Truck Accident FAQs

With all the commercial traffic in the Binghamton area, our truck accident lawyer in New York gets a lot of questions about truck accidents. Read on to learn the answers to those questions – and don’t wait to contact Scott C. Gottlieb, Injury Law Attorney if you’ve been hurt in a truck accident and want to learn more about your options for pursuing compensation.

Is the Truck Driver Responsible for the Accident?

Truck drivers commonly play some role in the accidents they are involved in. Truck drivers have a legal responsibility to follow the rules of the road and take reasonable steps to avoid injuring other motorists. When they fail to drive carefully, other people often get hurt. A truck driver might be responsible for an accident if they engaged in any of the following behaviors:

• Driving while impaired
• Driving while fatigued (often in violation of federal Hours of Service rules)
• Distracted driving
• Speeding or driving too fast for road conditions
• Following too closely
• Not checking blind spots before merging, passing, or changing lanes

Is the Trucking Company Responsible for the Accident?

Trucking companies are also frequently responsible for truck accidents. These companies are supposed to hire drivers with clean driving records, make sure they are fully qualified to handle these large vehicles, and monitor them for potentially dangerous behavior. However, trucking companies often fail in or ignore these duties, such as by:

• Hiring drivers without necessary qualifications
• Hiring drivers with poor safety records
• Hiring inexperienced drivers
• Not monitoring drivers for speeding, drug or alcohol use, or other dangerous driving habits

Is Another Trucking Industry Vendor Responsible for the Accident?

It is certainly possible that a vendor or someone else involved in the trucking industry could bear some responsibility for a crash. For example, if the collision was caused by a mechanical defect, the company that made the truck or the defective part could be liable. Other examples of vendor negligence include truck maintenance crews failing to identify and take care of necessary repairs and cargo loaders failing to properly balance and secure the truck’s load. A personal injury lawyer in New York can thoroughly investigate your claim to determine who may be at fault for the crash.

Why Is a Truck Accident More Likely to Cause Injury Than One Involving Passenger Cars?

Truck accidents are more likely than other collisions to result in serious injuries because of the sheer size and weight of the vehicles involved. While a typical passenger car weighs about 2,000-3,000 pounds and larger vehicles like SUVs might weigh 5,000-6,000 pounds, a semi-truck with an empty trailer weighs 30,000 pounds. If the truck’s trailer is full, it can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. All that extra weight means trucks hit with much more force, making severe injuries much more likely. Our personal injury attorneys in Binghamton work closely with truck accident victims who have suffered severe injuries. We will fight to recover fair compensation for your claim.

What Are the Most Common Factors Involved in Collisions Between Commercial Trucks and Automobiles?

Some of the most common causes of collisions between semi-trucks and passenger vehicles are:

• Driver fatigue
• Impaired driving
• Distracted driving
• Speeding
• Drivers not checking blind spots
• Drivers failing to yield the right-of-way
• Aggressive driving
• Poor truck maintenance
• Unbalanced or unsecured cargo
• Inexperienced or untrained drivers
• Bad weather
• Poor road conditions

If you have been hurt in a semi-truck accident in Broome County, contact Scott C. Gottlieb, Injury Law Attorney to discuss your case with a Binghamton, NY, truck accident attorney at no cost to you.