There is a heavy influx of truck traffic in the suburban Charlotte area, as it is the gateway to the Southeast. When you are on the highways, you are trusting that the drivers of these large vehicles around you are both well-trained and cautious. Unfortunately, the reality is that many of these truck drivers are under an immense amount of pressure and you may pay the price with your well-being. If you have been injured in a truck accident, you must hire an attorney today to pursue your legal right to full compensation. Contact the experienced York, SC truck accident attorneys at Hunter & Everage to learn more about your case.
Dangers of Truck Accidents in South Carolina
There is much less of a chance that you would walk away unscathed from a truck accident.
Most drivers suffer some type of injury in a truck accident. While nobody can prepare for any type of motor vehicle accident, there is very little that you can do as a driver to elude a large truck when the driver is careless or reckless.
Anytime a smaller passenger car is involved in an accident, usually at high speed, with a much larger tractor-trailer, the occupants of the passenger car may suffer serious injuries. The truck, which can weigh up to 80,000 pounds fully loaded, transfers a massive amount of force to the passenger vehicle. The disparity in size alone means the occupants of a passenger car would likely suffer much more serious injuries in a truck accident than they would in any other type of motor vehicle crash.
What Are Some Common Causes of Trucking Accidents in Rock Hill?
The nature of the trucking business lends itself to danger. Truck drivers are under an immense amount of pressure from their employers, who in turn are being pushed by their customers, to make deliveries quickly. If truck drivers do not get to their destinations on time, they may pay a personal price.
In accidents, the truck driver is often to blame. If the truck driver is not the one responsible, you can often lay blame at the feet of the trucking company, which sometimes may cut corners or not provide their driver with a roadworthy vehicle.
Common causes of truck accidents in South Carolina include:
- Truck driver inexperience
- Fatigued driving
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Poorly maintained tractor-trailers
- Improperly loaded cargo
- Drunk driving
- Failure to check blind spots before changing lanes
It is not enough to simply show that the truck driver did something considered unreasonable under the circumstances. You need to know the exact cause of the truck accident, as this knowledge can put you in a stronger legal position. If you can uncover significant evidence of wrongdoing, it may give you more leverage when you are negotiating a settlement.
Your attorney would perform a complete investigation of the truck accident, which would begin as soon as you hire them. A lawyer would gather physical evidence and other proof obtained in the discovery process once you have filed a lawsuit. When you have a strong legal case, there is much less of a chance the insurance company and their trucking company policyholder would try to fight you in court.
You and the Insurance Company After a Tractor Trailer Crash – What To Expect
Federal regulations require trucking companies to purchase at least $750,000 in insurance coverage on their vehicles. The reality is that trucking companies should have far more insurance coverage because their very existence could be on the line. All it takes is one angry jury to slap the trucking company with a verdict large enough to put it out of business entirely.
When the insurance company is involved in any case, they view their primary role as looking after their financial interests. Insurance companies know you have likely suffered a significant amount of damages, and they could be liable to write a check up to the amount of the policy limit. This is the last thing they want to do.
You can expect the insurance company to use many tactics designed to improve their position at the expense of yours, including:
- Trying to blame you for the accident, either in whole or in part, to reduce the amount of money they need to pay you or to eliminate your legal rights entirely
- Dragging out responding to your claim and settlement negotiations to increase your sense of desperation
- Making lowball settlement offers to try and make you unaware of the value of your claim
- Pressuring you to accept a settlement that does not come close to paying you what you deserve
What Should a Semi-Truck Accident Settlement Cover?
Once you can prove the trucking company was responsible for the accident, they assume a legal obligation to pay you for the entirety of the damages their driver caused you. A trucking accident settlement or jury award should include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Property damages
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Embarrassment and humiliation
- Emotional distress
If a loved one died in a truck accident, your family would be entitled to wrongful death damages that would compensate you for your loss and injury that occurred when you tragically lost a family member.
One of the major reasons why truck accident verdicts tend to be larger than those in other personal injury cases is the presence of punitive damages. In other personal injury cases, you may have an individual defendant involved in the case. Even if they have been grossly negligent, a jury may hesitate to punish them. Juries often have no such hesitation when trucking companies are involved in major accidents.
Reach Out to a York County Truck Accident Attorney Right Away
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a truck accident, you need immediate legal help for a possible lawsuit. Days matter when you are dealing with insurance and trucking companies that want to avoid fully paying you for your injuries. Hunter & Everage provides you with aggressive local representation that aims to meet your needs at all phases of your case. You can get to know one of our attorneys and learn how we can help you when you call us today at 704-377-9157 or message us online to schedule a free initial consultation. You owe us nothing unless you win your case.