Large Truck Accidents
A large truck is any vehicle with a weight over 10,000 pounds. Every year in the United States, thousands of motorists and truck drivers are killed and seriously injured by the negligent operation of large trucks or "semi's". Large trucks represent approximately 3% of all registered vehicles that are being driven in the U.S., yet they contribute to over 25% of the fatalities due to multiple vehicle auto accidents. The Pennsylvania auto and truck accident lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff and Bily (http://www.reiffandbily.com) have been researching and handling thousands of automobile and truck accident cases since 1979.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (Penn DOT) (http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/Bureaus/pdBHSTE.nsf/InfoFb05?OpenForm&ref=http%3A//www.google.com/search%3Fq%3Dcar+accidents+pa+statistics%26btnG%3DSearch%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla%253Aen-US%253Aofficial%26hs%3DE8Q%26sa%3D2) reports that in 2005, heavy trucks were involved in 11.6% (or 173) fatal crashes out of a total of 7,321 truck crashes. Heavy trucks were more likely to hit passenger cars over any other type of vehicle, with the majority of crashes occurring on the highway.
There are numerous reasons why a truck could cause an accident. Often times the hours of service or the amount of time a driver spends driving could lead to fatigue or drowsiness. The driver could also be intoxicated or could have caused a driver error. Driver errors include under rides (when a passenger car slides under a truck), no-zones or blind spots, squeeze plays (wide turns), off track or going into another lane of traffic such as jackknifing (usually caused by driving too fast or to avoid something in the road), roll-overs, or speeding. Other factors that could lead to accidents are substandard inspections, larger combination vehicles or LCV (2+ trailers attached), and Hazmat or hazardous material trucks that could explode due to their cargo.
If you are ever in an accident, make sure everyone is ok and exchange information. Call 9-1-1 or the police to report the accident and never leave the scene of the accident. Double check your insurance coverage and report the accident to the insurance company.
There are three important factors to automobile accidents: (1) liability; (2) establishing damages; and (3) determining where to collect the damages. Philadelphia personal injury lawyer Jeffrey Reiff and the experienced Pennsylvania auto accident lawyers and Reiff and Bily (http://www.reiffandbily.com/) will examine the facts, evaluate your claim, determine which parties and insurance companies are responsible, and organize all of the details of preparing and presenting your automobile accident case.
To help reduce the chance of an accident, try to stay out of a truck’s blind spot. A good indication to know you are visible to the driver is being able to see the driver from the truck’s side mirrors. Always maintain a safe distance from the rear of the truck and drive carefully during poor weather conditions.
The Pennsylvania vehicle lawyers at Reiff and Bily (http://www.reiffandbily.com) work on a contingent fee basis, charging a small percentage of the recovery. They will not get paid one cent unless there is a successful recovery. They have had handled thousand of automobile accidents and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars from their opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages.
If you are in need of an attorney because you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as a result of a truck accident, please call the experienced Pennsylvania auto accident lawyers at the law firm of Reiff and Bily (http://www.reiffandbily.com).
