Truck Driver Error in Accidents
If you’ve been searching for a truck accident lawyer Queens NY residents trust, you might already know that truck accidents can be very different from other types of auto accidents. Trucking accidents can cause a great deal of damage and victims can sustain very severe injuries. As a truck accident lawyer Queens NY trusts, law firms understands that it is often incredibly important for victims to obtain financial compensation to cover the costs of medical bills and lost wages.
One of the more important factors in a commercial truck accidents, as a Queens NY truck accident lawyer might explain, is that truck drivers may face different issues on the road than other passenger car drivers typically face. Driver error is one common cause of commercial truck accidents, and if you’re searching for a truck accident lawyer Queens NY can provide, it may have been a factor in your accident, too.
One of the first issues that a truck accident victim would want to iron out is the problem of liability. As any seasoned truck accident lawyer in Queens NY would likely know, liability in trucking accidents can be very complex — sometimes so complex that it becomes nearly impossible for the injured claimant to obtain compensation. If the accident was caused by a mechanical problem or a cargo loading problem, it’s likely that the claimant would want to pursue damages against the trucking company (or any related parties who might hold responsibility).
It’s also possible, however, for an accident to occur because the truck driver made an error. Truck drivers can spend long stretches of time on the road — sometimes even days at a time — and this can be so mentally and physically exhausting that it impairs the person’s ability to operate a vehicle.
There are many state and federal regulations in place to limit the amount of time a truck driver can be working, as any truck accident lawyer Queens NY has to offer would likely know. Federal regulations, for example, generally state that truck drivers may work for 14 hours per day but can only be driving for a maximum of 11 hours per day; in addition to these 3 hours of rest breaks, drivers must have at least 10 consecutive hours of rest. Individual states and trucking companies might add even more regulations onto these basic restrictions.
When a truck driver is responsible for causing an accident, it’s possible that he/she failed to follow all of these regulations. Some trucking companies compensate drivers by paying higher rates to faster drivers, thereby encouraging drivers to break the rules. Lack of sleep can be a major problem on the road: it can cause drivers to lose focus, lose concentration, have slower reaction times, and make simple mistakes like forgetting to check blind spots or forgetting to signal before turning. Some truck drivers might fight off sleepiness by listening to the radio or talking on the phone — both of which can actually cause more problems through distraction.
Truck accidents can be very complicated. When an accident is caused by driver error, it’s important for injured victims to know that a skilled truck accident lawyer Queens NY trusts is on their side.