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(314) 500-HURTHow truck accidents are different from car accidents. Driving accidents can happen to anyone at any time.
While cars are the most commonly used mode of transportation on roads, commercial trucks also play a vital role in
moving goods across the country. Unfortunately, truck accidents can be more catastrophic than car accidents due to their size and weight. Burger Law‘s truck accident
lawyers have over 30 years of experience getting maximum compensation in auto cases, and to date have won
over $200 million in compensation for our clients. If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, call
Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form. Based in St. Louis
and Chicago, we serve the injured and their families throughout Missouri and Illinois.
To find out how much your truck accident claim may be worth, fill out our free personal injury calculator.
The most obvious difference between trucks and cars is their size and weight. Trucks are much larger and heavier than
cars, making them much more dangerous in the event of an accident. A semi-truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, while
a car typically weighs around 3,000 pounds. Force = mass x velocity, so even if driving at appropriate speeds, truck
accidents typically cause more damage because they weight more.
Additionally, due to their size and weight, trucks require more space to stop and are harder to maneuver than cars.
This makes it much more difficult for a truck driver to avoid an accident, even if they are following all the rules
of the road.
While you might see an occasional car with a tied down trunk or camping equipment on the roof, cars generally don’t
have much cargo. Trucks often transport hazardous materials, heavy machinery, and other large items that can cause
even more damage if they come loose in the event of an accident. The cargo can also shift during transit, making the
truck more difficult to control.
Most cars can get by with an oil change every once in a while, but trucks require ongoing and extensive maintenance
to ensure they can perform properly and aren’t a danger to anyone on the road. Because of this, there are federal regulations that mandate how often
trucks need to receive maintenance and who needs to maintain them. Breaking those rules can cause catastrophic
damages to people on the road.
Determining liability in a truck accident is often more complex than
in a car accident. Truck accidents often involve multiple parties, including the driver, the trucking company, the
cargo owner and even the manufacturer of the truck or its parts. Each party may share some degree of responsibility
for the accident, and determining fault requires a thorough investigation of all parties involved.
Drivers themselves are also held to different standards of negligence and liability. For example, there is a lower blood alcohol
concentration limit for truck drivers and it’s illegal form them to drive without enough sleep.
Meanwhile, while a manufacturer can be liable for a car accident in some circumstances, 90 percent of car accidents are caused by driver error. In the majority
of car accident claims, you’ll be making a claim against a single driver.
Driver error causes most car accidents. While driver error can cause truck accidents, there are also many other
factors unique to trucks that can come into play:
Added truck accident causes and liability ultimately makes truck accidents more complicated than car accidents. In
addition to other parties being at fault, truck accidents also tend to cause more harm, involve more vehicles and
have a larger crash site. This can create a more difficult scene to evaluate, and you and your truck accident lawyer
will also have to check logs to see how the truck was maintained and handled.
The flip side of a more complicated investigation is that truck accidents offer more evidence. There are black boxes
and other electronic logging devices (ELDS), driving and maintenance logs, cargo loading manifests and even truck
company hiring or screening records.
If you own a vehicle, you have to have insurance. Missouri and Illinois have almost identical minimum insurance
coverage requirements for standard passenger cars:
While a car owner can opt for higher coverage, the policy limits
for passenger cars often don’t exceed $100,000 or $150,000. If your damages exceed the policy limits, you’ll have to
look at other options and insurance policies for full compensation.
Because truck accidents can cause so much damage, the policy limits in a truck accident are much higher, typically in
the millions of dollars. This has two main consequences:
In a car accident, you’re usually going up against a single driver and an insurance adjuster. In truck accidents, you have to fight
a large corporation and an insurance company dedicated to minimizing your claim. That can make truck accident cases
more difficult to win, and at time, nearly impossible to do so without the help of an experienced truck accident
attorney.
You only have one chance to get full compensation for your injuries – don’t let it slip. Only dedicated and
experienced injury attorneys who won’t back down from a fight can get you the recovery you deserve. Call Burger Law
today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.
Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO
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