to make a faster time. This can be a drowsy driver or a trucker who is under the influence of illegal drugs. Additionally,truckers can be particularly prone to distracted driving since they spend so much time on the road.

There are many different causes of large truck accidents and many different parties that could be liable.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Minneapolis

Understanding the common causes and types of truck accidents can help you to understand how or why your injury occured. The following are some common causes of truck accidents in Minneapolis.

Driver Error the Causes an Accident

Driver error is common in car accidents: someone was speeding, driving recklessly, or going over the speed limit. The same is true of truck accidents. Truck drivers can cause an accident due to their own negligence, like DUI, speeding, reckless or aggressive driving, or distracted driving.

Defective Trucks Parts Leading to an Accident

Defective truck parts can also be a common cause of semi truck accidents. These types of accidents most often occur because of a manufacturer error or mechanic error. This include things like unchecked brakes, a loose spare tire, or a faulty trailer hitch. Manufacturers, mechanics, and the trucking company could all be held responsible for these types of truck accidents. It’s also possible that the team who performs the safety check on the truck could also be liable.

Unsafe Loading that Leads to Truck Accidents

Semi trucks that are unsafely loaded can threaten the safety of other drivers on the road. This includes trailer loads that are not properly secured or loose cargo that can fall off a truck. It also includes trucks that are overloaded and are therefore at risk of rolling over or preventing safe braking.

In order to prevent truck accidents, there are regulations regarding proper loading, like weight limits, number of tie-downs, and trailer and truck requirements for specific types of cargo.

It is the responsibility of truck drivers and trucking companies to ensure the safe loading of cargo on their truck. When they fail to do so and it causes an accident, the victim may be able to pursue compensation for their injuries.

Other Factors the Lead to Truck Accidents

Because there are so many parties involved and so many different factors at play, it can be hard to determine exactly what the one true cause of an accident was. That’s where Sand Law comes in to investigate your accident with the help of professionals to determine cause and liability.

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Because trucks are so much larger than passenger cars, an injury from a large truck accident can be much more severe than a regular car accident injury.

Truck accident injuries often include:

• back and neck injuries,
• broken bones,
• head and brain injuries,
• internal injuries,
• lacerations,
• rib and torso injuries,
• spinal cord injuries,
• paralysis,
• and even death.

Of course, there’s always a chance that some may only suffer minor injuries, but with the scale of these accidents, more severe injuries are common.

With accidents like this, victims can also experience injuries that appear days or even weeks after the accident occurred. This is because with some injuries, the damage isn’t always apparent at first. This is especially common of internal injuries, head injuries, and neck injuries. Once the shock and adrenaline wears off, injuries that were not at first apparent often appear. Because of this, it is important to get medical treatment right away regardless of if you are feeling pain right after the accident.

[WHAT TO DO AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT CHECKLIST]

What Damages Can be Recovered from a Truck Accident?

As we have mentioned, truck accidents can cause serious injuries which translate into higher costs, greater damages, and increased stress. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you get compensation for you injuries so that you are not suffering under the weight of these bill on your own. Damages from a truck accident can include economic and non-economic damages.

For economic damages, you can recover money for medical bills, including doctor visits, hospital bills, physical and mental therapy. You can also recover any lost wages you may have accumulated in the time that you’ve been injured. Economic damages also include compensation for any in-home care that you may have needed due to your injury. This can include child care or any other fees you may have paid for help with everyday tasks because of your limitations.

Non-economic damages includes things like pain and suffering, loss of future wages, and lost earning capacity. These types of damages of also include mental anguish and suffering that is common after serious accidents.

Compensation, whether it be for economic or non-economic damages, is different with every person and depends on the specific facts of their case and injuries.

Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer

If you or someone you love has been injured in a large truck accident, the experienced Minnesota Truck Accident Attorneys are ready and willing to help you receive the compensation that you deserve. You worry about recovering from your injuries and let us worry about the insurance companies.

For more information, or for a free case evaluation, please contact us online or at 651-291-7263.