Truck accidents pose serious risks to those who might be in their proximity. Trucks have large blind spots and take longer to stop, making the likelihood of a traffic accident more likely than normal. If you are involved in a truck accident in New Jersey, you deserve to know the legal options available to recover for your injuries.
Trucking accidents can be caused in a number of ways that impute liability to the truck driver and their employer. Fatigue, poor training and maintenance, or negligent driving practices are common culprits in truck accidents. When you are injured in a truck accident, having an attorney on your side can be critical in negotiating with the insurance companies and ensuring you receive compensation for your injuries.
Legal Care New Jersey can work with you to provide the legal assistance that puts you in the best position to recover the compensation you deserve. Our New Jersey truck accident attorneys know what it takes to protect our clients. We can do the same for you. For a free consultation on our services and your options, call (732) 838-9769 today.
Causes of Truck Accidents in New Jersey
Truck operators are tasked with substantially more responsibility while behind the wheel than your average passenger car driver. Not only are trucks larger and therefore more likely to cause more serious accidents, but they are also more difficult to operate safely. Truck driving is a highly regulated industry, and any failure to abide by these regulations could cause a truck accident. Below are some of the most common causes of truck accidents that create liability for the truck driver or company.
Sleep Deprivation
Trucking companies operate on deadlines. Meeting these deadlines can be made difficult due to extraneous circumstances. A driver facing a close deadline may choose to drive for longer consecutive stretches, even if they are tired to the point of losing focus or potentially falling asleep at the wheel. New Jersey imposes restrictions on the times that a truck driver can work, and if a driver or trucking company fails to abide by these restrictions, they would be liable in the event of an accident.
Poor Training or Hiring Practices
When a trucking company puts an employee behind the wheel, they are responsible for ensuring that they are as safe as possible for their fellow motorists. This means conducting background checks and providing thorough training to new employees, tasks that trucking companies sometimes fail to fulfill.
Tailgating
Trucks typically take much longer to fully stop than other automobiles. Therefore, a reasonable truck driver will leave a substantial amount of room between their cab and the car in front of them, in case traffic patterns shift suddenly. In almost every scenario, a truck that rear-ends the vehicle in front will shoulder the liability for the accident.
Liability for Truck Accidents in New Jersey
Typically, the parties responsible for a trucking accident will be the truck driver and their employer. If the truck driver was negligent in causing the accident, the trucking company (or more specifically, the trucking company’s insurance provider) will be responsible for covering the damages. Even if the driver was not negligent in causing the accident, the trucking company may still be responsible due to negligent operating practices or procedures.
However, liability does not always fall on the trucking company. If the accident was caused by a faulty part, truck accident victims may have a case against the truck manufacturer. If the truck malfunctioned due to a defect that should have been discovered on inspection or routine maintenance, liability might extend to the company that was responsible for maintaining the truck.
Insurance Settlements after Truck Accidents in New Jersey
If you were injured in a truck accident, chances are that you will hear from the trucking company’s insurance provider soon after. Insurance representatives might try to get you to confirm the story that they have, offer your own version of events, or even have you agree to a settlement offer.
It is against your interest to agree to any of these requests. Insurance representatives are tasked with limiting their own liability. They are not on your side and will try to get you to make mistakes that will reduce or even eliminate the compensation that might be available to you.
Insurance companies want you to make statements that they can use against you in court if you decide to pursue your case. Anything that you say to an insurance representative about the events that occurred could potentially hurt your chances of recovery.
Settlement offers may be beneficial in that they keep both sides out of a courtroom. However, the first offer that you receive will almost always be extremely low in comparison to what you might stand to gain if you pursued your case. If you accept, you give up your opportunity to ever bring your case to court.
An experienced New Jersey truck accident attorney will help you gather evidence for your claim and can communicate with the insurance representatives on your behalf. If the insurance companies are not willing to negotiate and give you fair compensation, we can take your case to trial.
Legal Care Can Recover for Your New Jersey Truck Accident Today
We want to help you attain future financial security so that you can recover from your truck accident injuries with peace of mind. To schedule your free consultation on your specific truck accident injury case in New Jersey today, call (732) 838-9769.
