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 the 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, 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 the number of liable parties. However, you can rest assured that most semi-trucks 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 that does repairs or even the company that performs safety checks may be liable for your accident.

It is also common for truckers 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 Errors that Cause Accidents

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 includes things like unchecked brakes, a loose spare tire, or a faulty trailer hitch.

Manufacturers, mechanics, and trucking companies 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 loadings, 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 trucks. When they fail to do so, and it causes an accident, the victim may be able to pursue compensation for their injuries.

Other Factors that 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 in internal injuries, head injuries, and neck injuries. Once the shock and adrenaline wear 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]

The Cost of a Semi-Truck Accident

Semi-truck accidents can cause serious injuries that result in high medical bills and lost wages. While the financial cost is large and can be a burden, there are other costs victims have to deal with, too. For example, the mental cost of a truck accident can be incredibly hard to handle.

A catastrophic injury, like a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, can greatly affect one’s quality of life. You may need to change their daily routine in order to accommodate their new injury. You may not be able to perform the same tasks on your own and may need assistance from an outside caretaker.

Mental health impacts may be great when a change like this is required. You may experience an increase in depression, anxiety, and insomnia as you adjust. While these things are totally normal for you to feel after an accident, you still deserve to receive compensation for your hardship.

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 your injuries so that you are not suffering under the weight of these bills 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, and 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 include things like pain and suffering, loss of future wages, and lost earning capacity. These types of damages also include mental anguish and suffering that is common after serious accidents.

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

Do I Need to Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer?

Truck accident cases can be complex. In a car accident case, you sue the insurance company of an individual driver, but in truck accident cases, you’re often suing the insurance company of a large company or a protected employee. These insurance companies can be tougher, but having an experienced truck accident attorney by your side can make receiving compensation much easier. Without one, insurance companies will try to take advantage of your naivety, getting you to settle for little money.

A truck accident attorney will also help to ensure that all of your claims are filed correctly the first time around and that all of the paperwork is done on time. We’ll also build a tough claim with physical evidence, statements from expert witnesses, and more.

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.