Truck Accidents Different From Auto Accident Cases
Posted by
Peter WetherallFebruary 17, 2008 12:00 PMI attended a truck accident litigation seminar recently in order to update my practice skills, and was reminded of how different an accident case involving a truck is from the garden-variety auto case. Of the 16,000 accidents that happen every day(!) on American roads, many involve trucks, and many of these involve catastrophic injury due to the size and weight of these vehicles.
A truck going 35 miles per hour creates the same amount of impact force as a car going 138 miles per hour, so the results of many truck accidents are truly devastating for all involved. These cases are usually highly technical, and raise complex issues about liability, causation and damages. They cannot and should not be undertaken by an auto accident lawyer, at least not without the involvement of a lawyer experienced and trained in the handling of truck accidents.
Unlike regular cars and light trucks, semi-trailer trucks, truck drivers, and the companies that put them on the road are regulated by federal statutes and regulations. These federal laws govern almost every aspect of trucking, from the hours a driver can drive without resting, to the amount of insurance a carrier must carry. These are subject matters that simply do not arise in the ordinary automobile accident case, which would not typically implicate these federal laws.
Be mindful of the elevated skill set a truck accident requires if you, a friend or loved one has an accident involving a truck.