Injuries sustained in a car or truck collision in Orange County, NY can be stressful for everyone involved. Large truck accidents can be devastating due to the size and weight of commercial trucks, the cargo they transport, and the damage they can cause in a collision. Despite the fact that both can involve difficult processes, automobile accidents and large truck accidents differ for a number of reasons.
Cargo
As you might expect, the cargo carried by a large truck differs from that of a passenger vehicle, and as a result, accidents involving large trucks can result in different injuries and/or damages. Large trucks frequently travel for business purposes, carrying potentially hundreds of pounds of materials or goods. A loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. A typical passenger vehicle weighs approximately 4,000 pounds. When the two vehicles collide, the passenger car will be significantly more severely damaged than the truck.
Large trucks zoned for federal use may transport oversized cargo, such as raw materials or wind turbine blades, which can exacerbate accidents involving passenger vehicles, whose only “cargo” consists of passengers or smaller loads. The larger loads carried by these trucks pose a danger to nearby motorists and may result in more severe accidents. The severity of the injuries and property damage sustained in these accidents can affect the amount of compensation you can expect.
Level of Harm
Large trucks can cause more damage than passenger vehicles because they are so much larger.
In certain conditions, not only can their cargo pose a significant threat to other vehicles, but large trucks also require more space to make turns and slow down, making their operation potentially hazardous.
Trucks can cause severe accidents, such as Jackknife collisions, Frontal collisions, Rollover accidents, T-bone accidents, Turning mishaps, Sideswipe accidents, Pedestrian collisions
In addition, they can cause severe injuries, such as:
Broken bones
Spinal cord damage
Paralysis
Severe burns
Contusions
Lacerations
Trauma to the brain
Decapitation
Amputation
Internal hemorrhage
Internal organ damage
Neck trauma
This increased risk of serious accidents and injuries distinguishes accidents involving large trucks from those involving only passenger vehicles.
Liability
Large trucks are frequently owned by businesses or the government. Several parties may be at fault when determining liability, as opposed to the two or three parties that may be considered liable in a car accident.
The driver of the large truck may be held liable for the accident. The driver of an automobile may be held liable for an accident. If an accident was caused by improperly loaded cargo, the loading company could be held liable.
If malfunctioning equipment on a large truck caused an accident, the company responsible for the equipment’s maintenance may be held liable. If the accident was caused by driver fatigue, the trucking company could be held liable if it required the driver to work beyond the federally mandated hours of service in order to meet a delivery deadline. To determine who is at fault in your large truck accident, contact one of Benjamin Greenwald’s truck accident attorneys in Orange County, NY immediately.
Compensation
The potential severity of an accident involving a large truck could increase the amount of compensation you could receive for injuries or property damage resulting from such an accident. A car accident may entitle you to compensation for injuries and property damage caused by another passenger vehicle, but a collision with a large truck can result in more severe injuries.
Typically, compensation is awarded for both economic and non-economic damages. The amount of compensation you receive depends on the nature of the property damage, physical injury, emotional trauma, and other costs you sustained in a collision with a large truck. Despite the fact that the available damages are largely the same for all types of accidents, a truck accident is more likely to result in severe injuries, resulting in higher hospital bills, lost wages, and other expenses than a car accident.
New York Lawyers Specializing in Truck Accidents
If you or a loved one has been injured in a collision involving a large truck, you may be eligible for compensation. Benjamin Greenwald’s New York truck accident attorneys are well-equipped to guide you through the process of building a compelling case. From contacting insurance companies and other involved parties to gathering evidence and planning legal strategies, our team of highly regarded attorneys is prepared to provide you with the same high-quality legal services we’ve provided to clients since the inception of our firm.
Call Benjamin Greenwald in Orange County, NY immediately if you are prepared to take the next step in claiming the compensation to which you are entitled. We will connect you with an attorney who can advise you on the best course of action for your case involving a large truck accident. Do not allow a lack of legal knowledge or financial resources to prevent you from pursuing the compensation to which you are entitled.
