Large commercial trucks are common on Texas highways. These significantly larger and heavier vehicles drive right alongside far smaller passenger vehicles. When a large truck collides with a smaller passenger vehicle, those occupying the passenger vehicle are significantly more likely to experience a severe injury or fatality than the truck driver, given the huge difference in size and weight.
The reality is that trucks are more dangerous than passenger vehicles, and truck drivers must undergo specialized training and obtain commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to operate semis and other commercial vehicles. Drivers also must engage in safe and responsible driving practices to help mitigate the risk of having so many large trucks on the roads.
Despite all the license requirements, training, and regulations for truck drivers, they still get in accidents regularly. One frightening type of truck collision is a T-bone accident. Read on to learn about T-bone accidents with trucks and the factors to consider following a crash and injuries.
Connecting with a local truck accident attorney will ensure that your case outcome captures the most damages possible to fully compensate you for your damages.
What Is a T-Bone?
A T-bone collision is also called a broadside collision, and it occurs when the front of one vehicle crashes directly into the side of another.
This can happen involving commercial trucks in two ways:
- The front of the truck hits the side of another vehicle
- A passenger car hits the side of a semi-truck or trailer
These crashes are most common in intersections, and they often happen because one driver either ran a red light or tried to make a left turn in front of an oncoming vehicle.
T-bones are dangerous especially for those sitting on the side of the vehicle where the impact occurs. If a large, heavy truck crashes into the driver’s side of your car, there is little to protect you from the impact. The same is true for those in the back seat, which might include a small child. Truck T-bones cause devastating injuries, and victims should know what to do to recover financially from a liable truck driver or trucking company.
T-Bones Due to Traffic Violations
If a truck T-boned you, it is likely that the truck driver is at fault in the accident and will be liable for damages. If a truck driver drove through a red light, your lawyer can prove liability based on statutory violations. It is against the law to run red lights, to run stop signs, and to fail to yield in places that require it, as when turning left.
T-bone collisions often happen due to statutory violations, as traffic laws aim to protect against intersection accidents, and violations can cause chaos in an intersection. Following the rules of the road ensures the safety of all drivers and helps to maintain a semblance of order to help minimize accidents and injuries.
Other common violations that might lead to a T-bone accident include:
- Failing to the yield right-of-way
- Not signaling
- Speeding
When a driver engages in a violation of these rules and they cause an accident, they may be automatically liable for any damages they caused. If you can show that a driver was convicted of a violation, this may be enough proof of liability for your truck accident claim. A lawyer can track down the necessary information to determine whether the driver has a conviction stemming from your truck T-bone crash.
Distracted Driving Can Lead to Truck T-Bones
When driving while distracted the potential of causing accidents and even fatalities is significantly higher than for attentive, responsible driving. In one year, there were 3,142 traffic crash fatalities linked to distracted driving in the United States. Distracted driving is involved in about nine percent of all fatal crashes, and in eight years, over 26,000 people died in distracted driving crashes.
Distracted driving is driving while engaging in any activity that takes attention away from the road. The most dangerous forms of distracted driving are texting and smartphone use, as this type of distraction combines visual, manual, and cognitive distractions. When truck drivers are distracted, they do not pay attention to their immediate surroundings and are more likely to cause accidents.
Truck drivers who engage in distractions while crossing through intersections might miss a changing light or fail to see a car coming from another direction. This can cause serious T-bone collisions, injuries, and even deaths.
Knowing whether the truck driver that T-boned your car was engaging in distracted driving in the moments leading up to your accident can be difficult to determine. A truck driver will likely not admit they looked at their phone or did something else they should not have done. However, truck accident lawyers know how to prove negligence even without direct proof of a distraction.
Fatigue and Sleepiness Can Cause T-Bones
Fatigue is a major problem when it comes to the trucking industry. Despite clear laws and restrictions aimed to curb fatigued driving, there are still many truck drivers on the road at any given time who are drowsy to some degree.
Of the fatal truck accidents in a recent year, 36 percent occurred between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., indicating the increased risk of driving at night, when many truckers prefer to drive. Fewer other cars are on the highways at night, so some truckers choose to sleep during the day and drive their shifts at night. Even with proper rest, driving in the dark can induce tiredness due to the standard circadian rhythm.
Fatigue can also happen because of undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders that can result in low-quality sleep, making people drowsier during the day. A truck driver with sleep apnea, for example, might think they got a good night’s sleep when, in reality, their bodies woke up many times throughout the night to induce breathing.
Fatigue can impair driving much like substances can, including:
- Reducing reaction time
- Lack of focus and attention
- Blurred vision
- Confusion or disorientation
If a drowsy or fatigued truck driver caused your T-bone collision, the driver should be liable for your losses. Drivers should always follow hours of service regulations and know to pull over and rest if they feel tired.
Employers must give commercial truck drivers sufficient time off between shifts to rest and cannot make demands of the drivers that would lead to overwork or hours of service violations. This, however, is not always the case, as trucking companies profit through faster deliveries, and truck drivers might receive incentives to make more deliveries in a shorter time. This can lead to more satisfied customers but also more tired and dangerous truck drivers on the road.
If a fatigued truck driver who did not receive sufficient time off to rest has hit you, you deserve full compensation. How do you determine whether the truck driver received sufficient time off to rest between their trips? This is where the value of an attorney comes in, as they know how to investigate the cause of a truck accident to determine whether a truck driver had adequate rest.
Call a Truck Accident Attorney RIGHT AWAY
In many personal injury cases, an injury victim might start their treatment and take time to rest and adjust to life with an injury recovery before they even begin thinking about a legal claim. However, with truck accidents, the urgency of seeking legal help is real.
Following a truck T-bone accident, the trucking company will likely have its own investigators and attorneys at the scene. The company wants to know what caused the accident not to help your case, but to begin to prepare a defense against liability whenever possible. These investigators are looking for signs of truck driver negligence, and they might take evidence of negligence from the scene.
If you wait to contact a truck accident lawyer, you risk losing important evidence the trucking company already gathered. Such evidence can disappear before you ever knew of its existence if you delay in getting legal help.
Once you have a truck accident attorney on your side, they can issue demand letters to the trucking company to preserve any potential evidence that might help your claim. The trucking company then risks serious penalties if it conceals or destroys evidence of liability.
It might seem daunting to seek the right truck accident lawyer with so many injury-related disruptions in your life. However, know that having a lawyer will not add to your stress in fact, it will reduce your stress. You can focus on your treatment and your personal matters, and rest assured that you are not ignoring your legal rights. Having a lawyer handling every step of your claim can lift a dark cloud from over your head following a truck accident, so you should never wait to seek out a free, no-obligation consultation.
How Much Can You Receive After a Truck T-Bone?
T-bones are frightening accidents, and they are even more so when a large semi-truck is the vehicle barreling directly toward you in an intersection. After the dust settles and your truck accident lawyer has evidence of liability, you will likely wonder how much you deserve after this terrifying and traumatizing experience.
There is no simple answer to this question, however, as every truck accident claim is different.
Many factors go into the value of your truck crash claim, such as:
- The severity of your injuries
- The extent of your medical treatment
- Whether you need ongoing future medical care
- Whether your injuries prevented you from working
- Whether you can return to work in the future
- Your pain, suffering, and other non-economic losses
It is not your job to know how to value all of your losses, as this is a task for an experienced truck accident attorney.
Your lawyer will request documents and information from you regarding your losses. They can then consult with experts regarding your future losses, as medical and economic experts can provide estimations. Your attorney can then present all of this to the insurance company when they submit your claim.
You should not expect the insurance company to simply offer the amount your lawyer demands right off the bat. Insurance companies want to reduce their payments to claimants, so they will start with a lowball offer. Your attorney will know when an offer is too low and will negotiate for a higher amount.
Negotiations can go back and forth, and your lawyer will advise you when an offer seems fair and favorable. If the insurer never makes a reasonable offer that covers your losses, the truck accident lawyer can escalate the matter.
The next step after an unsuccessful insurance claim is a truck accident lawsuit in civil court. Your attorney will prepare and file the personal injury complaint with the right court to begin your litigation. Litigation has several phases, and your lawyer can continue to negotiate with the insurance company throughout this process.
Very few truck accident cases go to trial. This is because the trucking company and its insurers know that a jury can award extensive sums of money to victims. This means they are more likely to increase a settlement offer during litigation to avoid the risk of trial. The result is that you get the full amount you deserve without the need to go to court.
Let an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney Protect Your Rights
If you suffered injuries in a terrifying T-bone crash with a commercial truck, do not put off finding the right truck accident law firm to handle your case. Look for a firm with successful results in past truck crash claims and the resources to investigate complex trucking collisions and liability.
The sooner you reach out, the sooner you know that someone is standing up for your rights as an injury victim.