Thousands of trucks travel across the United States every day. Most of the time, these trucks will get where they are going and deliver their cargo without incident. However, sometimes, some trucks will, sadly, get into collisions and crashes, seriously injuring other people. The injuries other people receive in truck crashes are often very gruesome and require intense medical care if the victim wants a chance at a full recovery. In a lot of cases, the injuries a victim receives will be “life-altering,” and they will never fully recover. Worse still, the cost of caring for truck accident injuries in the short and long term can be extremely expensive.
Fortunately, we are here to help. Our lawyers can provide the professionalism, experience, and will to win required for you to be successful in a truck accident lawsuit. We will work hard to collect evidence, talk to witnesses and other parties, and build a strong argument for you to take to court so you can fight for the financial compensation you need after a truck accident.
For a totally free review of your claim, call our truck accident lawyers from Legal Care New Jersey at (732) 838-9769.
Types of Truck Accidents in New Brunswick, NJ
There are a lot of different ways that a truck accident can happen. While you may think that the type of truck accident you experienced is not particularly important, especially when compared to your injuries, it is actually very helpful to our truck accident lawyers when we are building your case. The more we know about your truck collision, the better we can make our argument and represent you in court.
Fishtailing
Fishtailing occurs when the rear wheels of a tractor-trailer or other vehicle lose traction with the road and start swaying back and forth. Especially in a linked vehicle such as an 18-wheeler, this can cause trucks to move in strange ways that are unpredictable to both other motorists and the trucker. An unsuspected driver could easily get swiped by a fishtailing trailer and seriously hurt as a result.
Fishtailing is commonly blamed on poor tire quality or poor road conditions. However, another possible culprit for fishtailing is an improperly loaded trailer. An improperly loaded trailer will not have weight evenly distributed, which can cause fishtailing or make it significantly worse. This could be the fault of the trucker, the trucking company, or a third party that supplied their own trailer to be hitched to a semi truck.
Jackknife
A jackknife accident is when a linked truck folds in on itself like a pocketknife. These accidents can result from exaggerated fishtailing, but more often than not, they happen because of popped tires or potholes. Jackknife accidents are especially dangerous because the whole truck moves suddenly and violently and has the potential to hit multiple motor vehicles as it careens down the road. Moreover, the “carcass” of the truck will be an obstacle to other drivers until it is cleared from the roadway.
Underride Accidents
Underride accidents occur when a car impacts a truck and slides underneath it. These accidents are extremely dangerous because the truck will often go directly through the windshield, impacting the driver directly inside their own vehicle. Indeed, many underride accidents lead to grievous injuries or death.
Many trucks will have a safety feature called a “Mansfield bar” to guard against the lethality of underride accidents. However, not all trucks will have this safety feature, it generally only guards against rear impacts, and the metal bar impacting a driver can still result in incredibly serious injuries.
Ordinary Motor Vehicle Accidents
Of course, trucks can also get into all the same kinds of accidents other motor vehicles get into. Trucks are perfectly capable of injuring someone through a head-on collision, T-bone accident, speeding-related accident, and other accidents.
What Can I Get as Damages in a New Brunswick, NJ Truck Accident Lawsuit
The court will award you damages if you successfully prove that the defendant was liable for your injuries. There are a lot of different items you can seek damages for in a truck accident case, including:
Medical Expenses
The cost of treating injuries sustained in a truck accident can be exorbitantly high. Accordingly, you can be awarded damages not just for emergency medical care but also for long-term care required to deal with your injuries from the accident.
Lost Wages
If you took time off work to heal from your injuries, you can get damages stemming from missed pay during that time. Similarly, if you had to switch jobs to one that pays less due to your injuries, you can get financial compensation based on the difference in income. Finally, if you can no longer work, you can get damages based on what you would be expected to earn for the rest of your career.
Property Damage
If your vehicle was seriously damaged or totaled in the truck crash, you can be reimbursed for damages for the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle.
Pain and Suffering
You can also get damages for less concrete things like “pain and suffering.” Damages for pain and suffering cover not just physical pain from injuries but also the mental toll the truck accident has taken on you. So, you can get pain and suffer damages both for the pain of breaking bones in a truck accident as well as things like post-traumatic stress disorder brought about because of the truck accident.
It is hard to show evidence proving the value of something like physical pain, so you will need to convince the judge and jury of their worth.
Reach Out to Our New Brunswick, NJ Truck Accident Lawyers Today
Call (732) 838-9769 and speak to Legal Care New Jersey’s truck accident lawyers about your case.
