No matter where you are or what you’re doing, there’s always the potential for an accident to occur, especially on United States roads.
- In fact, almost three million people are injured every year while traveling on U.S. roads.
- More than 37,000 U.S. residents die in road crashes annually according to the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT).
- Every 15 minutes, a person is either seriously injured or killed in an accident caused by tractor trailers or semi-trucks. That adds up to almost half of million (500,000) trucking accidents annually.
- Of those 500,000, about 5,000 are fatal.
- Approximately 475,000 crashes involving large trucks were reported by police in 2016 alone and 22% of those crashes caused injuries.
- What’s more, nearly 70% of fatal truck accidents happen in rural regions, more than half occur during the day and about 71% happen when on dry roads in clear weather.
Currently, there are 264 million vehicles registered in the United States and 218 million drivers who have a valid license. With so many drivers, the probability for a car accident increases, whether travelers are dealing with accidents caused by truckers, distracted drivers or those under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
No matter where you travel, the average person experiences three to four car accidents in their lifetime and the odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 645. If you’re involved in a car accident, there’s potential for life-threatening injuries, loss of wages and benefits and high medical costs among numerous obstacles you might face.
As common as trucking accidents are, most of them are unfortunately devastating to some degree. When an accident happens, trucks are best served hiring a truck accident attorney for help.
A truck accident lawyer is well aware that semi-trucks can haul heavy loads and those loads can cause serious damage. It’s true that some car accidents don’t require legal aid, but for trucking accidents it can be more complex. A truck accident attorney will best know how to act on your behalf and help you navigate all the tangles of any legal action.
Benefits to hiring a truck accident attorney include:
- Determining your liability: A truck accident attorney is important to help determine whether you’re liable in a trucking accident case. It’s often the case that in trucking accidents, multiple parties can be held liable for damages whether it’s the driver of the truck, the driver of the other vehicle, the trucking company, the truck manufacturer, the loader of the cargo the truck was carrying and even the shipper.
In many cases, those filing a suit against a trucker may put them at fault, but your truck accident attorney can also seek to prove negligence on the part of the other driver if a trucker properly adhered to safety measures. - Evidence collection: Another way a truck accident attorney can help is by collecting relevant evidence that will help your case. That may include your employment history, prior drug tests and qualifications. An attorney may also look at damage to both vehicles, medical records if either party is injured and insurance information.
- Knowing the Process: Whether dealing with cases with car accidents or trucking accidents, lawyers are familiar with the legal process and can help you file the proper paperwork, complete important forms and give you legal advice. Rather than potentially getting shortchanged by insurance companies on a technicality, having an attorney helps move your claim along and get all your ducks in a row.
With such a high rate of car accidents in the United States, the chances of needing an attorney are great and consulting one has many potential benefits. Lawyers are motivated to help you, are familiar with the legal process and help you navigate all the steps.
Have you been injured in a car accident or a trucking accident? Are you in need of a personal injury lawyer? Are you seeking legal advice? Sites like DMV.org can help you find personal injury lawyers in your state and Nolo.com/lawyers provides helpful hints on finding the right attorney to fit your needs.