Truck Accident FAQs

Semis, 18-wheelers, delivery trucks, tankers, and other commercial trucks carry important cargo and are a crucial part of our economy. When these large vehicles are in collisions with smaller passenger cars, catastrophic injuries can result.

At Flaxman Law Group, our legal team has represented many individuals whose lives have been forever changed by trucking accidents. We have compiled this list of questions we hear most often, but if you’d like to discuss your specific collision, you can always contact us for a free accident consultation.

• What Are the Most Common Types of Truck Accidents?
• What Are the Most Common Types of Injuries Caused by Truck Accidents?
• What Are the Most Common Causes of Truck Accidents?
• How Are Truck Accidents Different?
• What Truck Companies Have Accidents?
• Which States Have the Most Truck Accidents?
• Who Is Liable for My Crash?
• How Much Can I Seek in a Truck Accident Claim?
• When Should I Consult With a Truck Accident Attorney After My Truck Collision?

Common types of truck accidents can include:

• Rollovers
• Loss of control accidents caused by tire blowouts
• Rear-end collisions
• Jackknife accidents
• Multiple-vehicle collisions
• Head-on crashes
• T-bone accidents
• Collisions caused by spilled cargo
• Sideswipe accidents
• Wide turn accidents

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The size and force of trucks such as semis mean they can cause fatalities and serious injuries in collisions. Those in smaller vehicles tend to be especially affected while truck drivers can walk away without injury. Common injuries in these types of crashes can include:

• Soft tissue injuries
• Burns
• Fractures
• Contusions
• Traumatic brain injury
• Spinal cord and back injury
• Leg and arm injury
• Crushing injuries
• Facial Injuries
• Scarring and Disfigurement
• Whiplash
• Amputations
• Chemical exposure

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Truck accidents, like any motor vehicle crash, can be caused by many factors, including human error. Common causes of truck collisions include:

• Speeding
• Failure to obey Hours of Service regulations which limit how long drivers can go without rest
• Driver shortages
• Time pressure from trucking companies
• Incorrectly secured cargo
• Defective tires
• Mechanical failure
• Poor road design
• Insufficient driver training and experience
• Illegally overloaded trucks
• Distracted driving
• Fatigued driving

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Truck accidents involving tank trucks, big rigs, and other large commercial trucks are more likely to involve serious injuries and multiple vehicles, because of the size of the vehicles. In addition, there are usually multiple liable parties involved. The truck may be owned by one company, driven by a driver who is a contractor and the cargo may be owned by a third party. In the event of a collision, it’s not unusual for injured parties to need considerable compensation and for them to face significant barriers as all potential liable parties point fingers at each other and refuse to accept liability. There may also be multiple injured parties seeking compensation.

Some truck accidents are especially dangerous. For example, some trucks are dangerously overloaded, which means they exert even more force in the event of an accident. Some trucks also carry hazardous materials, including flammable, explosive, or biohazardous cargo. In the event of a crash, this dangerous cargo can cause immediate and catastrophic danger to the occupants of nearby cars and in fact anyone in the general area.

The added complexity and risk of trucking collisions mean that if you have been injured in this type of crash, you may want to work with an experienced truck accident claims attorney to ensure you are protected and can seek the maximum compensation you will need for your injuries.

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All companies who own or lease fleets of trucks are at risk of collisions. Companies which have been named as defendants following trucking accidents include:

• UPS
• FedEx
• Werner Enterprises, Inc.
• Amazon
• Averitt Express, Inc.

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In 2020, the states with the most fatalities caused by large truck collisions included Texas, California, and Florida. That year, Texas saw 643 truck accident deaths while California reported 398 and Florida had 344 fatalities.

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There may be multiple liable parties in your case, including:

• The municipality or property owner responsible for the location where the crash occurred
• The truck driver
• The truck carrier
• The company responsible for loading the cargo
• The owner of the cargo
• The company in charge of truck maintenance
• The manufacturer of any defective truck parts
• Other drivers who may have caused or contributed to the accident
• Other liable parties whose actions or inaction contributed to the collision

You may be able to pursue more than one liable party if you have a claim and multiple entities contributed to the crash or your injuries.

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How much you can seek will depend on different factors, including how severely you were injured and your expected outlook. If you have a claim, you may be able to seek compensation for economic and non-economic damages. Your economic damages include those losses you can put a price tag on. These include:

• Lost wages (including expected future lost wages)
• Current and expected future medical costs
• Rehabilitation and needed support costs
• Incidental costs, such as the expense of renting a car
• Property damage

Non-economic losses include pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and other hard to quantify losses that your attorney will help you evaluate.

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If you have been injured in a trucking collision, you may want to seek a consultation with an experienced truck accident attorney right away. If the insurance company for the trucking company contacts you, you will want to have an attorney who can review any paperwork or offers you are asked to sign. The sooner you begin working with the attorney, the sooner your attorney can start securing evidence in your claim and can start seeking compensation for you.

Flaxman Law Group has more than 60 years of experience and we have helped recover over $100 million for truck accident survivors and clients with other injuries. Through our offices in Miami, Homestead, and Hollywood, we work to help those who have been injured seek compensation for their injuries. If you have sustained an injury in a trucking accident, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free, no obligation case consultation. We can review the details of your case and discuss whether you may have a claim.

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