Truck Accident Lawyers in Spanish Fort
There are millions of commercial trucks registered in the United States, and many of them are never involved in an accident. Truck drivers are highly trained and tightly regulated, thanks to efforts to keep the roads safe. But when something goes wrong and an accident does occur, the results can be catastrophic. Truck accidents can cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, including injuries, totaled or damaged vehicles, and destruction to infrastructure.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Spanish Fort truck accident, it’s time to start exploring your legal options. Call Turner, Onderdonk, Kimbrough & Howell at our Chatom office at 251-336-3411 or our Bay Minette office at 251-336-3697 to set up a consultation now.
How Common Are Truck Accidents in Alabama?
There are thousands of truck accidents in Alabama every single year. Accidents have unfortunately started to increase in recent years, with the exception of a significant dip in 2020. However, it’s believed that the overall decrease in accidents that year was due to the pandemic. In 2020, there were 8,579 truck collisions resulting in 2,330 injuries and 130 fatalities. Common causes of Alabama truck collisions include:
- Improper lane changes
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Tailgating
- Aggressive driving
- Improper backing or turning
While trucks are less likely to be involved in a crash than other types of vehicles, they are significantly more likely to cause fatalities when they are involved in collisions.
Common Types of Truck Collisions
The structure and size of commercial trucks put them at risk for several different types of accidents, including:
- Wide turn: Wide turn accidents occur when a truck swings left before turning right. They do this because they need more space to complete a turn safely. But if there is a vehicle in their blind spot, they may hit them and cause a serious collision.
- Rear-end: Rear-end accidents are typically minor when they only involve passenger vehicles, but they can be fatal when a truck is involved. They often occur when a vehicle is in the blind spot in front of a truck.
- Underride: This type of collision occurs when a smaller vehicle runs into the back end of a truck. The car gets stuck underneath the truck and is subsequently destroyed. Fatalities are quite common in these crashes.
- Jackknife: When a driver loses control of their truck, the back of the truck may spin out and away from the front. It forms a V shape and results in the driver losing all control of the vehicle until it comes to a complete stop.
- Tire blowout: Tire blowouts are often caused by overloaded trucks or trucks that are behind on maintenance.
- Rollover: A truck’s naturally higher center of gravity makes it prone to rollovers.
Your Losses After a Crash
Should you be involved in a truck collision in Spanish Fort, you could suffer a wide range of losses. Many victims require medical care for minor to major injuries, such as broken bones, whiplash, soft tissue damage, and traumatic brain injuries. For most victims, medical expenses make up the largest part of their financial losses. However, you could also be forced into time away from work as you recover—and that loss of income can be devastating for your family.
Other losses include pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, and property damage. In some tragic cases, victims lose their lives. When this occurs, surviving family members may be able to seek compensation for their wrongful death.
How can you recover from these losses and try to get back to normal? A personal injury claim can help you fight for compensation. However, you’ll need to demonstrate that someone else was at fault for the accident and must be held liable for your damages. This is why you may find it helpful to document your losses after a collision. The more documentation you have of the accident’s effects on your life, the harder it will be for the insurance company to deny fair compensation. Helpful evidence includes:
- Medical bills
- Receipts for parking and tolls paid to attend medical appointments
- Mileage to and from medical appointments
- Personal injury journal detailing your pain levels and limitations each day
- Time spent away from work
- Money spent on over-the-counter medical supplies
- Estimates to repair or replace your vehicle
The Benefits of Working with Turner, Onderdonk, Kimbrough & Howell
When you decide to pursue compensation after a truck accident, the team at Turner, Onderdonk, Kimbrough & Howell is here to help and support you. Our in-depth experience in personal injury law allows us to investigate accidents thoroughly, gather important evidence, and prepare for negotiations. We know how hard insurance companies and trucking companies fight to avoid paying out after collisions, but we are ready to work even harder to hold them accountable.
Thanks to our experience with truck accident cases in Alabama, we know how to use different types of evidence to your advantage. While these accidents may be more complex than other types of collisions, they also have more evidence. Most commercial trucks are fitted with electronic logging devices that contain substantial data we can use for your case. We can also look into the driver’s trucking logs, the company’s hiring practices, and the driver’s driving history. Whether the driver or the company is to blame for the accident, we will determine who is liable for your damages and seek compensation.
Most accident cases are settled out of court during negotiations. We are also experienced trial attorneys, so if your case does not settle, we will fight for you in court. No matter where your case takes you, you can trust us to be with you every step of the way.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Today
The team at Turner, Onderdonk, Kimbrough & Howell is ready and waiting to take your call. Find out how we can help you after a truck accident and what we recommend for your next step. Call our Chatom office at 251-336-3411 or our Bay Minette office at 251-336-3697 or fill out our contact form to have a team member reach out to you.