Truck Blind Spots Can Be Deadly
Commercial trucks, eighteen wheelers, big rigs—no matter what you call them, they are large, both in size and weight. They don’t stop as fast as regular vehicles and they cause more damage when they collide with something.
Finding yourself involved in an accident with a truck can be a traumatic experience. Because of the sheer size and weight of the truck, it has likely caused serious damage to your car and left you with severe injuries. When searching for the right personal injury lawyer to help with your truck accident injury claim, you need someone you can trust to take the legal stress off your shoulders so you can focus on making a full recovery. Making sure you can recover should be your only worry.
Truck Blind Spots Are Large
Tractor-trailers often exceed seventy feet in length. This length creates massive blind spots where pedestrians and other drivers need to be extra cautious. Making sure you stay out of these blind spots can help increase your chances of avoiding an accident.
Truck blind spots are often referred to as “no zones.” These no zones are much larger than blind spots for a normal vehicle because of the truck’s size. Many drivers incorrectly assume that because big rigs sit higher on the road, they can actually see better. In reality, while truck drivers have better forward vision, their side and rear vision is severely hindered and obstructed.
Blind spots aren’t the same size around the truck, either. The blind spot on the right side of the truck is larger than on the left. And trucks also have blind spots directly in front of them. Because they sit so high, they cannot see the ground directly in front of the truck.
Other drivers should take care to stay out of these no zones when driving around a semi-truck. The best rule of thumb is this: if you can’t see the driver’s face in one of their large mirrors, they can’t see you. Ultimately, it is the truck driver’s responsibility to make sure the movements they make will not cause an accident. Today, truck drivers have technology at their disposal including wide angle cameras that can be placed around the truck to minimize the size of their blind spots. Unfortunately, not all drivers make use of this technology.
Accidents Caused by Blind Spots
In 2018, 37,515 commercial vehicle accidents took place in Texas. Many of these accidents cause serious injuries for the victims. These accidents are commonly caused by:
- Backing into another vehicle.
- Changing lanes without looking.
- Distracted driving.
- Drowsy driving.
When driving around a commercial truck, make sure you stay out of the no zones. You’ll certainly need to drive through the no zones as you pass but make sure you don’t stay long, because the driver can’t see you when you’re there. Even taking proactive measures like this, you may still find yourself in an accident with a truck through no fault of your own.
Common Injuries
In 2017, nearly 5,000 people died in truck accidents. While not all accidents with a semi-truck result in death, the likelihood that you’ll face catastrophic injury is higher when a truck is involved.
Common injuries include:
- Broken bones;
- Burns;
- Spinal cord injuries;
- Concussions;
- Traumatic brain injuries;
- Paralysis; and
- Amputation.
Injuries resulting from a truck accident are often severe and require a lifetime of medical care. As we all know, medical care is expensive. Whether you make a quick recovery or you face a life that is forever altered after your truck accident, you should not have to pay for your medical expenses. You’ve already suffered enough.
Getting Compensation for Your Injuries
If you did not cause the accident, you should not have to pay for any of the medical expenses associated with your recovery. Traffic accidents cause an estimated $38 billion of economic loss each year in Texas. To seek compensation for your expenses, you need the assistance of a trusted and skilled personal injury lawyer in San Antonio to give you the best chance of recovering damages for:
- Pain and suffering;
- Emotional distress;
- Lost wages;
- Loss of companionship;
- Past, present, and future medical expenses; and
- Rehabilitation expenses.
Many truck accident victims don’t accurately calculate their future expenses. Because big rig accidents can cause such serious and long-lasting injuries, you need to make a proper calculation to make sure you don’t end up paying out-of-pocket for any of your medical costs.
Insurance companies will not help with this process. They know you’re out of work and need quick cash to pay your medical bills. They’ll offer you a quick settlement but it probably won’t cover all of your future medical bills. This could leave you in a worse financial situation than you were in before the accident.
Working with an experienced truck accident injury lawyer in San Antonio can help ensure you accurately calculate your future medical expenses so you don’t have to pay a dime out of your own pocket. You didn’t cause the accident, so you shouldn’t bear any responsibility for the costs to help you heal.
While most truck accident claims settle out of court, you want an attorney who will keep your best interests in mind and only settle if it’s right for you. Insurance companies don’t always want to be reasonable or negotiate, and if that’s true in your case, make sure your truck accident lawyer is fully prepared to take your case all the way to trial.
Contact a Trusted Truck Accident Lawyer for More Information
If you still have questions, contact a personal injury attorney who can answer them for you, and help you decide what to do next.
