Semi-truck accidents are among the most common types of vehicular accidents in Texas. Semi-truck accidents in Texas happen almost daily due to the size of trucks and cargo. Drivers of semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles get stuck in a legal crisis when their trucks get involved in an accident. The first question that comes to mind when a semi-truck car accident happens is: Who shall bear the cost? How shall liability be attached to the driver who is at fault? How and when will the insurance company compensate the victim?
The common reason for accidents involving semi-trucks is wide-turn accidents. A commercial truck is large; sometimes, its size is just enough to fit one lane. When the driver of a huge truck does a wide turn, they may not be able to see a small vehicle beside it that is speeding in the hope of overtaking the slow-moving truck.
When the driver needs to swerve the truck to the right, the semi-truck driver needs a more significant space to maneuver the truck entirely. In this situation, the driver may sometimes be unable to estimate the truck’s size with the space left on the road, causing the truck to bump into a tree or another object. Unfortunately, a wide turn may sometimes result in a vehicular collision.
A driver not well-experienced driving a truck may be prone to a wide-turn accident. They may need to be more familiar with how much space the truck truly needs for it to be turned safely. When this happens, the driver may cause another person’s injuries and economic losses because of a disability or medical treatment. Suppose you are a victim of a wide-turn truck accident, and you sustained physical injuries and moral damages due to the horrific experience of an accident. In that case, you can seek compensation from the one responsible for causing you all those damages.
Ask For Legal Help if You are a Victim of a Wide-turn Truck Accident
You have the legal right to demand compensation from whoever is responsible for a truck accident. If you are not well-versed with the law and have no idea from whom you should demand and how much you should get, you need a semi-truck accident lawyer. A semi-truck accident lawyer in Houston will help you chase the one responsible for the losses you suffered.
The person accountable for the accident shall compensate for the medical expenses incurred during your confinement in the hospital and all other post-confinement medical care. The income you lost for your inability to go to work during hospitalization or while you are recovering from your health shall also be compensated. The one responsible shall also pay for the mental anguish and emotional trauma you experienced because of the accident.
Wide-turn Truck Accidents Happen Due to Many Reasons
There are many reasons why wide-turn truck accidents happen. Below is an enumeration of some reasons:
• The driver of the semi-truck cannot estimate whether the space of the outer lane is enough to do a turn
• The driver of the semi-truck did not see the vehicle behind it that wanted to overtake
• The driver of the semi-truck has poor visibility in bad weather
• The driver of the semi-truck is driving beyond the maximum speed for a semi-truck
• There is a blind curve, and the driver insisted on doing a negligent turn
The list goes on and on. Wide-turn truck accidents in Texas happen primarily because of the driver’s negligence. Thus, a driver needs to be obedient to traffic rules and be familiar with the laws so they will not be recklessly negligent in making a turn.
Driving an 18-wheeler Truck Without Proper Care is Risky
Being on the road exposes drivers and passengers to some level of risk, much more if the vehicle we are talking about is an 18-wheeler truck. A driver must carefully maneuver a motor vehicle as huge as a 40-ton 18-wheeler truck. As this truck is a lot larger than an ordinary vehicle, it is more difficult to estimate the space needed so that it can turn to the right or left successfully. If the driver is not very well-experienced in driving such a huge truck, then wide-turn truck accidents in Texas are more likely to happen.
Drivers of Trucks Shall Always Signal Before Turning to the Right or Left
A driver’s fundamental obligation is to signal before turning any vehicle to the right or left. Unfortunately, no matter how essential this requirement is, drivers often need help to do this. Some drivers are complacent in making a signal, with the thought that any driver behind it will be very cautious when they follow a truck. Failure to make the proper signal before doing any turns will cause a vehicular collision, the impact of which depends on how fast is the speed of the other vehicle.
Effects of Wide-turn Truck Accidents in Texas
Wide-turn truck accidents in Texas result in some of the worst car accidents in Texas. Since the vehicle involved is a huge truck, the driver and passengers of the other car, usually a smaller one, suffer the worst injuries. The injuries resulting from the accident may be broken bones, fractures, misalignment of the spine, brain injury, or even a permanent or total loss of a body part. In the worst-case scenario, wide-turn truck accidents in Texas may also result in the death of the driver, the passengers, or even both.
Trucks Making a Left-turn with Insufficient Space
Trucks making a left turn with insufficient space may also result in an accident. This situation is the typical scenario when the truck driver wants to maneuver to the left at an intersection. However, they still need to make the correct calculation of the space or lane that the truck shall occupy. If the driver commits a mistake in estimating the length of the road, nearby vehicles may tend to bump into the car when the truck does a wide turn. As a result, wide-turn truck accidents happen. It is crucial to be familiar with the road and its space so that if the truck driver has to make a turn, they will be sure that they will not hit any vehicle and no person will be injured in the process.
Compensation for Victims of Wide-turn Semi-truck Accidents in Texas
If you are a victim of a wide-turn semi-truck accident in Texas, you may demand compensation for your losses. However, demanding compensation is not a walk in the park. You will need legal experts to narrate the causes of your claim and gather enough evidence to support these claims. It will help if you put everything in writing with supporting details. For every claim that you wish to be compensated, you must submit proof, whether it is objective evidence or documentary evidence. You have to be particular about the type of compensation you wish to receive and have admissible evidence to support this.
For example, if you wish to be compensated for your medical bills, ensure you have all the receipts for all the medicines, hospital fees, surgical fees, and all other expenses incurred for your recovery. If you wish to demand compensation for your loss of income, make sure you have validated copies of your pay slips, tax returns, and all other proof of your income. Doing this will help you compute how much are the economic losses for the duration of the medical confinement. If you also want to be compensated for your sleepless nights and mental anguish, make sure that the amount you are demanding is proportional to your pain.
Semi-truck Accident Lawyers in Houston will Help You Demand Compensation
If you encounter a semi-truck accident in Texas, no one else can help you better than a semi-truck accident lawyer in Houston. A semi-truck accident lawyer in Houston will help you gather all the information and evidence you need for your claim to be successful. A semi-truck accident lawyer in Houston will outline facts, prepare the documentary requirements, and submit the proper evidence so your claim will prosper. Trust that semi-truck car accident lawyers in O’Hara Law Firm have the competence to institute the appropriate legal claims and the empathy to understand your situation. O’Hara Law Firm takes pride in producing brilliant lawyers in their fields of expertise and lawyers with good character. You need a lawyer who knows what to do with your situation and can empathize with you to seek justice.
Semi-truck car accident lawyers in Houston know who should be liable for the accident from the facts they gather and the evidence involved in the case. They will make filing claims against the insurance companies easier since they know procedural and substantive laws to get a reasonable settlement offer. Semi-truck car accident lawyers in O’Hara Law Firm will help you get the peace of mind you deserve. You deserve the best settlement to give justice to the accident that caused you a lot of trouble.