The Best Law Firm in Colorado Springs for Blind Spot Truck Accidents

Semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers—whatever you want to call them, one thing is certain: these horrors are massive. A fully-loaded car may weigh up to 80,000 pounds and have a length of 72 feet!

In context, a typical mid-size car is around 16 feet long and weighs slightly under 3,000 pounds. These figures are frightening enough. When you consider that semi-trucks have massive blind areas, it’s enough to make you think twice before pulling up behind one.

Unfortunately, if you’re a motorist in Colorado, you won’t be able to avoid sharing the road with these massive commercial trucks. Colorado has the highest number of heavy trucks of any state. Regrettably, this also implies that the state has the highest number of truck-related deaths.

If you or someone you care about has been injured in a semi-truck accident, you have legal rights. Read on to learn more about them.

What are the blind areas on a truck?

Blind spots exist in every car. Regions surround your car that you can’t see unless your car is transparent on all sides. That’s why blind-spot warning systems are standard on so many new cars.

Blind spots are present on both sides of large trucks, and they are significantly larger than the blind spots in your car. These regions are referred to as “no-zones” by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Large cars, according to the FMCSA, have blind spots in four areas:

On the driver’s side, from the front of the cab beyond the rear of the trailer, encompassing a complete two lanes

On the passenger side of things, from the front of the cab beyond the back of the trailer, comprising a full two lanes

Essentially, remember this: if you can’t see the motorist in their side-view mirrors, they can’t see you!

Why do blind spot collisions occur?

We’ve all seen our fair share of jerks behind the wheel. However, when it comes to huge trucks, we expect the drivers to have the necessary expertise and training to know what they’re doing and keep everyone else safe. This implies that they should be able to maneuver around a truck’s blind zones.

This isn’t always the case, though. Blindspot collisions are much too common, which may be caused by another driver’s recklessness. The following are some of the elements that lead to blind spot accidents:

Speeding

When passing a car or changing lanes, you may find yourself in its blind area. It’s almost hard to eliminate blind spots. If a trucker is driving at a typical pace, he or she should have enough time to see you entering the blind area and respond properly.

When a motorist accelerates, they have less time to respond and may not even notice when another car enters their blind area. But things become much worse: It takes longer for a car to go faster to come to a complete stop. Even if the truck driver notices the car entering or exiting their blind area, the truck may not be able to stop in time.

Insufficient training

Did you know that being a truck driver isn’t legally required to have much specific training? You have to fill out the necessary papers and pass the skills and knowledge exam. Individual employers must decide whether or not to hire someone who has not attended truck driving school.

According to CDC research, around 38% of long-haul truck drivers had “inadequate training” when they started their jobs. That’s ridiculous!

When you pull up beside a massive truck, you have no clue how much experience or knowledge the driver has. Are they aware of when they should examine their blind spots? Do they know how to change lanes properly?

Driver exhaustion

We can all agree on this: When you’re fatigued, you don’t make excellent judgments. When ywe ou don’t get enough sleep, our body starts to break down and stop working properly. Fatigue may lead to slowed response times, impaired eyesight, and sloppy decision-making.

Drivers around the state continue to drive tired day after day. According to the CDC, sleepy driving causes up to 6,000 fatal collisions each year. Many researchers have linked driving when tired to driving while drunk.

According to the CDC, commercial drivers are among those who are most at risk. Long work hours, overnight driving, strenuous exercise, poor sleep circumstances, underlying medical difficulties, medication, drinking, driving, or drug use are all common causes of driver weariness.

Inadequate monitoring

You should constantly be aware of your surroundings while driving a car. It’s just a matter of common sense! We learn to check our mirrors, scan ahead of us, and glance before changing lanes simply by being on the road. These figures are appalling and show blatant indifference.

Injuries sustained as a result of a blind spot collision

Car accidents are one of the most common causes of major injury in the United States. According to the most current statistics in Colorado, a motor car accident injures one person every two and a half minutes.

The passengers of the passenger car are more likely to be injured when a huge truck and a smaller car crash. The at-fault truck driver and his sidekick may not have enough time to rectify their car in a blind spot collision, exacerbating injuries. The following are examples of common injuries:

Injuries to the spinal cord

Our body’s communications system is the spinal cord. Our brain informs us what we need to perform, and the spinal cord relays that information to the appropriate bodily component. The message is disrupted when a spinal cord injury occurs. This may result in lifelong paralysis in many situations.

According to the Mayo Clinic, spinal cord injuries may occur as a result of injury to the vertebrae, ligaments, or discs, as well as damage to the cord itself. Approximately half of all spinal cord injuries are caused by motor car accidents.

The signs and symptoms of a spinal cord injury may not typically appear immediately. That is why, following any catastrophic injury, it is usually essential to consult a doctor. If you are experiencing signs of an SCI, it is a medical emergency, and you should get medical help right once.

• Numbness or tingling
• Loss of feeling
• Inability to walk
• Difficulty breathing
• Loss of bowel or bladder control
• Extreme neck or back pain
• Distortion of the neck or back is all spinal cord damage symptoms.

Various types of traumatic brain injuries

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are more prevalent than you would believe. TBI affects around 1.5 million individuals each year, according to the CDC. 80,000 to 90,000 of them will lead to long-term incapacity. Motor car collisions are the primary cause of this injury once again.

Everyone’s brain reacts to harm differently. As a result, it’s impossible to say what kind of life a person will have following a TBI. Like those associated with spinal cord injuries, TBI symptoms may arise over time.

Headaches

• Difficulty focusing
• Dizziness
• Vision changes
• Mood changes
• Loss of consciousness are all common signs of a TBI.

Injury to the back and neck

Keep in mind that huge cars have a wide blind area in front of them. They may easily rear-end another car as a result of this. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s most recent data, 22 percent of all truck-related crashes included the front of the truck and the rear of the passenger car.

Even a seemingly little bump in a huge truck may cause a substantial impact on a smaller car. This sort of accident is notorious for causing back and neck injuries. When a car accelerates, the body might take a long response. This might result in tension, ripping, or swelling, which can be quite painful. Whiplash patients may need a long period of recovery.

• Pain management
• Chiropractic care
• Massage
• Injections
• Physical therapy
• Surgery is one of the treatment possibilities.

Bones are broken.

Broken bones are very painful. The power of a collision in a serious truck accident might cause the body to be trapped, crushed, or impacted by another item. Face, legs, ribs, arms, and pelvis are common break injuries in truck accidents. These are significant injuries that demand emergency medical attention. Even with therapy, a person who breaks a bone may never recover complete mobility or have persistent discomfort.

Severe burns

When two cars meet, the force of impact might cause one of them to catch fire. When a fire breaks out inside a car, anybody within is in danger of being burned. Scarring, pain, infection, loss of movement, disfigurement, and nerve damage are all possible long-term repercussions of burns.

Emotional anguish

It’s natural to concentrate on physical injuries when thinking about truck accident injuries. However, the mental trauma of a car collision is just as real.

It might be tough to recover after a traumatic event such as a catastrophic truck accident. Serious accident victims may have difficulties moving on or have nightmares due to the tragedy.

In fact, according to one research, car accidents are one of the top causes of PTSD. Reach out for treatment if you’re suffering from PTSD, anxiety, or depression as a result of an accident.

• Mood swings
• Difficulty sleeping
• Nightmares
• Flashbacks/reliving the accident
• Irritability
• Guilt
• Persistent fear
• Loss of interest in activities you formerly loved are all common signs of emotional discomfort.

After a truck blind spot collision, who will pay for my injuries?

Insurance companies often assign responsibility for blind spot accidents to other drivers.

Let’s be clear: truck drivers are responsible for maintaining control of their trucks, Period.

The insurance company won’t tell you that the truck driver isn’t always to blame. Because truck drivers are often employed, additional parties may be involved.

In a truck accident, the following parties may be held liable:

The truck’s driver: In the end, the truck driver is liable for what occurs inside the car. These drivers are aware of the blind areas and are doing all possible to prevent accidents. When a truck collides with another car, the truck driver is almost certainly blamed.

Employer of the driver: Remember how it’s up to companies to decide whether or not their drivers are required to attend training? It’s a fairly strong case of carelessness when an employer fails to guarantee that its drivers have the necessary expertise to go on the road.

Trucking businesses must also keep problematic drivers off the road and provide training. This implies that if a driver has a history of accidents, tickets, or complaints, the employer must take action.

A car or components manufacturer: To negotiate blind zones, truck drivers depend on their car’s safety features. Accidents may occur if these devices fail. On the other hand, a manufacturer will only be held liable if a component is faulty, not if the driver neglected to maintain it. Mirrors, lighting, and blind-spot monitoring systems are examples of safety equipment that may contribute to blind spot accidents.

After a blind spot collision, be aware of your rights.

You might be entitled to financial compensation if you were involved in a blind spot accident.

Accident victims in Colorado have two years to seek compensation following an accident. Make sure you don’t run out of time!

When you have more essential things to concentrate on, you shouldn’t have to worry about paying for your injuries. Keep in mind that you are not alone. Now is the moment to rely on your friends and family, as well as the legal assistance available to you. Don’t hesitate to seek assistance if you have concerns or need assistance after a car collision. Truck accident attorneys are available for free consultations 24 hours a day, seven days a week.