San Jose Truck Accidents Attorney
While there are many potential sources of danger on San Jose’s roads, trucks pose a particularly worrying risk to motorists in California. There are many reasons why these vehicles are so dangerous, and they are capable of causing a serious amount of damage and injury to innocent victims. Unfortunately, the trucking industry is a major part of the US economy. With tight schedules and a constant demand for the transport of goods, trucks are obviously here to stay on San Jose’s roads.
With all that said, you are fully entitled to take legal action if you have been injured in a San Jose truck accident. You may be suffering from serious injuries, and your medical expenses might be a notable financial burden. Paying off these medical expenses becomes even more difficult when your injury prevents you from working. Fortunately, the legal system in California allows accident victims to recover a considerable amount of compensation for damages caused by truck accidents. With this compensation, you can pay off your medical expenses and move on with your life, even if your future seems uncertain.
Just because you can file a personal injury claim, there is no guarantee that this legal process is necessarily easy. In order to achieve a positive legal outcome, you will need to work with a qualified, experienced personal injury attorney. These legal experts can provide plenty of expertise and solid advice as you move forward. Navigating the legal system can be confusing and frustrating without the assistance of a professional. Ideally, you should team up with a law firm that specializes in truck accidents, such as Mary Alexander & Associates.
Why are Trucks So Dangerous?
Trucks are inherently dangerous for a number of reasons. Some of the most obvious factors are plain to see for anyone to see. Trucks are larger and heavier than other vehicles. When they get into collisions, they impact other vehicles with tremendous force. Normal sedans and hatchbacks are not designed to withstand impacts from tractor-trailers moving at full speed. This is why so many truck accidents are catastrophic and fatal.
That being said, there are plenty of other dangerous factors that might not be immediately obvious to the average person. Because trucks are so heavy and large, they are less maneuverable. A person driving a smaller sedan might have the ability to swerve quickly out of the way to avoid danger. On the other hand, truck drivers can do very little when they see a hazard suddenly appear before them. In most cases, they simply have to accept that the impact is going to happen, whether they like it or not.
In fact, if truck drivers do decide to suddenly swerve when faced with a hazard, it can make the situation even worse. These vehicles are not designed for sudden movements. If a truck driver panics and tries to swerve, the entire vehicle can roll over on its side, causing even more problems. This can also lead to the truck’s cargo spilling or leaking out onto the road.
This leads us to another major source of danger. Sometimes, trucks are carrying very dangerous substances. When these loads come loose, it can cause serious consequences for other motorists on the road. In fact, some leaked substances can cause even more damage and injuries than the crash itself.
Examples of dangerous cargo include hazardous chemicals, flammable materials, radioactive materials, biohazardous materials, and much more. Even relatively innocuous pieces of cargo like tree logs can pose serious risks to drivers. These heavy, cumbersome objects can come loose and smash into smaller, lighter vehicles.
At the end of the day, it is up to the trucking companies and the drivers to ensure that their cargo is properly secured at all times. Improperly secured cargo is a clear sign of negligence, and it may make a lawsuit easier if you have suffered injuries. With that said, sometimes there is nothing trucking companies can do to stop catastrophes from happening. Even the most tightly-secured cargo can come loose if crashes are severe.
Another important thing to remember about trucks is that they cannot break as quickly as other vehicles. When a normal driver slams on the brakes, they can expect to come to a stop within seconds. A Ferrari F2004 traveling at 60 mph can come to a complete stop within just 53 feet. Although this is an incredibly advanced and expensive vehicle, it illustrates how agile and responsive smaller vehicles can be.
On the other hand, the average truck needs hundreds of feet to come to a complete stop while traveling at 60 mph. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration just created new laws that state a fully-loaded tractor-trailer traveling at 60 mph must come to a complete stop within 250 feet. Previously, the NHTSA allowed trucks to have a braking distance of 355 feet. That is almost seven times longer than the braking distance of a Ferrari F2004.
In reality, trucks actually take much longer to stop than the legal standard of 250 feet. These vehicles are often traveling faster than 60 mph, and they often carry extremely heavy loads. Combined, these factors mean that the real braking distance of an average truck can easily exceed 500 feet. What does this all mean? Generally speaking, trucks take an agonizingly long time to come to a complete stop, and truck drivers simply have to watch as they inevitably collide with whatever is in front of them.
What Can We Do to Stop Future Truck Accidents?
Truck accidents may be a thing of the past soon enough. Thanks to self-driving technology, we may have the ability to address another key concern of the trucking industry — driver fatigue. It is no secret that truckers are often forced to stay behind the wheel for long periods of time, and it is easy for these individuals to become tired. Some drink copious amounts of caffeine in order to keep themselves awake, and some even turn to drugs. But at the end of the day, there will always be an element of human error when these truckers are behind the wheel.
It does not help that the trucking industry is built around demanding schedules. Truckers are actually incentivized to rush, since many companies pay them for each completed journey rather than a normal hourly rate. When the average trucker rushes to complete their journey in the shortest amount of time, they make more money.
These concerns can be addressed by self-driving technology, and many companies are already experimenting with self-driving trucks. Truckers will probably keep their jobs, but their role will be different. Instead of driving the truck, they will act mostly as an on-board engineer and supervisor to the AI system. They will also have the ability to get as much rest as they need during the journey.
Enlist the Help of a Qualified Attorney Today
If you have been searching the San Jose area for a qualified, skilled personal injury law firm, look no further than Mary Alexander & Associates. Thanks to a wealth of knowledge and experience with car accidents and truck accident cases in San Jose, these legal professionals can help you approach your lawsuit in the most efficient way possible. We have been fighting for the rights of injury victims in San Jose for many years, and we feel confident in our ability to help you. With our assistance, you can pursue an adequate, fair settlement amount that will cover your medical expenses and missed wages.
There is no sense in sitting back and accepting your injuries without taking legal action. Book your consultation today, and we can begin the process of getting you the compensation you need to continue with your life.
