Truck accidents are often far more severe than other types of car accidents. This is because trucks are much bigger, heavier, and harder to control than cars or motorcycles – which means that when they crash into smaller vehicles, people in the smaller vehicles can suffer serious injuries. This is just one reason why commercial truck drivers are required to have additional licensing (Commercial Drivers’ License) as well as a number of different certifications depending on the type of vehicle, nature of their cargo, and more. However, no amount of licensing will guarantee that a driver will not cause an accident.
These kinds of accidents can happen in many ways – for example, a truck may blow a tire on the highway, causing it to skid out of control. Or two vehicles may collide while both drivers are attempting to pass through an intersection. When this happens, there is often catastrophic damage involved – people in passenger cars may be drastically injured on impact; occupants of commercial trucks may suffer crushed limbs or internal organ damage; cargo can shift during collisions or wrecks, injuring others. In fact, shifting cargo may be the cause of an accident to begin with.
People who have been injured in truck accidents may suffer from a number of different injuries – broken bones, head injuries, crush injuries, soft tissue damage, and back injuries are just a few. In some cases, people may not realize that they have suffered an injury immediately after the accident due to shock or because the accident was so severe that it initially seemed as if nothing bad happened.
In either case, it is important for people to seek medical attention right away after a truck accident. This will help them identify any injuries they have sustained and make sure they get treatment for those injuries early on.
Contact 1-800-Injured To Connect With a Personal Injury Attorney Right Away
1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service. After a collision, it can be overwhelming trying to take on the responsibility of reaching out to different law firms. That is because you are also trying to make sure that you get appropriate medical care and are handling the rest of the many responsibilities after getting into an accident. Instead of taking on this extra work, we will take on this process for you and connect you with an experienced personal injury attorney so you can get a free consultation about your case.
Common Injuries Stemming From Truck Accidents
The following are just a few of the many different ways that someone can be injured in a truck accident. The following injuries are not prerequisites for filing a personal injury claim. Whether or not you see your injury listed below, we encourage you to reach out to our team as soon as possible to connect with a personal injury lawyer to get a free consultation and case evaluation.
Whiplash
This is a neck injury that happens when the head and neck are snapped back and forth very fast. It can also happen in side-impact collisions because the head hits the inside of the car. It is common for people who have suffered from whiplash and other similar soft-tissue injuries to only notice their condition hours, or even days, after the accident. Most often, a victim of whiplash will wake up the following day and realize that they are in far worse condition than they were at the scene of the accident.
Herniated Discs
This is a condition caused by a burst or torn disc in a person’s lower back, which then pushes against spinal nerves to cause pain, numbness, or weakness in various parts of the body. The disc can burst from an impact to the spine from the front, back, or side. With ruptured or herniated discs, it is vital for victims to go through rehabilitation treatment immediately after their accident so they can avoid permanent damage down the road.
Head Injuries
These injuries may range from concussions to broken bones in the skull to bleeding in the brain. A traumatic brain injury can have lifelong repercussions or even be fatal. If you suspect that you or a loved one has suffered from any sort of injury to the brain or head, it is important to connect with a medical professional immediately.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can happen when an impact causes the bones in the neck to break and slip out of position, which may then sever the spine. This is a very serious injury that victims should not attempt to treat on their own – they should seek immediate medical attention right after an injury. That way doctors can immobilize them until they have surgery to repair or stabilize their injury.
Common Causes of Port St. Lucie Truck Accidents
The following list of truck accident causes is only meant to serve as a list of examples and is nowhere near comprehensive. Whether or not you see the cause of your truck accident below, contact us as soon as possible to have an in-depth conversation with an experienced personal injury attorney today.
Blowouts
A tire can blow out with enough force to cause a truck driver to lose control of their vehicle. This is just one of many different mechanical or equipment failures that can cause a serious accident.
Road Rage
When one driver cuts another off or does something else that angers them, they may respond by intentionally crashing into them – which is not only illegal but also incredibly dangerous because of the force involved when a truck slams into a car.
Driver Fatigue
Truck drivers often drive long hours without getting adequate sleep, which is an accident waiting to happen. There are strict “hours of service” that truck drivers must adhere to that limit the amount of time they can spend on the road. But anyone who has been tired at work can understand that your working hours are not the only factor that can lead to you being tired throughout the day.
Inadequate Training
Trucking companies often do not require their drivers to have enough training before taking a road test, which can be deadly when the truck is so large and heavy that one slight mistake can cause a serious accident.