Commercial Vehicle Accidents

What Are The Most Common Causes Of Semi-Truck Or Other Commercial Vehicle Accidents Across Central New York State?

Trucking accidents are somewhat unique simply because of physics. Some elements that set trucks apart in commercial vehicle accidents are…

• The size of the truck
• The load; that is the gross weight of the truck
• The speed involved with respect to that truck

Due to these elements, accidents involving a semi-truck have the potential to be far more serious and oftentimes fatal.

There are far more distractions in a cab of a semi-truck, which can cause an accident. Driver inattention due to the distraction of shifting multiple gears, talking on and listening to their radios, and other distractions are common causes of semi-truck accidents. Another common cause of semi-truck accidents is driver fatigue. There are rules and regulations across the United States that require drivers to get sufficient downtime and rest. If drivers violate these rules and regulations they can be held responsible for injuries to other drivers and pedestrians.

What Severe Injuries Result From Accidents Involving Semi Trucks Or Other Large Commercial Vehicles Across Central New York?

Some of the severe injuries that can result from accidents involving semi trucks or other large commercial vehicles can include…

• Neck and back injuries
• Fractures
• Brain injuries
• Death
• And more…

While neck and back injuries, as well as bone fractures, can be common and easy to diagnose, brain injuries are the most dangerous and the hardest to diagnose. With most injuries, an x-ray or other imaging can be completed to show the exact injury.

Brain injuries are not visibly apparent. A person can look and act normally, but they might be going through some significant troubles that are not easily identified and diagnosed. It can take a lot of testing to identify the cause of a person’s symptoms when they are a result of brain injury.

Traumatic brain injuries, which are more common in semi truck cases, are on a spectrum of mild, moderate, and severe.

• Severe – Would render someone almost useless to themselves or their loved ones
• Moderate – Renders an individual almost incapable of taking care of or performing any of their normal activities
• Mild – Is not readily noticeable but still causes an individual significant loss in quality of life

Mild brain injuries are the most difficult to diagnose and prove, because no one can see a person’s struggles when they are invisible. Some signs of mild brain injury could be…

• Memory loss
• Inability to calculate sums, such as balancing your checkbook
• Exhaustion from trying to achieve your normal routines
• Difficulty with your vision, such as sensitivity to light

While these can seem mild, they result in a loss of your quality of life and changes to your routines and day to day activities.

What Evidence At The Scene Of These Accidents Is Important To Be Preserved And Collected In My New York State Trucking Accident Case?

Some key evidence that you will want to ensure you collect and preserve at the scene of an accident would be:

• A thorough work-up of the accident scene
• Pictures of all involved vehicles from different angles
• Pictures of the ground to show any tire marks or debris
• Witness names and contact information
• A police accident/reconstruction report

There will be times when you are injured and unable to communicate effectively or collect evidence independently. If this is the case, it is imperative that you reach out to an experienced attorney that can send an investigator to the scene immediately to act on your behalf.

You want to make sure that a thorough investigation is done at the scene. You do not want the evidence to be managed totally by the other side if you can help it. Time is of the essence.

Demands upon the other insurance company can be made for any recording device that was in the truck/commercial vehicle. Items such as dash cameras or black box that would have recorded what the speed was and other important information. These demands can be crucial to preserve that information in the event the truck disappears, is repaired, or information goes missing. An attorney experienced in truck accident investigations would be able to collect this evidence for you.

An attorney would send out a spoliation letter to the company that owns the vehicle, trailer, or both which would put them on notice that they shouldn’t do anything to change the nature of the involved vehicle in any way. A spoliation letter has legal significance in New York. For more information about Commercial Vehicle Accidents Law in New York, an initial consultation is your next best step.