When negligence leads to common causes of truck accidents in Charleston, victims need to take note of their legal options. An attorney well-versed in handling truck collisions could work with you to determine negligence, parties responsible, and the goals that could suit your needs as a victim. You do not have to deal with tragedy alone, reach out to an attorney.
Important Reasons Why Charleston Truck Accident Victims Should Contact an Attorney
Probably one of the biggest and important reasons to contact an experienced truck accident attorney is that there is not only state law, not just the uniform traffic code, and not just the rules of the road and common law rules regarding the accident, there are myriad rules. Federal rules, laws, and regulations that apply to tractor-trailers and trucking cases from the federal motor carrier rules to the commercial driver’s license rules apply to these tractor-trailer drivers as well. When truckers ignore these rules, that leads to common causes of truck accidents in Charleston.
Typically, the damages and the injuries that occur after a tractor-trailer accident, versus a car or a pickup truck, could result in death or very serious personal injuries. When there is a tractor-trailer versus a car or a truck, there is a professional driver versus a civilian driver, and in almost all cases, the professional driver is operating a much larger vehicle.
The person operating that tractor-trailer is required to have a commercial driver’s license. They are required to have the skill, training, and testing to obtain that license and to maintain that license. There are a whole set of state and federal rules, laws, and regulations that apply to that driver, and if that driver or the driver’s company that they are working for violates it in any way, it would likely lead to aggravated damages and/or a liability case that could easily result in a greater recovery on behalf of the injured plaintiff’s in a case.
Common Causes of Truck Wrecks in Charleston
The most common causes of these personal accidents with tractor-trailers come in all shapes and sizes. However, South Carolina roads have become crowded. There is a lot of traffic coming down major corridors like I-95 from the north and I-26 from the west from Georgia and other states. There is a lot of traffic and activity in the Charleston area from the Wando Terminal to the Columbus Terminal, and there is a record number of containers coming in through the port of South Carolina. That leads to a lot more tractor-trailer trucks being on the road, a lot more congestion, and more opportunities for accidents and wrecks to occur.
There has been a rise in the number of accidents and also in the severity of the accidents in that instead of it being just one tractor-trailer running into one other car, for example when there is a wreck, multiple vehicles are often involved because of the density of traffic on the major interstates and highways where the accidents occur.
Common Injuries Sustained by Drivers and Passengers of Truck Accidents
The injuries that occur in truck accidents come in all shapes and sizes. Because of the weight and speed of a tractor-trailer and the loads that they are carrying that add to their weight, the injuries, many times, are more catastrophic, more severe, and more permanent in nature than a regular fender-bender might be.
Brain injuries are common. The impact is often so great that the plaintiff could experience head trauma from the steering wheel, from the airbags, or from hitting the roof of a car or side window of their car. Traumatic brain injuries are serious permanent injuries that completely destroy and change the life of the person who has them.
There are also neck and back injuries or herniated discs, other spinal injuries, fresh fractures in the spine, the middle back or low back, all the way to broken ribs, and knee problems from hitting dashboards. Every part of the body can be impacted and affected by a serious tractor-trailer accident.
Unique Ways to Remedy Charleston Truck Wrecks
Some unique ways that Charleston truck accidents are handled are that all the rules, regulations and laws, both state and federal, have to be examined. For example, drivers could only drive for a certain period of time and potentially limit the common causes of Charleston truck accidents. They have to take a rest. They have to take breaks. They have to keep log records of their driving and then make sure that they follow the rules.
When a tractor-trailer is involved, there is a whole series and bodies of law that need to be investigated and applied to that tractor-trailer driver’s conduct and the entity or employer’s conduct to help determine who is at fault and what types of damages need to be paid by the truck driver to the injured parties in the case.
Speak with a Legal Representative Today
Poor maintenance, lack of sleep, and disregard for laws and safety regulations could all be considered common causes of truck accidents in Charleston. When these awful collisions occur, victims need to know that there are legal representatives that could help them. If you or a loved one survived a truck accident only to be left with medical bills, loss of property, and pain and suffering, then you need to reach out to an attorney who could file a claim and take a case to court if negligence transpired. Speak to an attorney today.
