Truck Accident Attorneys in South Carolina
If you or a loved one was seriously injured in a truck accident, you need to have a lawyer working on the case immediately. The South Carolina 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. Our South Carolina truck accident attorneys help each client navigate all the required evidence, negligence claims, and other information they need for their truck accident cases. Our legal offices handle claims for semi commercial truck companies and tractor-trailer accidents.
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 truck accidents. Because of the size and weight of these semi trucks, any type of negligent, reckless or careless driving can have serious and devastating consequences for truck drivers.
How Do Truck Accidents Usually Happen?
All of us have traveled the highways and roads throughout South Carolina’s area and are aware of the increasingly heavy traffic, particularly on 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. Trucks are heavy. Trucks are fast. Trucks are weighted down by load. When semi trucks collide with a smaller vehicle, destruction and serious injuries can occur from truck accidents.
Truck drivers sometimes operate these large vehicles in a negligent or careless way, causing serious damages and injuries. Sometimes, these truck drivers may be driving for long hours on the road leading to physical exhaustion and less attention to their driving at hand. Other times, truck drivers have used medications and drugs to help them stay awake. Some regular causes of truck accidents in South Carolina’ and across all county’s include:
- Exhaustion
- Failure to maintain lanes
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Distractions while driving
- Reckless driving
- Drivers carrying too much load
- Inexperience
- Driving Under the Influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI)
- Improper turning procedures
Some accidents are caused by defective truck parts rather than a negligent driver. These truck problems could include problems with the brakes, tires, lights, faulty maintenance, etc. that could be due to the negligence of the trucking company. Faulty pre-trip inspections could be to blame for the truck accident, and the truck company be held liable. Sometimes, these semi truck defects could give rise to a claim for products liability against the manufacturer, distributor, trucking company or against the maintenance facility that performed repairs on the truck. Contacting an experienced South Carolina truck accident lawyer to review the situation and determine the best course to follow can help you secure the compensation you deserve from your tractor-trailer accident.
Common Truck Accidents in South Carolina
As with any type of vehicle collision, there can be an array of different ways these truck accidents occur. South Carolina truck accidents can range from fender benders to catastrophic accidents, with fatalities or permanent disabilities. Usually, South Carolina’s 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 truck accidents can be caused when a truck is either not equipped with or does not use its high beams and fails to see a hazard in the roadway. If the truck trailer’s haul is not loaded and secured appropriately, it can become dislodged from the trailer and careen into other cars on the road. Truck drivers on the other end of such a situation will find themselves in a serious, maybe even deadly, situation.
Common Truck Accident Injuries
These truck accidents are the culprit for many fatalities each year on South Carolina’s Lexington roadways. The weight and mass of a commercial truck is the reason there is such a crushing force in these truck collisions. If a person involved in a tractor-trailer collision does not lose their life, the driver will rarely walk away from the truck accident unscathed. The damage these types of truck 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:
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Significant blows to the head of the driver 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 to truck drivers 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. After a truck accident, the organs can lose function, or internal bleeding can lead to damages to the body’s other organs.
Back Injuries and Spinal Cord Damage
The best South Carolina truck accident lawyers agree that the size and weight of a tractor-trailer can come into play when there is an injury to the back of a truck driver. 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 when a driver gets in a truck accident. 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 truck accident injuries can cause injuries ranging from paralysis and issues with moving around to numbness and even incontinence.
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 more serious trucking cases, you might recover compensation for future medical care or a wrongful death claim.
Choosing Lawyers for Your Truck Accident Case
With so many law firms and individual lawyers in South Carolina claiming to offer truck accident representation, it’s quite difficult to determine which personal injury lawyer suits your needs. This is why you have to do a thorough review of the available law firms in South Carolina to check their suitability to handle your truck accident claim.
Not all law firms and individual truck accident attorneys are the same. Some practice general law while others focus specifically on motor vehicle accidents and personal injury law. So, you have to understand all these dynamics before you settle on any law firm or attorney for your truck accident claim. You will want to choose a lawyer that focuses on truck accidents. If you are a trucking company, you want to choose a truck accident attorney that has experience representing large trucking companies. If you are an individual driver, you want to find South Carolina truck accident attorneys that have experience representing individual drivers.
How to Pick the Right Truck Accident Lawyer for Your Crash
The process of picking the right attorney for your truck accident case involves weighing various options available. You have to weigh these options against your legal representation needs for the best outcome for your truck accident case. Here are some important steps you should take when searching for a lawyer to handle your truck accident claim and help you get the compensation you deserve:
Choose a SC Law Firm Specializing in Truck Accident Cases
Don’t just choose any law firm in South Carolina for your truck accident case; take your time to find trucking accident lawyers that specialize in commercial truck accident representation. Doing so gives you peace of mind knowing that your case is in the hands of a lawyer who has deep knowledge of the applicable laws and extensive experience in handling similar truck accident cases.
Lawyers who specialize in car accident and personal injury cases understand the dynamics of each truck crash case and the steps they need to take to win the compensation you deserve for your accident. Truck accident attorneys will help you to interpret the law and understand what compensation you get for your truck crash case. Although general practice lawyers can represent you in a truck accident claim, their chances of giving you a favorable outcome and adequate compensation are lower compared to personal injury and car accident attorneys.
Ask for Truck Accident Attorney Recommendations From Another Truck Driver
If a fellow truck driver filed a successful truck accident claim recently with the help of a law firm or attorney, you should ask them for recommendations and advice on the best law firm in South Carolina. Because they’ve already gone through the process of hiring a truck accident lawyer, they have an idea of the kind of attorney you need for your trucking accident.
Fellow truck drivers can even share the contacts of their attorney with you if they’re satisfied with their services. But it’s important to review the law firm or attorney personally to determine if their services are in line with your legal representation needs. Remember that a lawyer that works for your friends or work colleagues may not necessarily work for you.
Check the Track Record and Portfolio of the Truck Accident Attorney
When you’re searching for a good truck accident lawyer, you have to compare several law firms and individual truck injury lawyers to assess their suitability. Any reputable law firm or lawyer should have a comprehensive portfolio showing the cases they’ve handled successfully.
The truck accident attorney should have a track record that shows you how often they’re hired for complex truck accident cases and their success rate. You’ll know whether the law firm prefers to negotiate for settlements or take cases to court for trial. When choosing a truck accident attorney, you should keep all this information in mind and choose a lawyer that can get you the compensation you deserve for your case.
Contact South Carolina Truck Accident Attorneys Today
Severe injuries and lifelong medical expenses resulting from a truck accident are serious issues for accident victims and truck drivers. The experienced South Carolina truck accident lawyers at the Strom Law Firm are here to talk to you and take a look at your case and truck accident evidence. Our truck accident attorneys know what it takes to negotiate with insurance companies. Do not resolve your truck accident case for too little or too early. An experienced South Carolina Truck Accident Lawyer at the Strom Law Firm is ready to litigate your case through depositions, hearings, and trial. Contact us for your free consultation with a South Carolina’s accident attorney today at (803) 252-4800.
