Car vs Truck: What To Do If You Were In A Semi Truck Accident

A semi truck accident can leave you with serious injuries and high medical bills. If you were injured in Rhode Island, you can get paid for your medical bills and lost wages.

The driver of an 18-wheel truck has been awake for far longer than any driver should. His eyes are weary; his awareness wanes. He’s been on the road for many, many hours, trying to make his mileage and go home to see his family. Tragically, the twenty-five-ton vehicle plows through an intersection, obliterating everything it touches. Nothing is strong enough or protected enough to survive intact when an uncontrolled commercial truck careens into the path of unsuspecting victims.

As the smoke clears and the victims pick up the broken pieces, questions flood their minds. Who is responsible? What can they do? Where can they turn? In today’s high-energy, consumer-focused society, large corporations place a premium on getting products to their customers faster and more effortlessly than ever. In some cases, companies will begin transporting or packaging product orders even before they are purchased, just to get an edge over the competition. Increasingly, corporate interests place profits over people, pushing their employees to work long hours and skirting the boundaries of workplace safety to squeeze out a little extra productivity.

Delivery drivers and long-route truckers often work the toughest hours. The US Department of Energy found that the average Class 8 commercial truck travels more than twice as far every year as any other type of highway vehicle, over 65,000 miles. Truck drivers can work for a week straight before being required to take a day off. Urged by delivery companies to drive farther and longer, they often work for up to eight hours without stopping.

Unfortunately, this can end in disaster. Trucking accidents are some of the most devastating and serious types of auto accidents faced by drivers and passengers across the United States. When a truck accident happens, no one wins. Commercial trucks weigh tens of thousands of pounds and can crush a passenger vehicle easily, even at low speeds. At highway speeds, surviving a truck accident without life-threatening injuries is nothing short of miraculous.

Passenger vehicles are simply not designed to withstand the devastating impact of an 18-wheeler. Those fortunate enough to walk away from a truck accident are often left with lifelong injuries, including scars, fractures, severe whiplash, and more. Injuries from a truck accident can be severe even if they aren’t readily apparent. In most auto accidents, the vehicle’s crumple zones, seat belts, and other safety features protect passengers from the sudden acceleration of the impact. The energy of the collision is soaked up by twisted metal and plastic. But this doesn’t happen the same way in commercial truck accidents. The truck is so much larger and heavier that it simply can’t be stopped as quickly, and the victims bear the brunt of the impact.

After a commercial truck accident, the damage can be far-reaching. Not only do the victims often owe thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, but the time they miss from work or family life can be devastating. In addition, those injured in a truck accident often find themselves suffering from post-traumatic stress, playing the images over and over in their mind, and panicking whenever they get into a car. These kinds of injuries may not be visible, but they’re just as serious.

Help for Semi Truck Accident Victims

If you’ve been injured in a serious truck accident, you should seek medical attention and legal representation immediately. The insurance agency representing the trucking or shipping company has one goal: paying you as little money as possible. They are not on your side. You need a law firm with attorneys who are ready to hold these companies accountable for the damage they’ve done.

The insurance company will hire the best lawyers and experts to help win their case. Why shouldn’t you?