Evansville Dump Truck Accident Lawyers
While navigating the roads of Evansville, Indiana you cannot help but notice massive dump trucks. Unfortunately, a dump truck driver may fail to notice you. If you or a loved one becomes involved in a dump truck accident, you deserve to know what moves to make. Protect your rights and your chances of fair compensation by learning why dump truck accidents happen, how to prove negligence and parties who could bear responsibilities for your injuries.
Common Reasons for Dump Truck Accidents
Just as car accidents happen for several reasons, the same applies to dump truck collisions. Knowing why an accident happened may help you understand which party bears fault and how to strengthen your legal case.
Improper Covering
While transporting gravel, rock or anything similar that may fly into the air, dump trucks need proper tarps covering them to better ensure others’ safety. Loose rocks may become dangerous projectiles and hazards with enough speed. A damaged windshield could cause an avoidable accident.
Blind Spots
Much like other large vehicles, dump trucks have large blind spots. Truck drivers may get too close to cars, and motorists may drift into a dump truck’s blind spot. Either way, inattention could make cars invisible to truck drivers, which may lead to a collision. Other than motorists, pedestrians could linger in a truck’s blind spot.
Braking Distance
Like semi trucks, dump trucks need sufficient space to come to a full stop. When fully loaded, massive trucks need even more braking distance. Drivers may not give themselves sufficient distance and ram into other vehicles, pedestrians or bikers.
Poor Maintenance
Before hitting the road, dump truck drivers should check their vehicles. Neglecting to perform a maintenance check or not performing a thorough inspection could leave problems unattended. Other than the truck itself, drivers may also need to check the cargo, its weight and its security straps. After a run, a driver may need to complete a post-trip inspection. Not informing a supervisor of issues could pave the way to disaster.
Steps To Take After Dump Truck Accidents
As with most legal matters, time becomes of the essence after a dump truck accident. Knowing exactly what to do in a collision’s aftermath gives you peace of mind and protects your right to fair compensation.
Call Paramedics and Police
Immediately after a dump truck accident, call paramedics to the scene if you or anyone else sustained injuries. Do not move others who look seriously injured and do not administer medical treatment without proper training. Other than first responders, call the police to the scene, so they may make a report. Get an official copy of the police report, so you may use it to support your legal case and insurance claim.
Say Nothing
While waiting for the police or paramedics, do not discuss details of the accident with anyone else at the scene. You do not want to risk assuming the blame for another’s negligence, and you do not want to misspeak. Instead, trade insurance information with the dump truck driver and anyone else involved in the accident, but say nothing else.
Take Images of the Scene
Capture the accident by taking pictures of the damage to your vehicle, the dump truck, the company name on the truck, accident debris, damage to your vehicle’s interior, your injuries, the weather and nearby street signs and traffic signals. Try to take several pictures from several angles. Build your case by offering perspective and a sense of scale. The goal is to preserve as much of the accident through images as possible while you still have access to the evidence.
Collect Witness Statements
Other than images, witness verbal and written statements also paint a picture of the many elements involved in a dump truck collision. Ask nearby witnesses what they saw, making sure you get their contact information in case you or your legal representative have more questions.
Have a Doctor Examine You
No matter how fine you feel after an accident, let a doctor look you over. You could have delayed injuries that may not manifest until days or weeks later. Adrenaline flooding your system could dull pain and harm, masking injuries until later. If you tell insurance adjusters you did not suffer cuts, bruises, broken bones or similar dump truck accident injuries, they may grow suspicious if you later tell them you sustained injuries, which may harm your chances of recovering a fair settlement.
Follow Your Doctor’s Orders
If you go to the doctor and learn you injured yourself, follow everything your doctor tells you. Take all prescriptions you feel comfortable with, follow through with all physical therapy or rehabilitation treatments and adhere to physical restrictions while recovering. Insurance companies look for any reason to deny offering a claim’s full worth. Skipping appointments or overexerting yourself gives companies the ammo they need to deny your claim or offer an unfair settlement.
Common At-Fault Parties in Dump Truck Accidents
After an accident, you deserve to know all parties responsible for the harm you suffered. In dump truck accidents, drivers may be at fault if they did not follow the rules of the road or drove distracted. The person who loaded the truck could bear negligence if the driver lost control because the truck bore too much weight. States and counties must keep local roads in proper condition by maintaining roads regularly. When they do not, potholes, cracks in the road and similar damage may trigger accidents. Road construction companies must set up safe work zones to keep vehicles, drivers, bikers and pedestrians safe from avoidable harm. Dump truck companies must look into a driver’s background before hiring her or him. Employing applicants with poor driving records or failing to train drivers fully could pave the way to dump truck accidents.
Proving Fault After Dump Truck Accidents
Before holding the truck driver, trucking company or anyone else liable for the harm you suffered, you must establish negligence first. Establishing negligence involves four elements: duty, breach, causation and damages.
Duty
Drivers owe each other a duty of care, and they also owe a duty to pedestrians and bikers. Other than the defendant’s and plaintiff’s relationship creating a duty of care, defendants may also owe the plaintiff a duty to act with care in specific situations, such as while driving.
Breach of Duty
After establishing duty, you must prove how the defendant breached her or his duty by taking actions a “reasonably prudent person” would not. “Reasonably prudent person” refers to the legal standard that symbolizes how an average individual would respond in specific scenarios.
Causation
You and your legal advocate may work together to prove how the at-fault party’s negligence caused your injury. Even if a truck driver or trucking company bears guilt for acting negligently, you may only recover damages if you show how that negligence contributed to your harm.
Damages
For the damages element of establishing fault, a judge or jury financially compensates the injured party.
Contact a Legal Representative Today
Leave no legal stone unturned if you sustained harm in a dump truck accident recently. Hensley Legal Group, an award-winning law firm, has the resources and dedication you deserve. Learn more about your case and legal rights by scheduling a free case review. Contact a knowledgeable representative by calling 317-472-3333 or submitting an online form.
Sources:
https://www.findlaw.com/injury/accident-injury-law/proving-fault-what-is-negligence.html
https://www.attorneync.com/truck-accident-lawyer/dump-truck-accident/
4000+ POSITIVE REVIEWS
Real Results, Real People
I cannot recommend Hensley Legal Group enough. Following my car accident, I was overwhelmed by my injury and medical bills... From day one, their team handled everything, allowing me to focus on my recovery. They were communicative, compassionate, and always kept me in the loop... They secured a settlement that covered all my expenses and exceeded my expectations.
If I ever meet anyone that needs a personal injury attorney, I tell them to hire Hensley! I can’t express my gratitude enough for this firm. I don’t know what I would have done without Spencer and the things he did for me.
Highly recommend Hensley Legal Group! Working with the team at Hensley Legal Group, PC was an incredible experience. They fought hard to get me every dollar I deserved and helped me get my money back. What I appreciated most was their loyalty—they stayed with me through the entire process and never left my side until the very end. If you need a firm that truly cares and goes the distance, call them!
Hensley group was great throughout the entire process. They contacted and dealt with the insurance companies and the medical industry. They were sincerely caring about my health and needs
Highly recommend Hensley Legal Group! Working with the team at Hensley Legal Group, PC was an incredible experience. They fought hard to get me every dollar I deserved and helped me get my money back. What I appreciated most was their loyalty—they stayed with me through the entire process and never left my side until the very end. If you need a firm that truly cares and goes the distance, call them!
All I had to do was reach out to Hensley and get them my information. They handled the rest. And they handled it like a pro. Hensley was great. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a good personal injury firm.
All I had to do was reach out to Hensley and get them my information. They handled the rest. And they handled it like a pro. Hensley was great. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a good personal injury firm.
They not only work hard on your case but treat you with respect. They make sure you understand what is happening and what to expect. I have full confidence in their legal abilities, and I am thankful for all the help they have given me.
They not only work hard on your case but treat you with respect. They make sure you understand what is happening and what to expect. I have full confidence in their legal abilities, and I am thankful for all the help they have given me.
I have been absolutely thrilled with the work done by my Hensley lawyer. I applied for disability, and with their expert help, I was approved in record time. They are incredibly knowledgeable about the process and I am happy I decided to retain their services, rather than trying to go it alone. They are compassionate and quick to respond to inquiries. I cannot say enough good things about them!
Trying to navigate all the factors after my accident was very difficult. Hensley came in and streamlined everything for me. They made sure I understood every step of the process, and they were constantly checking on me. I knew I was in good hands. While I hope to never need an accident lawyer again, I would always choose Hensley
I was impressed at how easily the entire team was able to answer all of my questions and put me at ease with my case. I feel so blessed to have chosen Hensley. They walked me through the whole process and made things easy to understand. I highly recommend them. They are skillful, professional, and very knowledgeable. Choosing Hensley was the best decision of my life.
My experience was more than what I expected. I was guided through the process every step of the way, and anytime I had a question I received an answer in a timely manner. I strongly recommend hensley. Thank you for all the help.
I am extremely grateful for the professionalism, dedication, and support I received throughout my case. My attorney and the entire team were knowledgeable, responsive, and truly cared about achieving the best outcome possible. They kept me informed every step of the way and made a stressful situation much easier to navigate. I highly recommend this firm to anyone in need of legal assistance.
Hensley Legal Group helped me diligently after my accident on the highway. They followed through with my case very respectfully and responsibly... I highly recommend Hensley Legal Group to anyone who was injured in a car accident.
The help and expertise I received from HLG with my disability was beyond helpful! My emails were answered promptly, and they calmed all the anxiety I had with the disability process. They handled all the paperwork for me, and because of them, I got my approval very quickly. Highly recommend them for anyone applying for disability.
HLG are the best team to go to, whether it be trying to get disability or being in a car accident. They were there for me. No matter how many times I messaged them or had a question, they was there. Never having been in a car accident before, HLG is the team you need!
The Hensley Legal Group helped my husband get his disability after a short time. We would like to thank you and we appreciate your professionalism!
Hensley Legal Group handled my Disability claim. I was totally pleased with my experience with them. They were very professional and made the whole process very easy for me. Iw ill absolutely use Hensley Legal Group for any other legal issue I may have! I would give them 10 stars!!
This team was very diligent in swift response to my initial call and after referring me to one call to Social Security for some info to file, I give my strongest recommendation to any one who can use the services they provide!
We have used Hensley Legal Group for an auto injury case and for a social security disability case and were very pleased with the outcome. Chris Czernik and Katrina Hildebrandt and their teams were kind, compassionate, and helpful. We would highly recommend them to anyone in need of assistance.
My attorney is experienced and very knowledgeable about the nuances of labor law. It feels great to have such a skilled attorney on your side. I truly believe that they have The Strength to Make a Difference. I highly recommend using The Hensley Group.
The whole team was very professional and sincere. They really were concerned about closing my case before my injuries were healed and making sure to cover all bases regarding my accident.
The whole team was very professional and sincere. They really were concerned about closing my case before my injuries were healed and making sure to cover all bases regarding my accident.
I was in an accident involving three totaled vehicles and ultimately one fatality. I’d never been in a situation like this before and didn’t know where to even start. So glad I called Hensley! They were so easy to work with and I’m sure got far more for me than I would’ve been able to get myself. They were kind, professional, and got the job done!
Available 24/7
Free Case Review
You won’t pay any fees until we win your case.
It’s easy - you can: