If you have been in a truck accident in Minnesota, you know it can be life-changing. Your whole life can be turned upside down in the blink of an eye.
Tractor-trailer and semi-truck accidents often result in life-altering, severe injuries. Such injuries can lead to extreme physical pain, high medical bills, and debilitating emotional distress. Minnesota truck crash lawyers have experience helping accident victims recover financial compensation from a commercial vehicle accident.
At 1-800-Injured, we can put you in contact with professional Minnesota truck accident attorneys who can help fight for your rights.
After a Minnesota Truck Accident
Trucking companies are often strategic following a truck accident to minimize their liabilities. The trucking industry knows what they must do and can arrive and scour the accident scene for evidence or may even work quickly to delete black-box data. While the trucking company is working to protect its bottom line and build its case, you may be fighting for your life in a nearby hospital.
A seasoned Minnesota personal injury lawyer is available to protect your well-being and rights while the truck company does everything possible to protect itself.
A Minnesota truck accident lawyer can:
- Gather pertinent evidence at the accident scene
- Examine the crash site and damaged vehicles involved
- Speak to eyewitnesses
- Obtain police reports
- Be in contact with your medical team
- Petition the courts to have black-box data preserved
- Obtain shipping documents and maintenance records
- Review log books and other crucial crash documents
Common Truck Accident Injuries in Minnesota
When someone is in a truck accident, their adrenaline often kicks in, causing temporary minimization of the amount of pain they experience. Injuries are often delayed in these situations where victims do not immediately realize the extent of their injuries.
The injuries that result from truck accidents often vary drastically from broken bones to life-changing damage.
The following are some of the more common injuries that occur with trucking accidents:
- Bruises and lacerations: Cuts and minor internal injuries are common in truck accidents.
- Traumatic brain injuries: Mild brain injuries often come with symptoms of dizziness, nausea, and headaches. More severe brain injuries can cause loss of coordination, unusual behavior, and loss of consciousness. In the most severe cases, brain injuries can cause death or a vegetative state.
- Spinal cord injuries: Spinal cord injuries often result in severe and lifelong disability. In some cases, the damage may result in paralysis.
- Neck and back injuries: Back and neck injuries are prevalent in a car accident. Some neck and back injuries alleviate over time, while more serious injuries can cause longer-lasting pain. These injuries include whiplash, dislocated disks, broken necks, and broken backs.
- Internal injuries: Blunt trauma can result from a truck accident, causing internal bleeding. Internal injuries require immediate medical assistance as they can be difficult to diagnose and treat.
- Broken bones: Fractures and broken bones often occur when a victim has been hit by a large commercial truck. A compound fracture can cause infection and be incredibly dangerous as the bone breaks through the skin. Bone breaks must be diagnosed by medical professionals, and treatment should be received as soon as possible after a truck accident.
- Death: In the worst cases, fatal injuries can result from trucking accidents. If you have lost a loved one to a trucking accident, contact a dedicated wrongful death attorney from a Minneapolis law firm.
If you have been involved in a trucking accident, it is crucial you receive medical attention right away. The above injuries can be life-threatening, and medical professionals can begin providing the medical treatment you need and provide you with a thorough medical report. The medical report is one of the main pieces of evidence for a potential personal injury claim. It is always important to see a doctor after an accident, as the symptoms of any injury can be delayed.
Most Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Minnesota
There are several factors that can contribute to commercial truck accidents. Minnesota truck accident lawyers thoroughly investigate every detail of the collision to determine its cause and identify liability to secure maximum compensation for their clients.
The top factors that contribute to large trucks getting into collisions, based on data from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), include the following:
- Brake problems: Poorly maintained or defective brakes can prevent a truck from stopping in time to avoid a car accident. The FMCSA estimates that problems with brakes contribute to roughly 29% of all trucking crashes.
- Traffic flow interruption: Traffic congestion, prior crashes, and other traffic interruptions are the second leading causes of truck collisions.
- Prescription drug use: Truck drivers are required to take regular alcohol and drug tests. However, some prescription medications can cause an impairment to a driver’s ability to operate their vehicles.
- Over-the-counter drug use: Similar to prescription drugs, many over-the-counter medications can potentially affect a driver’s judgment, reaction time, and motor skills.
- Poor road conditions: Winter weather conditions, such as ice, sleet, and snow, are incredibly hazardous for commercial vehicle drivers. Driving above the speed limit under these conditions could lead to a severe accident.
- Unfamiliarity with the roadway: Truck drivers often have to make deliveries or pick up cargo in areas they are unfamiliar with. FMCSA data shows that around 22% of all truck accidents involve drivers who were unfamiliar with the route.
- Roadway problems: Roads that have not been maintained can play a huge role in severe trucking accidents. Some of the common hazards include work zones, uneven lanes, and potholes.
- Failing to come to a complete stop: Standard-sized vehicles maintain a stopping distance of somewhere around 316 feet. Semi-trucks and large commercial vehicles, however, need roughly 525 feet to stop fully. Truck accidents frequently occur because drivers don’t have enough time or proper space to come to a stop when other vehicles cut them off or stop abruptly.
- Distracted driving: Every driver is in danger of distractions, including external stimuli, food or drink, vehicle controls, and cell phones. Truck drivers need to be particularly vigilant on the road.
- Fatigue: Truck drivers often have long trips they must make without rest. If a truck driver does not get the sleep they need, participates in non-work activities that over-exert them, or drives long distances without taking a break, they can cause severe or fatal truck accidents. Truck driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of truck accidents in Minnesota.
Minnesota law states that commercial vehicles must be inspected annually and are required to display a valid annual inspection sticker. This helps prevent accidents caused by vehicle malfunctions.
Unfortunately, large truck accidents often result in catastrophic injury or death, including fractures, lost limbs, spinal cord injuries, and brain injuries. You need an experienced attorney who understands how these accidents can affect accident survivors and their long-term health.
What Damages Can I Recover Compensation for After a Minnesota Truck Accident?
Truck accident claims help victims recover compensation for their losses. After a truck accident, you may be wondering how much your personal injury case is worth. It is important to note that no two cases are the same, and several factors determine the value of your case.
Personal injury lawyers will carefully look at the specifics of your case and how the injuries you sustained affect your life and future. They will then use that information to fight for the maximum compensation so that you have everything you need to move forward after a Minnesota truck accident.
When looking at how much your truck accident case is worth, attorneys will look at factors such as:
- The extent of your injuries
- Medical expenses
- Estimated cost of future medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of future earnings
- Insurance coverage amounts
- Ability to continue in your profession
Typically, these factors can be broken down into three categories of compensation and can be awarded to trucking collision victims in the following ways:
Economic Damages
Economic damages are for verifiable losses that resulted from the accident, such as:
- Medical bills-including current, past, and future expenses for doctor visits, hospital stays, surgeries, prescription medications, and emergency services
- Lost wages
- Personal property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Lost earning capacity
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are more difficult to quantify and are a more subjective loss. These include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Permanent scarring
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement
In some cases, you may be awarded punitive damages when an accident occurs. Punitive damages are not meant to compensate the injured victim but to punish the defendant for their intentional actions to deter them from committing the act again. To be awarded these damages, the victim’s lawyer must show clear evidence that the defendant deliberately disregarded the safety of others resulting in a truck accident injury.
An insurance company will do everything it can to protect its bottom line and avoid paying what you deserve in a trucking accident case.
Truck accident victims should be compensated for their losses caused by someone else’s negligence. To find out what your legal options are and the value of your case, reach out to us at 1-800-Injured so we can put you in contact with an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Find an Experienced Semi Truck Accident Attorney
As a lawyer and medical directory, our goal is to put you in contact with a skilled and dedicated truck accident attorney who can help you recover damages caused by a negligent driver.
Our truck accident lawyers seek out the most experienced and established personal injury attorneys in Minnesota. Contact 1-800-Injured by phone or online for a free case review and to begin restoring your life after a devastating truck crash.