Richmond Truck Accident Lawyer
We rely on truck drivers to transport goods in our state and all across the nation. Even though truck driving requires special training and licensing, truck drivers make mistakes behind the wheel sometimes too. When a truck driver is distracted, negligent, or reckless, they could cause an accident that could easily be deadly.
When you’ve been in an accident with a large truck, a Richmond, KY truck accident lawyer from the Law Office of Todd W. Burris can help you. Semi trucks are up to 30 times larger and heavier than regular sized vehicles, which is why truck accidents are so dangerous and cause debilitating injuries. Filing a claim holds the truck driver, company, or manufacturer responsible for their actions and prevents others from falling victim to a truck accident.
Let’s take a look at Kentucky truck accident statistics so we can better understand how frequently these events happen in our state.
Kentucky Truck Accident Statistics
Much like other parts of the country, Kentucky relies on trucking for many goods. In Kentucky, nearly 10,000 truck accidents happened in 2018, according to the crash report from the Kentucky Traffic Safety Data Services (KTSDS). A truck, in this report, is defined as weighing over 10,000 pounds. Of those 10,000 accidents, over 2,000 people were injured as a result, and 110 people died.
When trucks collide with regular sized vehicles, the accident can be especially deadly for the passengers in regular sized vehicle. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in fatal truck collisions, 63 percent of victims were occupants of a passenger vehicle compared to 16 percent of victims who were occupants of a large truck.
When looking at how many truck accidents happen in Kentucky, examining the most common causes of collisions can help us understand why and how they happen.
Common Causes of Truck Wrecks in Kentucky
Truck accidents can be caused by drivers, their trucking company, or truck manufacturers. By looking at the causes of truck accidents in Kentucky, we can help address and prevent these situations from happening as often, and hopefully avoid more collisions from happening. According to the KTSDS report from above, these are the most common causes for truck accidents in Kentucky:
- Driver inattention
- Distraction
- Misjudged clearance
- Lost control
- Failure to yield
- Following too closely
- Speeding
- Alcohol
While there are other causes of accidents between trucks, with regular sized cars, or bicyclists, motorcyclists, or pedestrians, these are the factors that caused most of the accidents in Kentucky in 2018. It’s important to note that all of the above causes were driver error, but that’s not always what causes a truck accident. Sometimes the trucking company or truck manufacturer are at fault.
Some ways these entities could be at fault could be:
- Improper loading
- Improperly secured load
- Overloaded trailer
- Defective brakes
- Bad tires
When you’ve been in a large truck accident, you likely don’t know for sure what caused your accident since it could be a number of different factors that led to the crash. That’s where a Richmond, KY truck accident lawyer can help you. Our attorneys will fully investigate what happened and determine who caused your accident and prove liability of the driver, trucking company, or truck manufacturer.
What You Can Recover in a Truck Accident Claim
Once liability is proven in the semi truck accident that caused your injuries and damages, then you can recover damages. With the help of a truck accident attorney, you’ll know what you can collect in compensation from the person or party responsible for your wreck. The two main kinds of damages that you can recover are economic and noneconomic.
Economic damages are the physical and monetary losses that you incurred from the accident. Your lawyer will ask you for documentation of medical bills, treatment costs, medication, repair bills, and lost wages to calculate how much you’re owed. They will also be able to include future medical bills, treatment costs, equipment costs, and projected lost income if your injury will take a long time to heal, or if you’re permanently disabled as a result of the accident.
Noneconomic damages are more abstract but can still be recovered. Some noneconomic damages that you can be compensated for are pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life. These can be more subjective and harder to put an amount on, but your truck accident lawyer will know how to get you the compensation you deserve for your losses.
Hire a Richmond Truck Accident Lawyer
The injuries and damages suffered in a truck accident can be debilitating and change the lives of everyone involved. Hiring a Richmond, KY truck accident lawyer from the Law Office of Todd W. Burris could help you financially recover from your accident while you focus on your physical and emotional recovery.
Our expert lawyers know exactly how to help you through your legal claim and get you the justice you deserve. Contact us today so we can get started on your claim right away.
