Few incidents result in more catastrophic injuries than truck accidents. Construction, delivery, or box trucks are much larger than personal vehicles and have the potential to crush steel and severely injure the people inside them.
Commercial truck drivers have the same obligations to follow traffic laws as all other travelers. Failing to follow any law resulting in an injury can place blame for that incident on the trucker or their parent company.
Fortunately, a Miramar truck accident lawyer can help you after being injured in a tractor-trailer collision. A Miramar personal injury attorney like David Fuchs can handle every step of the claim to demand the compensation you deserve while you focus on your recovery.
What is Negligence in a Tractor-Trailer Crash?
Even though collisions with commercial vehicles can result in life-changing injuries, it is unfair to allege that a trucker intended to cause harm to another driver. Still, this does not mean that a trucker is not civilly responsible for a crash. All motorists, including truck drivers, assume a duty to protect anyone they could encounter while behind the wheel. Generally, this duty includes taking appropriate action to prevent collisions by:
- Following the applicable speed limits
- Yielding to other vehicles or pedestrians when appropriate
- Properly maintaining vehicles
- Refraining from texting while driving
A hardworking attorney in Miramar can gather evidence that a truck driver failed to protect other motorists by obtaining traffic tickets and visiting the scene of an accident to determine the actual cause of the collision.
What Rules Apply to Truck Drivers?
In addition to following the rules of the road, truckers in Miramar must adhere to specific laws that regulate the tractor-trailer industry. The most common example of these rules is the limits on maximum driving times.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, commercial truckers cannot drive for more than 11 hours at any given time. A driver must rest for at least ten hours to reset this timer. Similarly, a driver cannot operate for more than 60 hours during a seven-day period, but this may extend to 70 hours over eight days.
Failing to follow these rules puts everyone on the road at serious risk of injury. Evidence that a trucker violated these rules is powerful evidence of negligence and can be used against a tractor-trailer driver in court. In addition, a local attorney can use the concept of negligence per se to prove a trucker is responsible for an accident.
Contact a Miramar Truck Accident Attorney Today
After a devastating crash, taking on a trucking company and its insurance carriers may seem impossible. You are likely suffering from severe physical injuries, dealing with property damage, and experiencing mental and emotional anguish. However, just because the party responsible for an accident is a trucker does not mean they are not responsible. In fact, the law states that any reckless party must provide compensation to injured victims.
A Miramar truck accident lawyer could help you to pursue that compensation by ensuring you seek the proper medical care, gathering evidence of a defendant’s negligence or carelessness, and preserving your rights during settlement talks. Often, attorneys like David Fuchs obtain a fair settlement for plaintiffs without going to court. Speak with a skilled legal team member today to get started on your claim.
