Truck Accident Lawyers in Lexington
When preventable accidents result in serious injury, victims can sustain tremendous damages. Victims and drivers often incur significant medical expenses and lose income due to not being able to work. In addition, people who are hurt in accidents often experience substantial physical and emotional pain and suffering. Fortunately, South Carolina laws allow victims to recover compensation for these and other damages that they may experience as a result of a preventable accident. Our Lexington Truck Accident Lawyers at the Strom Law Firm are familiar with litigating South Carolina personal injury cases can often help victims recover substantially more compensation than they would be able to retain on their own, so it is highly advisable for anyone injured in a South Carolina accident to discuss their legal options with an experienced Lexington Truck Accident Lawyers.
The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) reports that, in 2018, there were 106,821 accidents in the United States involving a commercial trucking vehicle. Almost 4,500 of those were fatal accidents. Because of the size and weight of these vehicles, any type of negligent, reckless, or careless driving can have serious and devastating consequences for truck drivers and victims.
If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a truck accident, you need an attorney working on the case immediately. The Lexington truck accident lawyers at the Strom Law Firm can ensure that your personal injury claim is timely initiated, preserved, and filed to seek the compensation you deserve.
How Do Truck Crash Accidents Usually Happen in Lexington?
All of us have traveled the highways and roads throughout the Lexington area and are aware of the increasingly heavy traffic, particularly on major interstates like Highway 378, Highway 1, I-20, and even I-95. Eighteen wheelers, construction vehicles, farm vehicles, and other multi-axle and commercial vehicles often rush to stay on schedule and beat deadlines. They are heavy. They are fast. They are weighted down by the load. When they collide with a smaller vehicle, damages and serious injuries can occur.
The best truck accident lawyers agree that truck drivers sometimes operate these large vehicles in negligent or careless ways. These drivers may be driving for long hours on the road leading to physical exhaustion and less attention to their driving on SC roads. Other times, truckers have used medications and drugs to help them stay awake. Some regular causes of truck accidents in Lexington and across Lexington County include:
- Reckless driving
- Inexperience
- Driving Under the Influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI)
- Improper turning procedures
- Failure to maintain lanes
- Exhaustion
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Distractions while driving
- Drivers carrying too much load
Some SC accidents are caused by defective truck parts rather than a negligent driver. This type of truck accident could include problems with the brakes, tires, lights, faulty maintenance, etc. Faulty pre-trip inspections by the truck company could be to blame. Sometimes, these defects could give rise to a claim for products liability against the manufacturer, distributor, or against the maintenance facility that performed repairs on the truck. Contacting an experienced Lexington truck accident attorney in SC to review the case and determine the best course to follow can help you secure the compensation you deserve for your truck accident damages.
Common Truck Accidents
As with any type of motor vehicle collision, there can be an array of different ways these accidents occur. Truck and car accidents can range from fender benders to catastrophic accidents, with fatalities or permanent disabilities. Usually, Lexington truck accidents involve rear-end collisions, overturns as a result of taking a turn too sharply, failure to yield the right of way, illegal turns, or hydroplaning, multiple car pile-ups, chemical spills on the SC roadways, and failing to tie down the cargo securely.
Occasionally, late night or early morning accidents can be caused when a vehicle is either not equipped with or does not use its high beams and fails to see a hazard in the roadway. If the trailer’s haul is not loaded and secured appropriately, it can become dislodged from the trailer and careen into other cars on the SC road. Drivers on the other end of such a situation will find themselves in a serious, maybe even deadly accident.
Common Truck Accident Injuries
These accidents are the reason for many fatalities each year on the South Carolina roadways. The weight and mass of a commercial truck is the reason there is such a crushing force in these accidents. If a person involved in a tractor-trailer accident does not lose their life, he or she will rarely walk away from the accident unscathed. The damage these types of collisions can cause include severe trauma, friction burns, or other severe injuries that are not always present in other types of car accidents. The most common truck accident injuries that we have seen include:
Back Injuries and Spinal Cord Damage
The size and weight of a tractor-trailer can come into play when there is an injury to someone’s back. An impact on a person’s back can cause damage to the spinal cord. The brain receives sensory information through the spinal cord. If it is damaged in an accident, these functions can be compromised. An accident where the back is injured often results in fractured vertebrae which wraps around the spinal cord, and can also result in injuries to the sensitive nerves in the spinal cord. As such, misalignment of the spine can damage the spinal cord due to pressure or tear. These injuries can cause conditions ranging from paralysis and issues with moving around to numbness and even incontinence.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Significant blows to the head can cause head injuries known as traumatic brain injuries. Damage to the brain often results in lasting consequences requiring immediate diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Brain damage can lead to cognitive issues that may impact a person’s cognitive activity, emotions, and many other areas of their life. Imagine waking up in a fog, but that fog would be every day for the rest of your life. Brain damage can also be permanent where there is little to be done other than managing the symptoms with medication and physical therapy. Likely traumatic brain injuries seen in truck accidents involve concussions, coup-contrecoup, and brain contusions.
Internal Organ Damage
Internal organs can often be damaged by the force of an accident with a semi-truck or tractor-trailer. Some of the damage to these organs include rupturing, tearing, and contusions, which can all turn out as severe injuries. The organs can lose function, or internal bleeding can lead to damages to the body’s other organs.
Liability of Trucking Companies and Drivers
In South Carolina, the injured motorist can file a claim against a truck driver and their trucking company. You could potentially recover the costs of your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, loss of use, and loss of enjoyment of life. In a more serious truck accident, you might recover compensation for future doctor visits.
Contact a Lexington Truck Accident Law Firm Today for Your Case
Our Lexington Truck Accident Lawyers at the Strom Law Firm are familiar with litigating South Carolina personal injury cases and can often help accident victims recover substantially more compensation than they would be able to retain on their own, so it is highly advisable for anyone injured in an accident to discuss their legal options with one of our Lexington Truck Accident Lawyers.
Severe injuries and lifelong medical expenses resulting from a truck accident are serious issues for accident victims and truck drivers. Experienced Lexington truck accident lawyers at the Strom Law Firm are here to talk to you and review your case. We know what it takes to negotiate with insurance companies. Do not resolve your case for too little or too early. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm are ready to do everything it takes for your truck accident case through depositions, hearings, and trial. Contact us for your free consultation with a Lexington truck accident lawyer today at (803) 252-4800.
