Due to the sheer size and weight of commercial trucks, truck accidents often lead to serious or fatal injuries – especially for occupants of smaller passenger vehicles. If you or your loved one has been involved in a truck accident, you need to retain a top Racine truck accident lawyer immediately. The team of Racine personal injury attorneys Cannon & Dunphy, S.C. have extensive experience handling complex truck accident claims.
Who is Liable for a Truck Accident?
When large commercial trucks are not maintained, or the driver is tired, speeding, texting, or intoxicated – disasters happen. According to the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles, there were a staggering 7,461 accidents involving Large Trucks in the state of Wisconsin in a recent year. The first question is, “who is at fault?”
A truck accident is often a major disaster, whether it occurs on Highway 94, Highway 38, or Highway 20, or another highway or street in Racine. These accidents are investigated by several agencies, including local police and federal truck accident investigators. At Cannon & Dunphy S.C., our Racine personal injury attorneys seek out every possible type of evidence to support a personal injury claim and establish negligence, including but not limited to:
- The driving records and accident reports for the truck driver and vehicle
- Driver’s employment record and history
- Drug and alcohol test reports
- Service hours records
- Licensing
- Data recorder evidence (“black box”)
- Truck maintenance records
- Eyewitness reports
- Photographic evidence of accident scene
- Truck safety systems
It is important that our truck accident lawyers initiate the investigation into a big rig truck accident as soon as possible following the event. The data gathered is vital in establishing the cause of the accident, and who is at fault. In a truck accident, more than one party may be liable. They include:
- Trucking firm
- Truck driver
- Truck manufacturer
- Truck maintenance company
- Truck parts manufacturer
- Company that loaded and secured load
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Large tractor-trailers, when involved in a collision, can leave innocent people struggling to survive. Various conditions can contribute to a serious or deadly semi-truck accident. Many of the leading contributing factors of large truck accidents include:
- Operating truck too fast for weather conditions
- Speeding
- Tired truck driver
- Intoxicated truck driver
- Unsafe lane changes
- Distracted driving – texting, cell phone use
- Improperly loaded or secured
- Defective or poorly maintained equipment
The majority of truck accidents were preventable, and the result of some form of negligence. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or died in a truck accident, contact a Racine truck accident attorney at Cannon & Dunphy S.C. for experienced legal help.
Types of Truck Accidents
Any type of truck accident can cause a devastating amount of damage to you and the vehicle you’re driving. Common types of truck accidents include:
- Truck Rollover. When a truck driver loses control or a trailer is improperly loaded, the trailer can swing side to side, leading to a rollover.
- Tire Blowout. Truck tire blowouts can lead to an out of control vehicle.
- Rear-end collision. A distracted truck driver may collide with a vehicle ahead with disastrous consequences.
- Jackknife. If a large semi-truck needs to stop quickly, the action of breaking hard can cause the trailer to rapidly drift outward creating a sharp angle to the truck and impacting all vehicles in its path.
- Lost cargo. If cargo is loaded improperly and not secured correctly, the load may shift or hit the roadway, causing a serious truck accident, often involving multiple vehicles.
- Underride. Considered some of the deadliest of all truck accidents, an underride occurs when a passenger vehicle is impacted with the roof sheared off, often a side underride during a wide turn onto a street or highway.
Racine Truck Accident Attorneys You Can Trust
If you have been injured in an accident involving a tractor-trailer, our experienced Racine truck accident lawyers at Cannon & Dunphy can be trusted to engage in all the necessary legal and investigatory actions to protect your right to full compensation. Working with our Racine truck accident attorneys can help handle all communications with the insurance company. The insurance company’s goal is to pay as little as possible – and without a lawyer who has experience in truck accident claims, you are at risk.
We have recovered over $1 billion in damages over our 30 years in practice. Contact us for a free case evaluation today – we are ready to go to work for you. Call (262) 782-2700 to find out how our truck accident lawyers in Racine can help.