• Auto Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Serious Injuries
• Wrongful Death
• Motorcycle Accidents

Blog

Truck Accidents

• TRUCK OVERRIDES ARE THE CAUSE OF MANY OHIO TRUCK ACCIDENT FATALITIES
• Ross County Ohio Truck Accident Attorney | 34-Year-Old Man Injured in Concord Ohio Truck Accident
• Summit County Ohio Truck Accident Attorney | Norton Ohio Accident Injures 54-Year-Old Woman
• Lake County Ohio Truck Accident Attorney | Truck Accident Injures 27-Year-Old Man in Leroy Ohio

View More

News

• Posted on 9/9/2010Ohio truck driver sentenced for distracted driving crash death
• Posted on 8/17/2010Fire truck, tanker truck crash in chain reaction wreck on Ohio I-271
• Posted on 6/24/2010One dead, two injured in Ohio I-70 semi-truck accident
• Posted on 6/22/2010Tractor-trailer tire causes fatal Ohio Turnpike car crash

View More

Library

Truck Accidents

• How Your Own Insurance Can Protect You From Negligent Drivers In Ohio

View More

FAQs

Truck Accidents

• How is an Ohio semi tractor-trailer accident case any different than any other Ohio automobile crash case?
• I was injured in a semi-truck accident caused by a blown tire. Is this negligence or just an unlucky accident?

View More

How to Prevent Truck and Car Accidents

As a driver of a compact car, mid sized car, SUV or van, have you been concerned about sharing the roadway with large trucks such as semi trucks? Perhaps you have been in a semi truck/car accident and suffered with long-term injuries. Did you know that half of the large truck accidents are the fault of the driver? These kind of legal cases can be complex and proving negligence and liability can be difficult. This requires the assistance of Personal injury lawyers who are experienced in truck accident law.

Most of us have seen bad semi truck accidents on the road particularly on the interstates. Quite often they cause a multi-car pile up with many serious injuries and unfortunately fatalities. How can we share the road with such giants? Well, it helps to become knowledgeable about semi trucks and the reasons why these accidents occur. That way you will be cautious as a semi approaches you from behind or ahead. Education is always your first line of defense. Okay, so what are some of the dangers associated with large trucks on our roadways?

• Just as with all vehicles, large trucks have blind spots or what they call No-Zones. These are located around the front, back and sides of the truck. If your car is in a No-Zone while passing a truck, the truck driver could turn into you. Be cautious when passing a truck. In fact, you might want to flash your lights day and night.

• Some trucks need to swing wide to the left to make a right turn. This is known as the Squeeze Play. In doing so, they might not be able to see small vehicles behind or beside them. If you try to cut between the truck and the curb, you will be caught in a squeeze. So don't do that.

• The large truck requires a much greater stopping distance than automobiles. If you have a large truck behind you and you suddenly hit the brakes, chances are you will be rear-ended. Think about what vehicles are around you and what they are capable of doing.

• Watch out for aggressive truck drivers. They are trying to maintain a schedule and will try to push you as well. If necessary, slow down and pull over into the emergency lane and let them pass.

• Don't tailgate a truck and don't let a truck tailgate you. The truck bumper in the front is higher than your bumpers and there is usually no bumper on the back of the truck. This kind of collision ends up in the passenger compartment of your car.

• Sometimes truck drivers don't perform the necessary safety inspections on their trucks for tires, brakes and lights. If you are a passenger approaching a truck, inspect the truck as you near them and see what those tires look like and if any lights are out or if there are any hoses hanging down. If something looks amiss, then stay as far away as possible.

• Look for signs that the truck driver is fatigued. Are they keeping an unsteady speed or perhaps they are swaying back and forth in the lane. Perhaps they are failing to maintain a lane. This could be more than fatigue. Less likely, the driver may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Again, stay away.

• Automobiles are designed under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to withstand collisions with similar size vehicles. A loaded semi can weight as much as 80,000 pounds whereas the average size car weighs around 3,000 pounds. The semi has so much more mass and therefore much more energy than you do. Recall your physics: kinetic energy (the energy due to motion) is equal to mass times velocity. (KE = mv). Do the math. A collision of this type is devastating.

If you have been in a truck/car accident, there are some things you will need to do as soon as possible to keep yourself protected. Obviously, you've been in a serious accident and will have to go to the hospital and remain there until you're stable. As early as possible, you need to contact an experienced truck accident attorney of your choosing. The truck companies have their own lawyers and investigative teams that will work hard to dismiss their liability. Do not talk with the trucking company, trucking company lawyers or their insurance adjusters. These are skilled people who don't have your interests in mind. Anything you say to them could and likely will be held against you at a later time.

Remember, you should file a claim as soon as you can, as this will provide for more time to gather evidence to prove your case. Also, each state has what is called a 'statute of limitations' for filing a Personal injury lawsuit. You must file within the allowed time or you will lose your right to litigation and will not be able to collect damages. These rules can be somewhat complicated so you need to speak with a Truck injury attorney about it. Depending on the state you might have 1 to 4 years to claim. In Ohio a person has two years from the date of the accident to file suit against the party at fault for their injuries. Children have until age 20. However, if you are filing a claim against your own auto insurance company for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, your auto policy may require you to bring suit in as little as 2 years. For children injured, this raises the odd result that the child can have 5 or 10 years to file suit depending on their age (until they reach 20) but only have 2 years to file suit against their own company for collecting on their underinsured or uninsured motorist policy if the party at fault has little or no auto insurance. As you can see, even finding out when you have to file suit is complicated, and should be discussed with an experienced truck accident and wrongful death lawyer as quickly as possible.

You also do not want evidence to disappear. For example, their may be video of the accident or even satellite pictures that may be saved only for a short time by the company or government taking the photos. Why wait and have valuable evidence disappear. Don’t trust the state highway patrol to do your job for you. Talk with an experienced truck accident and wrongful death lawyer as soon as is reasonably possible.

These types of accident cases require a professional who is well experienced with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Rules and Regulations. This also requires attorneys who are familiar with fleet maintenance procedures. The Chester Law Group of Ohio has experienced lawyers to handle the investigation and handling of your claim.

If you have been seriously hurt in a truck accident or have lost a loved one in a truck accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages and future complications. These types of accidents often involve severe trauma so you need to consider continued medical care and loss of your ability to earn wages in the future. The Chester Law Group is a Personal injury law firm experienced in truck and motorcycle accidents involving brain and spinal injury and can guide you through the Personal injury process in Ohio. Also, always remember, it is important that you consult with an attorney before you attend a Defense Medical Exam (DME) and never ask a defense doctor for medical or legal advice. He or she is not your treating doctor and probably does not have your best interests at heart. Remember, your Personal injury lawyer will advise you every step of the way. Call the attorneys at Chester Law Group today to get the help you want from people that you can trust at (800) 218-4243.

--Susan Ardizzoni Ph.D.

In his new consumer handbook, The Insider's Guide to Handling Ohio Accident Claims, author and Ohio personal injury lawyer David M. Chester gives consumers a rare look at the injury claim process in Ohio. From his position as an experienced "insider,” Attorney Chester explains in simple, easy to understand language, what consumers must know to protect themselves while walking in the mine field of dealing with insurance companies.

Contact us today for a FREE, NO OBLIGATION consultation about your personal injury legal needs.