Blind Spot Truck Accident Lawyers

Common Causes of Truck Blind Spot Accidents

Although a truck’s design makes it impossible to eliminate blind spots and ensure the safety of all traveling alongside the vehicle, truck drivers and the companies that employ them can take steps to minimize risks. If they fail to drive safely or are negligent in their duty of care toward others, they’re liable.

From driver error to maintenance issues, these accidents can occur for many reasons. Here are some of the most common causes of truck blind spot accidents in New Jersey and throughout the country.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is the cause of many types of truck accidents, including those involving blind spots. If a trucker is focused on their phone, eating or drinking, or even checking their GPS, they can miss when a car enters their blind spot.

New Jersey law prohibits the use of handheld phones while driving, as well as doing anything but focusing on what’s happening on the road.

A distracted trucker might try to merge without checking their blind spots or might have to hit the brakes abruptly to prevent a collision with a hazard without realizing their action affects nearby cars.

Intoxicated Driving

To safely drive a vehicle as large and powerful as a commercial truck, drivers have to be in full control. That’s impossible to do while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. These substances make a driver less focused while also affecting their coordination and reflexes.

An intoxicated truck driver might not pay close enough attention to what’s happening on the road and may not notice cars easing into the truck’s blind spots. The consequences can be catastrophic.

Fatigued Driving

A fatigued truck driver can be as distracted as if they’re texting. They’ll forget to check blind spots and could even lose control of the truck.

There are many regulations in place that state how many hours a truck driver can legally be on duty, but these are often violated. Trucking companies even encourage these violations because it means better profits for them.

Inexperienced Drivers

Driving a commercial truck isn’t like driving another vehicle. Drivers have to receive adequate training and have experience maneuvering these large vehicles. An inexperienced driver may not know how to effectively check blind spots or arrange their mirrors so that these spots are smaller.

The driver could be liable in these circumstances, but often, the trucking company holds a significant amount of fault, too. They have to hire appropriate people and vet them carefully. If they fail to do so, they could be negligent.

Improperly Installed Mirrors

To have the best chance of minimizing blind spots, truckers depend on the vehicle’s various mirrors. If they’ve not been installed correctly or aren’t in the necessary positions, then they could lead to an accident.

Malfunctioning Safety Technology

Commercial trucks have a variety of safety technologies that help prevent accidents. If they malfunction or if the company failed to properly check them as part of the truck’s regular maintenance, the driver may not be at fault if a blind spot accident occurs.

Common Types of Truck Blind Spot Accidents

A lot of different types of accidents can occur as a result of a truck’s blind spots. Because a truck has a blind spot right at the front, the driver may not realize if a pedestrian or bicyclist is directly in front of them.

Side collisions are another common type of truck blind spot accidents. When a vehicle travels at the right or left side of the truck, where they have blind spots, the trucker could try to make a turn or merge without realizing there’s another vehicle alongside the truck.

Depending on the speed at which they’re traveling, a sideswipe could even cause a passenger car to tip over. It could also crush the vehicle against road structures or other cars.

Underride accidents are another concern. These occur when a car goes under the truck, usually resulting in a crushed windshield and hood and possibly leading to catastrophic injuries.

It’s not just passenger cars that are affected. Cyclists, motorcycle riders, and pedestrians are all in significant danger if they find themselves in a truck’s blind spot. The trucker is even less likely to spot them. The lack of protection bikers, pedestrians, and cyclists have also makes fatalities more likely.

Who Is Liable for Truck Blind Spot Accidents?

One of the most important steps a lawyer can help you with when filing a blind spot truck accident claim is establishing who was responsible for the accident. This task isn’t always as simple as it may appear. To understand who’s liable, you have to know what caused the accident.

Driver error is the most common cause. If the trucker forgot to check their mirrors before merging, was intoxicated, or otherwise made a mistake while driving, they’re likely liable.

Things get a bit more complex if the accident occurs because an inexperienced driver is behind the wheel. The driver could be liable, but the trucking company is responsible as well. They have a duty to ensure the people driving their trucks are qualified to do so. If they hired the wrong people, they’re liable.

In instances when the mirrors weren’t installed correctly or in any other way malfunctioned, the truck’s manufacturer could be to blame. This isn’t always easy to prove, so you must have a lawyer helping you gather evidence.

Improper truck maintenance could lead to accidents if the company doesn’t check the equipment and safety technology regularly before allowing the truck on the road. The company could be to blame, along with the trucker, if part of their responsibilities included routine checks.

When working to establish liability, you and your lawyer will need to gather as much evidence as possible. This includes the driver’s logs, the truck’s maintenance records, and even in-cab video recordings that can clearly show what the trucker was doing before the accident occurred.

The complexities of commercial truck accidents mean you need to hire a truck accident lawyer to help you have the best chance of winning fair compensation. At GGL, we can help.

What Damages Can You Claim After a Blind Spot Truck Accident?

With the help of a personal injury lawyer, you can claim economic and non-economic damages after a New Jersey blind spot truck accident. These are compensatory damages.

Punitive damages are available in some cases. They’re meant to punish the defendant for particularly negligent or malicious actions.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are those that compensate you for the financial losses you suffered because of the accident. Medical expenses make up a significant part of these.

You can get help with all kinds of medical expenses, including:

• Ambulance fees
• Hospital bills
• Medications
• Rehabilitation
• Therapy
• Medical devices

If you need to make adjustments to your vehicle or home to accommodate a disabling injury you suffered in the accident, medical expenses can cover it. If you suffer severe injuries that require ongoing care, you can get coverage for future medical expenses, too.

Economic damages help you with repair bills as well. In an accident with a large truck, your car will always suffer the worst damage. Often, you can end up with a totaled car. You can get coverage for repair bills or be compensated for the value of the car as it was before the accident occurred.

As you get treatment for your injuries, it’s often impossible to work. This means a loss of the income that you’d otherwise have received. Economic damages help you recover these losses and future missed income if your injuries won’t allow you to return to work in your regular capacity or at all.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages compensate you for non-financial losses you suffered because of the accident. They include pain and suffering, which refer to the physical and emotional distress you’ve struggled with after the accident. The more serious your injuries, the more compensation you can expect.

If you’re unable to live your life as you did before the accident, you may claim loss of enjoyment of life as well. In accidents where a loved one dies, you can claim loss of consortium. It compensates you for the loss of companionship and support you’ve suffered.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are not compensatory but are meant to punish the party who caused the accident. They are generally only awarded if the defendant acted maliciously or if their actions were particularly egregious.

Common Blind Spot Truck Accident Injuries

Accidents that involve a large commercial truck will often result in injuries for the car’s occupants. Here are some of the most common injuries that occur as a result of blind spot truck accidents.

Whiplash

Whiplash is perhaps the most common injury in any traffic accident. It occurs when the force of the collision causes your head to whip forward and backward, straining neck muscles, ligaments, and more. Whiplash can result in pain and stiffness.

Although most people think of whiplash as a minor injury, a powerful collision can lead to lasting damage. They are most likely to occur in rear-end collisions.

Fractures

If you hit any part of your car, including the dashboard, steering wheel, or even a window, you can end up with broken bones. The more force behind the collision, the more severe the break can be, with complex fractures being the most difficult to heal.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Truck accidents are more likely to cause serious injuries, including spinal cord injuries, than other types of accidents. Spinal cord injuries can occur when your body moves rapidly forward and then backward, causing damage to your spine.

A spinal cord injury can lead to mobility issues, including paralysis, as well as long-term pain. They’re considered catastrophic injuries because of the impact they can have on your entire life.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries occur when you hit your head or the force of the crash causes your brain to shift in your skull. It can even hit the inside of your skull, leading to bruising and the death of brain cells.

Concussions are the mildest of these injuries, though they can still leave you with lasting health issues like chronic headaches, fatigue, memory loss, and more. In truck accidents, the force can be substantial enough to lead your brain to hit your skull more than once in what’s called a coup contrecoup injury. These can be fatal.

Internal Injuries

Blunt trauma during the accident could lead to internal damage, including punctured organs, internal bleeding, and more. These injuries are not always apparent right after the crash but can present as large bruises.

Symptoms can quickly escalate, however, putting your life in danger. That’s why getting medical care immediately after an accident is vital.

What To Do After a New Jersey Blind Spot Truck Accident

After the crash, you may have the impulse to leave your vehicle, but that’s not always the best option if you’re injured. Take inventory of yourself. If you’re bleeding, know you hit your head, or if you’re in severe pain, you shouldn’t move. Call emergency services immediately.

When medical professionals arrive, allow them to fully examine you. Do this even if you don’t think you’re injured. Sometimes, the shock of the accident can mask the symptoms of injuries, including concussions. A medical professional will know what to look for, however, and can get you immediate care.

If they’re not already at the scene, call the police. Give them a full account of what happened with as many details as you can. This ensures the police report they write is as helpful as possible later on when you file a claim.

Exchange information with the other parties involved in the accident, but don’t admit to fault. You can then begin taking pictures of the accident, your injuries, and anything else that can serve as evidence. If there are eyewitnesses, get their contact information, too.

You should then let your insurer know about the crash, but try to keep this conversation short. You don’t want to say anything that could affect your claim later on.

Finally, you need to contact a truck accident lawyer to help you. With the right team beside you, you have a better chance of getting the compensation you deserve.

Contact Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq

After suffering injuries, property damage, and other losses in a truck accident, you may be eligible to get compensation. At Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq, our team of experienced truck accident lawyers can help you prove liability and demonstrate that you deserve to claim damages.

We have decades of experience and are dedicated to providing compassionate yet tenacious representation to those who need it throughout New Jersey. Contact Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq online today or by calling 800-923-3456.