Trucking is an industry that supplies the nation with the goods that they need for their daily lives. While truckers are trained and certified to drive their big rigs, sometimes they can make mistakes that lead to them losing control behind the wheel. Other times, the truck drivers don’t make any mistakes, but the trucking company or part manufacturer was negligent, which led to a malfunction in the truck.
When one party’s negligence leads to a collision between the semi truck and regular car, you could use the help of a Santa Fe, NM truck accident lawyer to help you recover what you’re owed for your damages. At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, we’re prepared to fight for your rights so you can focus on your physical and emotional healing from the large truck wreck.
Types of Semi Truck Crashes
Sharing the road with large trucks is intimidating no matter how experienced you are at driving and how much you remind yourself that truck drivers are trained. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), tractor trailers weigh up to 30 times more than regular vehicles and are much taller and longer, which is why it can be so scary to drive near them.
Just being nervous likely won’t lead to an accident, and it might actually make you more careful when you’re passing or driving near a large truck. However, that doesn’t mean that the truck driver will be just as careful. It also doesn’t mean that the trucking company was careful when they inspected the vehicle before it rolled off the lot.
Here are the different truck accidents that can happen when one party is negligent:
- Override. If a tractor trailer gets cut off and doesn’t have time to stop, they can end up crashing into and driving over the car in front of them, which is called an override accident. This can be dangerous because the truck crushes the back of the vehicle under its weight. This can also happen if the brakes on a semi malfunction and it can’t stop in a distance that it normally would be able to.
- Underride. Similarly, when a truck stops at short notice in front of a regular car, it can cause them to brake suddenly and strike the back of the truck. This can lodge the front of their car under the trailer, which can be a serious situation since drivers are in the front of the car. Underrides can also happen while cars drive alongside the rigs because they can be swept under the trailer.
- Jackknife. When a cab and trailer form an L-shape or a V-shape, it’s considered a jackknife accident. These happen when a truck is speeding and loses control, or just loses control from being distracted. Jackknifes are dangerous because the swinging trailer can harm other cars on the road.
- Rollover. These accidents can be the most dangerous for truck drivers because the weight of the truck flipping can trap them inside the cab or cause them serious injuries. These happen when truckers lose control of their rig and the whole semi can flip over. Uneven loads in the trailer are one factor that can cause these types of accidents.
If you’ve experienced any of these truck crashes, you are likely dealing with catastrophic injuries as a result and need to recover from your damages. Our Santa Fe, NM truck accident attorney is here to determine who was liable for what happened so that you can hold them responsible for your accident and subsequent damages.
Who Might Be Responsible for a Truck Accident?
When you’ve been in a collision with a semi truck, your first thought might be that it was definitely the driver who was at fault for what happened, but that might not be the case. While you’ll likely want to pin the fault on the driver since they’re a tangible person who was at the scene, it might not be their fault at all—they could be just as much of a victim as you are in the collision.
There are many different entities who could be responsible for the collision because of their negligence. Of course, the truck driver could be liable. It’s possible that they were distracted, fatigued, drunk, or driving recklessly, which led to them crashing into you. In that case, they would be the party who caused the accident. However, if they were driving safely, there are other parties you could hold accountable for their negligence.
The trucking company could be one of those parties. There are many steps along the way where a trucking company could be negligent before allowing the driver to pull off the lot. Whether they neglect to fully inspect the vehicle for safety, check its parts are up to date, or improperly load the trailer, this can lead to problems down the road for the rig that can cause a crash.
If it’s not the driver or the trucking company at fault, then another party could be the part manufacturer. If they’re not careful making their products, they could end up being defective. If they send out these parts to be installed and they malfunction and caused a truck wreck, the part manufacturer could be held liable for what happened.
Finally, the government could be responsible for what happened, even though this can be more difficult to file a claim against. One example of them being at fault would be if the roads are so poorly maintained that they cause the truck to crash. Large potholes and other road obstructions that should be patched by the New Mexico Department of Transportation could make them at fault for the crash.
You might feel overwhelmed by all these possible parties who could be responsible for your accident, and you might not know where to start determining who was at fault. Our Santa Fe, NM truck accident lawyer is prepared to investigate the situation for you so that we can hold the correct party accountable. That way, you can have peace of mind knowing we are handling it for you while you recover.
Our Santa Fe, NM Truck Accident Attorney Can Help You
At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, we understand how devastating a semi truck wreck can be for you, your family, and your life. You’re likely trying to heal, pay your medical bills, and pay your normal bills while trying to figure out where you’ll get the money since you’re unable to get back to work from your injuries. You shouldn’t have to deal with all of this on your own.
That’s why our Santa Fe, NM truck accident lawyer is here to help you. We’ll answer all your questions and guide you through every step of the legal process so you can feel confident in your claim. Contact us today so we can set up a free consultation.
