Are Truck Accident Claims Worth More than Car Accident Claims?
When it comes to injury claims, it’s important to know that compensation is based on damages. That means that the amount of money a person can receive depends on how much their life was affected by their injury. The greater the medical bills, the longer they’re out of work, and the more pain and suffering they incur, the more money they may be able to receive.
That means that someone slipping and falling on a wet floor could result in a bigger payout than someone who is hit by a drunk driver at interstate speeds. That’s because the person who slipped and fell could suffer far more serious injuries, including paralysis, than the person in the vehicle, who may suffer only minor injuries.
When it comes to truck accident claims vs car accident claims, truck accident claims usually, but don’t always, result in more money for victims. That’s because of physics. Semi-trucks weigh up to 80,000 pounds, while even oversized SUVs weigh only around 6,000 pounds. Crashes involving semi-trucks are more likely to cause greater damages than crashes involving passenger vehicles simply because they weigh so much more.
As a victim of an auto accident or any other type of injury, it can be difficult to determine how much money your claim is worth on your own. At Skolrood Law Firm, our Roanoke truck accident lawyers can investigate every aspect of your accident, including all the ways it has and will affect your life. Then, we’ll work hard to get you full compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation.
How Do Lawsuits After Box Truck Crashes Work?
Semi-trucks aren’t the only “big trucks” on the road. Big trucks also include box trucks, which can range in size from small moving trucks to massive furniture-haulers. When people are involved in crashes with box trucks, the steps they can take to get compensation can very depending on the size of them.
Many box truck crashes are dealt with the same way as any other vehicle crashes, especially if they’re under Class 7 in size (under 26,0001 lbs). That means they don’t require a CDL to operate. However, if they’re Class 7 or Class 8 and/or they’re used for interstate commerce, they can be subject to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations.
When vehicles and their drivers are subject to those regulations, there are far more ways that negligence can be a factor. For example, the driver may have failed to abide by hours-of-service regulations. Or the company using the truck may have failed to properly inspect it or load it safely.
The path your lawsuit takes and who can be held liable depend on the size of the truck that hit you and the business it was being used for. At Skolrood Law Firm, our Roanoke truck accident lawyers can investigate your truck accident and determine the best path for getting you full compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation.
What Happens When Other Drivers Are to Blame for Truck Accidents?
It’s easy to point the finger at people and parties associated with big trucks after accidents. Many people involved in those crashes assume that the truck drivers themselves are liable. And if not them, then surely the truck companies or even truck owners. But sometimes, none of those parties are liable.
Instead, the responsibility may fall on another driver who may or may not have even been involved in the crash. These types of crashes can happen when a negligent driver does something that causes a truck driver to lose control. For example, they may cut off a truck driver, forcing him to slam on his brakes, resulting in a jackknife scenario.
Another situation may involve a truck driver being forced to swerve to avoid a guaranteed collision. But in the process of swerving, he may lose control of his truck and crash into nearby vehicles. In some cases, drivers can even clip trucks, and even though semi-trucks significantly outweigh passenger vehicles, that amount of force can still send trucks careening into the paths of other vehicles.
In these cases, all of the liability may fall on the other drivers. The tricky part can be tracking them down if they left the scene of the crashes or assigning them blame if they were involved in the crashes themselves. That’s because these situations often devolve into finger pointing and he said, she said scenarios.
At Skolrood Law Firm, our Roanoke truck accident lawyers know how to separate fact from fiction and get full compensation for truck accident victims regardless of who was at fault. Contact us today for a free consultation.
