Hensley Legal Group is Here for You After a Semi-Truck Accident
Most semi-truck collisions end with devastating outcomes. When a semi-truck is involved, fault can apply to many parties including the truck driver’s company, the company they haul product for and even the person that sets up the load. With all of these parties potentially involved, you can expect the insurance companies to put up a good fight.
Navigating truck collisions require experience and prompt action. You need a qualified semi- truck accident attorney that will stand up to the at fault parties and their the insurance companies. John Hensley and his team of experienced personal injury lawyers have the knowledge, experience and strength to make a difference in your semi-truck accident claim.
The number of large trucks involved in accidents has increased every year, despite large trucks accounting for only 4 percent of all registered vehicles. Large trucks and passenger vehicles are involved in about the same amount of accidents every year, but the injuries from truck accidents are far worse.
The size and weight differences between a passenger car and a semi-truck are extreme. Colliding with a 40,000-pound truck has a drastically worse outcome than colliding with a 4,000 pound sedan. 74 percent of injured truck accident victims are people other than the truck driver. In 2018, 96 percent of fatalities in two-vehicle accidents occurred in accidents involving a passenger vehicle and a large truck.
Hensley Legal Group is ready to fight for your rights when you’re clearly the victim of negligence. Our lawyers fight to help you obtain compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering.
Who’s Responsible for My Semi-Truck Accident?
Fault takes on a whole new meaning when applied to semi-truck accidents. Instead of being limited to two drivers, the fault may apply to multiple parties in a semi-truck accident, including:
- The trucking company
- The truck manufacturer
- The truck driver
- The company that loaded the truck
When multiple parties are involved, insurance companies point fingers and rarely move forward in the best interest of the person injured, most often catastrophically.
How the Law Applies Differently to Semi-Truck Accidents
There are numerous state and federal regulations that apply to truck drivers and trucking companies. These regulations are enforced at both the state and federal level. Truck drivers must maintain specific licenses called commercial drivers’ licenses (CDLs). They can face punishment if their CDL is expired, invalid, or they do not have medical clearance to drive. The license requirements are different depending on the size and weight of the truck and load.
The majority of truck collisions occur during weekdays and at night during the weekends, when a fatigued driver may not be able to handle the increased traffic. Truck drivers also must adhere to the Hours of Service regulations that require them to get enough sleep and most importantly not drive fatigued.
The Hours of Service regulations limit interstate truck drivers to a maximum of 11 hours with some additional limitations on total hours worked in the previous days. The regulations also instruct the drivers on how long they can drive without rest breaks and how many days in a row they can drive before they have to spend a significant amount of time not driving and/or off duty. Importantly the trucking companies are also required to adhere to these guidelines, as they are responsible for the negligence of their drivers in causing semi-truck accidents.
There are still more rules imposed on truck drivers from both a company and a legal standpoint. Legally, for example, truck drivers must adhere to rules about when and where they can transport hazardous cargo. They must make sure their cargo adheres to the rules about weight and height limits before driving on certain streets. Heavy or unrestrained cargo can lead to rollovers, which in 2018 made up 45 percent of large truck collisions.
