Truck Accident Lawyers in Bamberg
If you have a Bamberg Truck Accident Case, contact an experienced Bamberg Truck Accident Lawyers like Bakari Sellars can help you navigate your case.
The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) reports that, in 2018, there were 106,821 collisions in the United States involving a commercial trucking vehicle. Almost 4,500 of those were fatal collisions. Because of the size and weight of these vehicles, any type of negligent, reckless, or careless driving can have serious and devastating consequences.
If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a truck accident, you need to have someone working on the case immediately. The Bamberg 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 Trucking Accidents Usually Happen?
All of us have traveled the highways and roads throughout the Bamberg area and are aware of the increasingly heavy traffic, particularly on nearby major interstates like I-26, 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, destruction and serious injuries can occur.
Truck drivers sometimes operate these large vehicles in a negligent or careless way. Sometimes, these drivers may be driving for long hours on the road leading to physical exhaustion and less attention to their driving at hand. Other times, truckers have used medications and drugs to help them stay awake. Some regular causes of truck accidents in Bamberg and across Bamberg County include:
- Exhaustion
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Distractions while driving
- Reckless driving
- Inexperience
- Driving Under the Influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI)
- Improper turning procedures
- Failure to maintain lanes
- Drivers carrying too much load
Some accidents are caused by defective truck parts rather than a negligent driver. These could include problems with the brakes, tires, lights, faulty maintenance, etc. Faulty pre-trip inspections 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 Bamberg Truck Accident Lawyer to review the situation and determine the best course to follow can help you secure the compensation you deserve.
Common Truck Accidents
As with any type of vehicle collision, there can be an array of different ways these accidents occur. They can range from fender benders to catastrophic accidents, with fatalities or permanent disabilities. Usually, Bamberg 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 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 road. Drivers on the other end of such a situation will find themselves in a serious, maybe even deadly situation.
Common Bamberg Truck Accident Injuries
These 18 wheeler accidents are the culprit for many fatalities each year on Bamberg roadways. The weight and mass of a commercial truck increase the crushing force associated with these collisions. While every trucking accident does not result in a fatality, victims involved in a collision with a tractor trailer rarely walk away from the accident unscathed. The damage these types of collisions can cause include severe trauma, head injuries, broken bones, dislocations, burns, and other injuries not always present in other types of car accidents.
Our Bamberg truck accident attorneys have helped survivors who suffered from a variety of serious and catastrophic injuries. We know that no two accident injuries are ever quite the same. That is why our truck accident lawyers work alongside your medical team to determine how your injuries will specifically affect your life – and your future.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Victims of a truck and trailer accident may suffer head injuries known as traumatic brain injuries. Damage to the brain often results in lasting consequences requiring immediate diagnosis and long-term treatment. Brain damage can lead to cognitive issues that may permanently impact a person’s cognitive activity, emotions, and ability to conduct activities of daily living.
Imagine waking up in a fog, but that fog would be every day for the rest of your life. Traumatic brain injuries seen in truck accidents involve concussions, coup-contrecoup, and brain contusions.
SIGNS THAT YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE MAY HAVE SUFFERED A TBI
There are a variety of signs and symptoms associated with traumatic brain injuries. The severity of such symptoms may vary based on the severity of the injury. Common symptoms include:
- Inability to remember the cause of the injury or events that occurred leading up to it.
- Confusion and disorientation.
- Difficulty remembering new information.
- Blurry vision.
- Changes in taste or smell.
- Sensitivity to light.
- Fatigue or drowsiness.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Ringing in the ears.
- Trouble speaking coherently.
- Changes in emotions or sleep patterns.
- Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears.
- Periods of unconsciousness following the injury.
While the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury may appear at the time of injury or immediately after, some symptoms may not develop for days or even weeks.
Back Injuries and Spinal Cord Damage
The size and weight of a tractor-trailer can also result in injury to someone’s spine. 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, these functions can be compromised.
An accident where the back is injured often results in fractured vertebrae and can cause injuries to the sensitive nerves in the spinal cord. These injuries can cause conditions ranging from paralysis and issues with moving around to numbness and even incontinence.
SIGNS THAT YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE MAY HAVE SUFFERED A BACK INJURY
There are a variety of signs and symptoms associated with back injuries. The severity of such symptoms may vary based on the severity of the injury. Common symptoms include:
- Pain or tenderness.
- Pain that worsens with movement.
- Stiffness or difficulty moving.
- Difficulty standing up.
- Muscles spasms on either side of the spine.
- Pain that radiates down one or both legs.
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
- Numbness or pins and needles to the arms, legs, hands, or feet.
- Blood in the urine.
SIGNS THAT YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE MAY HAVE SUFFERED A SPINAL CORD INJURY
There are a variety of signs and symptoms associated with spinal cord injuries. The severity of such symptoms may vary based on the severity of the injury. Common symptoms include:
- Pain or an intense stinging sensation.
- Muscle weakness.
- Loss of voluntary muscle movement in the chest, arms, or legs.
- Breathing problems.
- Loss of feeling in the chest, arms, or legs.
- Loss of bowel and bladder function.
- Loss or altered sensation, including the ability to feel heat, cold, and touch.
- Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity, and fertility.
- Difficulty with balance and walking.
- Quadriplegia (loss of function in the arms and legs).
- Paraplegia (loss of function in the legs and lower body).
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 to be severe injuries. The organs can lose function, or internal bleeding can damage the body’s other organs or hemorrhage, which is irreparable and deadly.
SIGNS THAT YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE MAY HAVE SUFFERED INTERNAL ORGAN DAMAGE
There are a variety of signs and symptoms associated with internal organ damage. The severity of such symptoms may vary based on the severity of the injury. Common symptoms include:
- Stiff neck.
- Vision loss.
- Slurred speech.
- Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting.
- Shortness of breath.
- Low blood pressure.
- Blood in the urine or stool.
- Abdominal pain.
- A large area of deeply purple skin.
- Loss of consciousness.
Liability of Bamberg Trucking Companies and Drivers
Who is to Blame For My Truck Accident?
Unlike auto accidents involving only passenger vehicles, truck accidents can quickly become very complex. In many cases, more than one factor contributes to truck accidents in SC and the truck driver isn’t always at fault.
To determine what caused your trucking accident, your attorney will need to conduct a full investigation into the truck accident. This can include an analysis of multiple factors that may have contributed to the accident, such as reviewing the driver’s logbook, the truck’s load, and the operator’s driving history.
In South Carolina, numerous parties can share the blame for the accident including:
- Truck driver
- Trucking company
- Maintenance company
- Shipping or loading company
- Truck manufacturer
At Strom Law Firm, our Bamberg truck crash attorneys will begin our investigation by asking several questions including:
Did the driver follow federal regulations regarding the number of hours spent behind the wheel each day?
According to federal law and regulations, a trucker can spend 11 hours out of each 14-hour shift behind the wheel. After reaching those 11 hours or the end of the 14-hour shift, the driver must spend at least 10 hours off the road before resuming his trip.
Sometimes, however, trucking companies pressure their drivers to exceed those federal mandates to meet deadlines or extend their drive time. If the company allows those driving behaviors, the company may share liability for the accident, especially if it pressures drivers to push beyond the federal mandates.
Did a shifting load incident cause the collision?
Shifting loads can cause serious problems for many truck drivers. On a flatbed truck, shifting cargo can fall from the truck, causing serious injury to others around the vehicle. In a traditional truck and cab, a shifting load can make the load more likely to tip over on a curve or in a dangerous situation, substantially increasing the risk of a truck rollover accident.
Often, trucking companies hire other individuals to handle cargo loading and unloading. An improperly-loaded truck that causes a semi-truck accident may leave liability resting with the company that loaded the vehicle.
Did the company force the driver to drive in unsafe conditions?
From icy or very wet roads to high winds, even experienced drivers may face weather conditions that make it unsafe to get behind the wheel. Likewise, illness and inebriation can both make it dangerous for drivers to operate a truck.
If the company forces the driver to continue his route though it knows a truck cannot safely navigate in those conditions, the company may share liability for any accident caused by that negligence of the driver.
Did a mechanical failure cause or contribute to the accident?
Trucks need careful, regular maintenance to keep them running as effectively as possible and reduce accident risk. Unfortunately, trucking companies do not always take good care of their vehicles. Trucking companies may ignore maintenance requests or put off routine maintenance to cut costs. These cuts, however, can prove incredibly dangerous, especially if the driver has reported a serious problem with the vehicle and has to take it out on the road anyway.
If the company does not take care of needed maintenance, the company may share liability for the accident. If the company does conduct maintenance, but a mechanical failure occurs due to mechanic error, the mechanic may share liability.
If a mechanical failure in a new vehicle causes a trucking accident, the truck manufacturer may share liability for the accident. Likewise, if an error in a newly-installed part, including tires or brakes, causes a serious accident, the manufacturer of that part may share liability for the accident.
If you suffered serious injuries in a truck accident, a truck accident attorney at Strom Law Firm can help provide you with a better picture of what factors contributed to your accident and how much compensation you should expect for your damages. Consult our experienced Bamberg truck accident attorneys to learn more about how to navigate your trucking accident case.
Bamberg Truck Accidents FAQ
Large trucks are a common sight on Bamberg’s roadways. Unfortunately, this also means that an accident with a truck is a frequent risk for drivers and pedestrians alike. Truck accidents often cause substantial injuries, serious confusion, and a lot of questions.
If you have specific questions about your accident, contact an experienced Bamberg truck accident attorney as soon as you can following your accident. Below, we answer some of the questions we hear most often about truck accidents in Bamberg, SC.
What are the different types of commercial trucks? When and where do most fatal commercial truck accidents occur? How long does it take to receive compensation for a Bamberg truck accident lawsuit? How much do you need to recover from your injuries? How much do you need to negotiate before reaching an agreement with the insurance company? What type of evidence will my attorney review and utilize in my truck accident case? Will I have to go to court to settle my Bamberg truck accident claim? What happens if the Bamberg truck driver’s insurance company makes me a settlement offer? Do I really need an attorney to help handle a truck accident claim in Bamberg? How much will your Bamberg truck accident attorneys cost me?How will you pay for that attorney? What is the difference between a Bamberg commercial truck accident and an accident with a passenger vehicle? Can I receive compensation if I was partially at fault for the accident?
Contact a Bamberg Truck Accident Lawyer Today
Severe injuries and lifelong medical expenses resulting from a truck accident are serious issues for accident victims. Experienced Bamberg truck accident attorneys at the Strom Law Firm are here to talk to you and take a look at 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 litigate your case through depositions, hearings, and trial. Schedule your free consultation with a Bamberg truck accident lawyer today at (803) 252-4800.
