Truckers are essential to our economy and are responsible for transporting goods that we use every day. With their prevalence on the road, it is no surprise that 18-wheelers are involved in accidents throughout New Jersey, including in Princeton. A fully loaded truck is a lot bigger than a regular car, so accidents involving trucks have tragic consequences.
After such a life-changing event, you need someone to guide you through this uncertain time. At the Law Offices of Greg Prosmuskin, P.C., our experienced Princeton Truck Accident Attorneys will walk you through every step and help you navigate these tricky waters. Our lawyers will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
How Can A Princeton Truck Accident Attorney Help You?
Hiring a Princeton Truck accident attorney can make all the difference to the outcome of your case. Accident lawyers have dealt with many truck accidents; conversely, the experience is likely novel to you. There are countless ways an experienced attorney can help you. Below are a few things a truck accident lawyer will do when working on a case.
- Investigating the Accident: When you initially present the circumstances of your accident to a lawyer, they will examine the details and evaluate whether you have a strong, valid case.
- Gathering Evidence: Once the attorney determines that you have a valid claim, they will begin collecting the evidence needed to build your lawsuit. This can include going to the scene of the accident, contacting witnesses, reviewing video footage, and looking over your medical reports and expenses.
- Sending Demand Letters and Negotiating with Insurance Companies: A lawyer will most likely send a demand letter to the negligent party’s insurance company outlining the facts of the case and the amount you are demanding in compensation. After the demand letter is sent, the attorney will talk to the insurance companies and ensure any settlement reached is fair to you.
- Court Representation: When a fair settlement cannot be reached with the insurance companies. Our Princeton personal injury lawyers will take your case to court and fight to get you the largest verdict possible.
What Causes Most Truck Accidents in the Princeton?
Accidents involving 18-wheelers are extremely serious. In an incident, the lives of those involved can be irreversibly changed. There are many reasons that these tragedies can occur; a few of the most common are detailed below:
- Distracted Driving: If a driver looks at their phone or messes with the radio, their eyes are not on the road. This causes drivers to miss signals or hazards and can lead to accidents.
- Improper Loading of Cargo: If these large 18-wheelers are not correctly loaded, their cargo can shift during transport. In some cases, the cargo shifting can cause drivers to lose control.
- Poor Maintenance: Roads littered with potholes and cracked pavement can pose a serious risk to trucks. If a semi-truck hits a pothole, the driver may lose control and cause an accident.
- Speeding: Truck drivers are under pressure from their employers to meet delivery quotas. This pressure causes many truckers to speed, increasing the chances of a tragic accident.
- Driving Under the Influence: Alcohol and drugs impair a driver’s judgment and lowers their reaction times. These impairments lead to more accidents and more life-changing injuries.
- Driving While Tired: Fatigue can decrease a driver’s reaction time like alcohol. When a tired driver is operating a massive truck at a high speed, the results are often tragic.
- Aggressive Driving: Tailgating, weaving through traffic, and failing to use a turn signal are all considered aggressive driving. Aggressive driving creates hazardous road conditions and increases the risk of semi-truck accidents.
- Weather Conditions: Rain, snow, and ice can reduce visibility and make the road surface slippery. These hazardous conditions can lead to life-changing accidents.
Common Types of Truck Accident Injuries in Princeton
Semi-trucks are heavier and larger than anything else on the road. When collisions involving them happen, they do severe damage. Accidents suffered by victims of truck accidents can have a lifelong impact. A few of the most common are listed below :
- Broken Bones: Crashes are powerful and generate a lot of force. This force can break bones in any part of the body.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: These injuries can be extremely devasting and lead to partial or full-body paralysis.
- Lacerations: Cuts from a truck accident can be painful and leave massive, disfiguring scars. Additionally, if the wounds are not properly treated, they can become infected, leading to further medical problems.
- Burns: Trucks can haul a wide variety of materials, including gasoline and petroleum products. These flammable materials can cause burns when the truck carrying them is involved in an accident.
- Internal Injuries: Blunt trauma from crashes can cause internal bleeding to organs such as the bladder, liver, kidney, and spleen. These injuries may not be immediately apparent, so it is essential that you see a medical professional after a crash.
- RIB and Torso Injuries: The ribs protect the body’s vital organs. When the force of the crash injures them, the result can be severe and deadly.
- Seat Belt Injuries: Seat belts are there to protect you. However, they can sometimes cause injuries like whiplash during a crash.
- Back and Neck Injuries: These injuries can range from minor neck pain to ruptured discs in the spine. Since the back and neck are critical to everything you do, these injuries often prevent people from returning to daily life.
Types of Truck Accidents in Princeton
There are various types of crashes that can involve tractor-trails. A few of the most common types of accidents are detailed below:
- Truck Rollovers: 18-wheelers have a high center of gravity. This makes them more prone to tip and roll over during an accident. Additionally, overloaded or improperly secured trailers can cause trucks to roll over much more easily.
- T-Bone Accidents: These accidents are also called side-impact or broadside crashes. Jackknife accidents often occur at intersections when someone runs a red light, ignores a stop sign, or violates the right of way.
- Rear-End Collisions: A truck’s large size makes it harder to maneuver and needs more time to slow down. Often, accidents happen when the 18-wheeler does not have enough time to stop.
- Jackknife Accidents: When a truck driver applies the brakes too quickly or too hard, the truck’s cab can slow down much faster than the trailer. This causes the trailer to move in a fishtail motion. Such an unpredictable movement creates obstacles for other drivers and hits other vehicles.
- Head-On Collisions: Drivers can drift into oncoming traffic when they are reckless, fatigued, distracted, or under the influence. These accidents can cause horrendous damage and injuries.
- Wide Turn Accidents: 18-wheelers need a lot of space to make turns. Trucks often have to veer into oncoming traffic or neighboring lanes to make turns. If a car is trying to pass an 18-wheeler while turning, the truck may crash into the smaller car.
- Sideswipe Accidents: Trucks have large blind spots. If truck drivers do not check these blind spots before driving, they can sideswipe neighboring cars and cause them to drift into other lanes, causing devasting accidents.
Can I Still Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for My Truck Accident in Princeton?
Like many questions in law, the answer is: it depends. Different states have different laws when it comes to a partially at-fault party seeking compensation for their injuries. New Jersey follows a modified comparative negligence rule. This rule allows someone to seek compensation as long as they are not more than 50% at fault for the accident. But, if you are found to be more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover any damages.
If you are found partially at fault, your award will be reduced by the percentage you are being found responsible. For example, if you are awarded $100,000 but found 35% at fault, you will only be given $65,000.
What is My Princeton Truck Accident Case Worth?
The worth of your accident case can vary widely. There are a variety of factors that will determine what your case is worth. These factors include but are not limited to the value of your damaged or totaled car, the cost of your existing and future medical bills, the amount of lost wages, and the cost of your pain and suffering.
Remember, you must prove that the other party is negligent to receive any compensation. Additionally, you cannot be found more than 50% at fault to receive any compensation.
What Damages Are Available After a Truck Accident in Princeton?
Between medical bills, lost wages, and property repair costs, you can feel like you are drowning in debt after an accident. Fortunately, there are ways to be reimbursed for all these expenses. There are two types of damages you can seek: compensatory and punitive.
- Compensatory Damages: The goal of these damages is to put the non-negligent party in the same position they would have been if the accident had never happened. Courts commonly award compensatory damages in truck accident cases. There are two kinds of compensatory damages: economic and non-economic.
- Economic damages are quantifiable losses directly linked to the accident. They are monetary and easy to calculate. Economic damages include compensation for lost wages, property damage, and medical bills.
- Non-Economic: These damages are also commonly awarded but are harder to calculate. Non-economic damages are indirect, nonfinancial costs, including loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and emotional distress.
- Punitive Damages: These damages are rarely awarded in personal injury cases. The goal of these damages is to punish the negligent party. For a court to award these damages, the negligent party must have acted with a conscious disregard for the safety of others; their conduct must have been egregious, bordering on criminal.
How Do I Prove Negligence After My Truck Accident in the Princeton?
A person is negligent when they act in an unreasonable manner and fail to exercise reasonable care. In other words, a negligent party does not act in a way a reasonable person would. To prove negligence, you must meet the following elements:
- Duty of Care: When operating a motor vehicle of any kind, a driver has a duty to operate the vehicle safely and responsibly.
- Breach of Duty: When drivers engage in unsafe behavior, such as speeding or texting while driving, they have failed to exercise reasonable care and breached their duty. Police reports and witness statements help prove that the driver breached their duty.
- Causation: You must show that the driver’s unsafe behavior caused the accident and your injuries.
- Damages: Finally, you must show that you suffered damages as a result of the accident. This can be demonstrated through medical bills, lost wages, and property.
How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Lawsuit?
The statute of limitations is a law that restricts the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit. In New Jersey, you generally have two years from the date of the truck accident to file a lawsuit. Once this deadline passes, you will likely be barred from collecting any compensation for your injuries and damages, no matter how severe.
If your family member has been killed in a truck accident, you may be able to bring a wrongful death suit. In these cases, you have two years from the date of your loved one’s death to file.
Contact a Princeton Truck Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
A truck accident can completely change your life in a few seconds. After such a shock, the last thing you need to deal with is the intricate legal process. You should only focus on healing and recovering. Let the dedicated, experienced Truck Accident Lawyers at the Law Offices of Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. handle your legal matters. Our attorneys will use their vast knowledge of New Jersey law to secure the compensation you deserve. Contact us at (215)799-9990 for your FREE consultation TODAY and see how our team can fight for you!