Most medium to heavy trucks weigh at least 20 times more than the average motor vehicle, and as much as 30 times or more when a truck is loaded. This massive size and weight make truck accidents some of the most severe and most likely to be deadly. South Carolina’s Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) reports that in 2017, truck tractors, including semi-trucks, tankers, flat beds, and auto-transport carriers, were involved in more than 5,000 crashes which included 59 fatal crashes, and about 1,200 accidents that resulted in one or more injuries.
Even in Florence, truck accidents can result in catastrophic and life-altering injuries that devastate victims and their families and bring financial hardship in addition to physical pain and mental anguish. If you or a loved one has been injured in truck accident, South Carolina law entitles you to seek damages in civil court as long as you do so before the three-year statute of limitations runs out. A skilled truck accident attorney can help you recover your losses and deal with the increased injury, increased property damage, and large insurance policies that come with a truck accident. Contact Hughey Law Firm at (843) 881-8644 to discuss the details of your case with one of our experienced personal injury attorneys.
Hughey Law Firm’s Results Representing Truck Accident Victims
Hughey Law Firm has encountered multiple types of personal injury lawsuits in their practice, including those that involve truck accidents. The skilled legal team has negotiated, settled, and litigated cases resulting in the recovery of millions of dollars for their clients. Past results include $750,000 for a truck driver who sustained an injury because of a defective highway, a $2,000,000 settlement for a client who was injured after a truck hit his motorcycle, and a client with catastrophic injuries, including paralysis, who received a $5,000,000 settlement. These examples don’t guarantee results in every case, but the legal team at Hughey Law Firm will aggressively seek the best outcome for your truck accident injury lawsuit.
What Types of Truck Accident Injuries Often Result in Legal Action?
A truck accident injury victim might experience the same injuries as they would in an accident with cars or other types of motor vehicle accidents. Yet, the size of trucks exacerbate the severity of an injury. Truck accident injuries are more likely to result in permanent disability or death than any other type of motor vehicle accident injuries. The following truck accident injuries require the aid of a qualified attorney so victims and families get the compensation that they deserve:
- Broken bones, sometimes crushed or with multiple fractures;
- Deeps cuts and scrapes that have left permanent scarring or require corrective surgery;
- Neck injuries including whiplash and broken cervical vertebrae;
- Back injuries including broken or cracked vertebrae or herniated discs;
- Spinal cord injuries that have caused temporary or permanent paralysis;
- Amputation of major limbs or digits;
- Severe burns that leave scars and require multiple surgeries; and
- Death.
Causes of Truck Accidents
State law obligates each licensed driver with a duty of care towards other drivers on the road. Federal law, state law, and society in general hold truck drivers, most of which hold commercial drivers’ licenses (CDL), to a higher standard. Sometimes a driver might lose control of the truck because of maintenance failure, a defective road, or careless motorists. Other times outright traffic law violations might lead to an accident. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) cites the following as some of the common causes of truck accidents:
- Distracted driving. Any distraction that takes a truckers hands, eyes, or body off of the road might lead to an accident. Examples include texting, adjusting a radio, using a GPS, eating, and more. It is against the law for truckers to use cell phones in any capacity that isn’t hands free.
- Driving under the influence. Truck drivers who hold CDLs have stricter rules about alcohol consumption than other drivers. Even so, drinking and driving or taking drugs and driving remains a problem in the trucking community. Demanding schedules and long hours lead to abuse. The FMCA estimates that about 13 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes had drugs in their system in 2016; approximately 20 percent had a breath alcohol content over 0.08, twice the legal limit for truck drivers.
- Speeding. The heavy weight of trucks makes it difficult for drivers to stop or maneuver around dangerous situations when they are speeding. Fortunately, driving in snow isn’t an issue in South Carolina the vast majority of the time. Yet, driving too fast for conditions in heavy rain also might result in a deadly accident.
- Failure to yield. Distracted motorists might cut off a truck driver, causing an accident. When truck drivers fail to yield, they may not see a car in their blind spot, or they are distracted. This dangerous action might result in a deadly underride accident where a car gets stuck under a trailer as truck drags it along.
Seeking Compensation After a Florence Truck Accident
If you or a loved one has sustained an injury in a truck accident, state law permits you to sue for damages related the accident and injury. Some damages that you might recover if you sue a negligent truck driver or trucking company include:
- Medical expenses such as ambulance rides, surgery, x-rays, prescriptions, hospitalization, and more
- Future medical costs including physical therapy, corrective surgeries, and long-term healthcare in the case of a permanent disability
- Lost wages for time away from work due to injury and hospitalization
- Future lost wages when a severe injury prevents a victim from returning to work
- Non-economic losses such as pain and suffering, scarring and disfigurement, and more
Get the Legal Help You Need from a Florence Truck Accident Attorney
If you have been injured in a truck accident in Florence, contact the skilled truck accident lawyers at Hughey Law Firm online or call at (843) 881-8644 for a free consultation. An experienced personal injury attorney from our team can handle the details of your case while you focus on healing and recovery during this difficult time.