Deadly Colorado and Rear-end Semi Truck Accident Claims
The level of the damage inflicted in a rear-end collision will be dictated by the momentum generated by the force of the impact.
The mass of an item is multiplied by its velocity to calculate its momentum.
As a result, a car that is either heavy or driving swiftly will do more damage in a collision than a lighter or slower car.
Worst of all are collisions involving a large car driving at high speed.
If you, or someone you love, has been hurt in a rear-end collision, contact the Warrior Trucking Accident Attorneys right once. For years, Jeremy D. Earle, JD, and his team of skilled truck accident lawyers have been fighting for the rights of injured victims all around Colorado.
Momentum is everything. Consider the logistical issues that come with halting a huge semi-truck for a moment. Because of the weight of these cars, the driver may find it difficult to stop swiftly if necessary. They need more time and distance to come to a complete stop than the normal car.
Semi-trucks are notorious for causing rear-end collisions for these reasons. When one of these trucks collides with a car in front of it, the sheer velocity of the truck may inflict catastrophic damage. Another issue is blind spots.
If you’ve ever driven a huge pickup truck or a moving car, you’re well aware of the perils of blind areas. Long expanses of blind spots exist in semi-trucks, making it impossible for the driver to observe cars on either side of the truck.
Some rear-end collisions occur because the motorist was distracted by these blind areas. For example, the motorist may be attempting to change lanes but finding it difficult due to blind spots. This often occurs when a truck slams into a car in front of it due to the driver’s failure to see traffic ahead.
The Consequences Can Be Devastating
Unfortunately, the harm these cars may inflict can be disastrous. The injuries suffered by victims of a semi-truck rear-end collision are often serious.
These injuries may result in long-term problems that most individuals will have to cope with for the rest of their lives. In addition to the serious injuries that occur, most cars are generally destroyed. There aren’t many occasions when an car comes out of a collision with little damage.
Understanding Trucking Laws
While there are certain Oregon rules governing cars and their weight restrictions, the federal laws are the ones that apply in the vast majority of circumstances.
Federal safety standards apply to all semi-trucks and commercial vehicles to guarantee roadworthiness. Truck drivers must also pass additional tests and get specialized licensing requirements for various trucks.
Because these trucks and their drivers are subject to a slew of rules and regulations, it’s always ideal to have an experienced personal injury attorney on your side who can correctly negotiate these situations and ensure that you obtain the right compensation for your injuries.
ProblemS with Semi Truck Rear-end Accidents
Many logistical obstacles exist in semi-trucks, making it impossible for a driver to prevent accidents. Because their weight may take longer to get going and may be more difficult to manage, they also take longer and go farther to halt or change lanes.
Long blind areas on trucks make it more difficult for truck drivers to be aware of traffic conditions around them. Attempting to see past these challenging blind spots may divert a driver’s attention away from what’s ahead on the road, causing the truck driver to rear-end a car in front of it.
When accidents do happen, the damage produced by a semi-truck is sometimes several times that of smaller, lighter cars. They are frequently heavier and bigger than most other cars on the road, even when they are not loaded.
Cargo, of course, adds to their weight and exacerbates the damage that a semi-truck may produce when colliding with a smaller car. This is why liability coverage for trucks and commercial vehicles is subject to higher minimum insurance requirements.
Federal Truck Regulation Safety
Federal safety standards apply to trucks and commercial vehicles that do not apply to passenger cars.
These rules are in place to safeguard drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users.
Nonetheless, the Trump Administration is devoted to abolishing and restricting as many government limitations as possible, for better or worse. Many of the targeted restrictions hurt truck driver safety.
According to The Atlantic, the Trump administration said in August 2017 that it would abandon a planned requirement for truck drivers and railway engineers to be tested for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing is obstructed throughout sleep cycles, interfering with peaceful sleep.
As a consequence of sleep apnea, several truck and railway accidents have been connected to poorly rested operators.
Changes in Electronic Logging for Truckers
The installation of an electronic logging requirement is another contentious rule.
Federal inspectors have been enforcing hours of service restrictions for years by checking paper mileage records kept by the truck driver himself. These paper logs are readily manipulated, and drivers may apply gentle pressure to push in more miles or hours.
Daily driving limitations set by the federal government To counteract this issue, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration passed a regulation in 2015 requiring the use of tamper-proof electronic recording devices by December 2017.
These gadgets provide data about hours and miles to authorities immediately. Despite this, the trucking sector – particularly small transportation firms – has aggressively resisted the reform.
Opponents argue that the expense of compliance will prevent them from continuing to operate profitably.
According to The Hill, President Trump has tried to make the transition easier by easing penalties for infractions during the first three months of the rule’s implementation.
Truck drivers who stop without an electronic logging device between January and March will be cited and permitted to continue as long as they comply with hours of service rules.
Any breaches will not be counted against a company’s safety record during this period.
This surrender comes after years of unsuccessful efforts by the trucking industry to overturn the law in federal court. The US Supreme Court recently turned down the trucking company’s appeal of a ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to implement the regulation.
As a result, the sector has no legal redress via the judicial system. While the Trump Administration’s reprieve is only temporary, it does restrict the rule’s effectiveness.
How Can Colorado Drivers Stay Safe If Semi Truck Regulations Are Removed?
While state and federal rules may help lessen the chance of accidents, drivers should also take actions to protect themselves. Always keep a safe gap between yourself and the car. To bypass roadblocks, large, heavy cars need a longer stopping distance. Smaller car drivers should also make sure that truck drivers notice them. Large trucks have large blind areas, giving their drivers less sight than passenger car drivers. Use your signals and headlights to assist truck drivers in seeing your car.
Keep an eye out for the cargo of trucks passing by.
Hazardous products must be appropriately identified with placards. Make sure there is enough space between you and any huge truck delivering hazardous or explosive products. Tire blowouts are another typical truck danger, and they are especially likely during Colorado’s hot summer months. They are especially hazardous for heavier cars, such as huge trucks, since the loss of control causes even more damage on the trip to the summit. Again, give yourself plenty of stopping room between yourself and other heavy cars on the road. Any drivers with bald tires or other potentially harmful equipment should be alerted.
Common Injuries in Semi-Truck Rear-End Accidents
A huge truck rear-ends collision might result in serious human casualties. Passengers in passenger cars hit from behind by a semi-truck may suffer life-altering injuries, as well as the high medical expenditures that come with them.
In a collision involving a tractor-trailer, the force of contact delivers a powerful shock through the passenger compartment of the car impacted from behind.
As a consequence of their bodies absorbing enormous pressures and contorting in abnormal postures, passengers of the car the semi strikes typically incur major neck and back injuries.
Herniated discs and broken vertebrae are common in semi-truck accident patients, for example.
Broken bone fragments from fractured vertebrae may get stuck in a person’s spinal cord, causing serious, sometimes permanent spinal cord injuries that result in paralysis.
Injuries to the soft tissues
The impact of a semi-truck accident may potentially inflict enormous harm to the soft tissue of the car’s passengers.
Severe injuries to muscles, ligaments, and tendons often need surgery and may result in long-term limits in range of motion as well as persistent discomfort.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are a kind of traumatic brain injury.
Accident victims may get a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of a hit or jolt to the head. ATBI occurs when the force of an impact twists, deforms, or shifts the brain within the skull, causing damage to brain tissue, blood vessels, and neurons.
TBI victims must deal with long-term effects, which may include:
Problems with cognitive skills such as thinking and memory
Problems with senses and perceptions
Difficulties communicating and expressing thoughts
Personality changes such as hostility and difficulties controlling impulses
Who Is at Fault for a Rear-End Collision Involving a Semi-Truck?
Colorado law mandates that all drivers use care while operating their cars in order to prevent creating accidents. Colliding with another car is typically a blatant infringement of that legal responsibility, which is why, in the great majority of rear-end collisions, the driver of the following car is usually held responsible.
However, there are exceptions to this rule. The following are some examples of why a semi-truck driver may not be entire to fault for rear-ending another car:
The driver of the leading car has a mechanical problem or an emergency, but he or she does not pull over or activate their danger lights.
The leading car’s tail lights, brake lights, or turn signals are not working or are damaged.
The driver of the leading car abruptly reverses.
The driver of the leading car comes to a complete stop in the middle of a turn and chooses not to make the turn.
Anyone wounded in a rear-end collision with a semi-truck should always seek the advice of an expert personal injury attorney, especially if they think they are partial to fault for the collision.
In many circumstances, drivers place significantly more guilt on themselves than the law does. If a business car rear-ends your car, you most likely have legal rights to compensation.
Do I file a lawsuit against the truck driver or the trucking company?
Semi-Truck Rear-End Accidents Legal Liability
The legal culpability for a semi-truck collision varies from case to case.
That is why you need an expert truck accident injury lawyer on your side to examine the accident and the parties involved in order to identify who is responsible for your injuries and losses.
Every Colorado truck accident has its own set of conditions and facts.
However, in general, the parties that may be legally liable to you for your injuries include:
The at-fault truck driver who failed to bring the semi-truck that collided with your passenger car to a safe stop;
This includes the truck driver’s employer, who typically will have legal and financial responsibility for its employee’s actions;
The trucking company owner, if different from the truck driver or their employer, especially if a failure to maintain the semi-truck, or to ensure the trucker had adequate training or credentials, led to the rear-end accident;
A truck equipment manufacturer, if the
As previously said, each commercial car accident has its own set of characteristics.
Hiring an experienced andqualified attorney to assist you in pursuing legal action for compensation is the most reliable approach to establish who may have legal culpability to you for injuries and losses you received in an accident.
What Should You Do If You’ve Been Injured in a Rear-End Collision?
A semi-truck gets involved in a collision.
If you’ve been hurt in a trucking accident, you should take these steps:
Dial 9-1-1.
If feasible, obtain photographic proof and contact information for eyewitnesses.
Seek the advice of an expert truck accident attorney at a legal company that specializes in truck accidents.
If a semi-truck collides with your car from behind, dial 911 right once to guarantee that ambulances, emergency services, and law police arrive at the site.
Then, seek medical treatment. Allow an EMT to check you on the spot, and if necessary, transport you to the emergency department by ambulance. Always follow up with your primary care doctor or an urgent care facility within 24 hours.
A doctor may inspect you for typical accident injuries and make sure they’re recorded in your medical records. Even apparently, little symptoms such as headaches or stomach discomfort might suggest a major problem that can be lethal if left unchecked.
Take pictures of the collision site, including non-car and car property damage, any apparent injuries. Also look for identifying information on the tractor-trailer, such as business name and emblem or license plates, within reason (and only if you can do so safely).
Also, make a list of any eyewitnesses and their contact information.
Aggressive Pursuit of Your Colorado Truck Accident Personal Injury Claim
Residents and tourists of Colorado Springs are protected by the Warrior Trucking Accident Attorneys, who guarantee that truck accident victims are adequately paid for their injuries and losses.
In the Colorado Springs region, our experienced truck accident attorneys have decades of expertise negotiating and litigating personal injury claims arising from truck accidents.
To book a free consultation with a personal injury attorney, call 719-300-1100 or fill out an online contact form. Our pleasant, experienced team provides individualized assistance and legal skills to guarantee that your legal issue has the best possible conclusion.
Warrior Car Accident Lawyers
1902 W. Colorado Ave., Suite 100
Colorado Springs, CO 80904