Truck Accident Attorneys in Sumter
When preventable accidents result in serious injury, victims can sustain tremendous losses. Victims 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 losses that they may experience as a result of a preventable accident. Our Sumter 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 an accident to discuss their options with an experienced Sumter Truck Accident Lawyer.
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 Sumter 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 Sumter area and are aware of the increasingly heavy traffic, particularly on major interstates like I-26, I-20, I-77, 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 Sumter and across Sumter County include:
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Exhaustion
- Distractions while driving
- Reckless driving
- Improper turning procedures
- Failure to maintain lanes
- Inexperience
- Driving Under the Influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI)
- 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 experienced Sumter truck accident attorney 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, Sumter 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 Truck Accident Injuries
These accidents are the culprit 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 collisions. If a person involved in a tractor-trailer collision 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, 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 more serious cases, you might recover compensation for future medical care or a wrongful death claim.
Contact a Sumter Truck Accident Lawyer Today
Severe injuries and lifelong medical expenses resulting from a truck accident are serious issues for accident victims. Experienced Sumter truck accident lawyers 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. Contact us for your free consultation with a Sumter truck accident lawyer today at (803) 252-4800.
