Head-on Truck Accident Attorney

The typical passenger vehicle weighs about 5,000 lbs with many crossovers and cars weighing much less than this. In comparison, 18-wheelers in Alabama weigh as much as 80,000 lbs. Needless to say, when these trucks collide with lighter, smaller vehicles, the damage is devastating. Head-on collisions between vehicles of a similar size are the most deadly kind on the roadways. When one vehicle is significantly larger, such as in head-on truck accidents, the survival rate of those in the passenger vehicles drops significantly.

Truck drivers are significantly overworked in America due to a shortage of workers and an increase in the demand for shipping activities across the country. This often leads to fatigue, which causes many to fall asleep at the wheel. This causes some of the worst accidents as the trucker may not apply the brakes until it is far too late.

How Accidents Often Occur

When sharing the Alabama roads with truck drivers, it is important to watch out for unsafe driving behaviors. If you spot these early, you can take precautions, such as moving out of the lane or taking a different route altogether. Unfortunately, in most instances, the occupants of passenger vehicles never get the time to react.

• Trailer Jackknifing: Exhaustion is just one of the many reasons a trucker may lose control of his vehicle. When this happens, the back swings forward, causing it to plunge forward into oncoming traffic at an angle.
• Improper Passing Procedures: Generally speaking, truckers should maintain slower speeds than passenger vehicles. Still, many truckers speed to the point of overtaking smaller vehicles. If they fail to make it back into their lane in time, this can cause them to collide into oncoming traffic.
• Disobeying Laws: You have probably seen a truck run a red light at least once in your life. If it was your turn to go, it was probably one of the most terrifying things you have ever witnessed. Running stop signs is another way truckers often collide with other vehicles.
• Poor Turning: Turning a larger vehicle requires greater skill and concentration than turning smaller ones. If the trucker makes a wrong move, it could fail to correct a wide or too-close turn in time and collide with oncoming traffic.

Responsibilities of Truck Drivers

Some truck drivers are passionate about what they do. They get up every day before a major trip excited and ready to go. They are fully rested and have healthy meals planned for the days ahead. They abstain from substances and fully intend to comply with the rules of the road.

Then, there are other drivers that do not take their responsibilities seriously enough. Truckers have a greater responsibility than drivers of passenger vehicles. When they get behind the wheel of a vehicle that can have such damaging effects, they owe it to themselves and others to be in the best shape possible.

Over the past few years, several states and the previous administration stepped forward to limit how many hours truckers could drive daily. Many commercial drivers welcomed the change. Several others have since lobbied the current administration to consider overturning these laws. Overturning the previous laws would allow them to spend more time behind the wheel, putting passenger vehicles at even higher risk.

Complexities of Truck Crash Cases

An accident is a complex enough case to tackle whether you are the victim or the loved one of the affected individuals. Insurance companies often do not want to pay. Even worse, the driver may not be insured at all. In other instances, they may have taken off before you could observe anything to identify them.

What makes truck crashes even more complicated is that you may find yourself up against a company instead of just a person. These companies have millions or even billions of dollars at their disposal to fight the case and pay you nothing. Because of this, many victims and their families turn to a head-on truck accident attorney for help.

Without professional help, it would be difficult to win a case when the company insists they are not responsible. In other cases, they may admit fault but downplay your injuries to reduce the compensation you deserve. What’s even worse in these instances is when the person hired a head-on truck accident lawyer who charges his fees upfront. They now have to pay for a lawsuit they didn’t win.

Contact Us

At Prince Glover Hayes, we don’t charge you anything if we do not win your case. This compels our lawyers to put their best foot forward every time to get you the highest compensation value possible. It also means that you never have to worry about legal fees if the commercial entity manages to sway the judge or jury in their favor.

The strength of your initial case is crucial to the chances of winning. Only an attorney can confirm if they believe you have enough evidence to go to court. Some compelling pieces of evidence include dashcam footage, eyewitness accounts, and detailed medical records. Give us a call at 205.345.1234.