Nobody ever expects to become involved in a serious truck accident case, but unfortunately, these accidents continue to take place every year. When you are involved in a truck accident with a driver who was supposed to do everything in their care to look out for your well-being, you might be feeling intimidated. Truck accidents mean working with big-name insurance companies and attorneys, right?
Truck accidents happen for many reasons and, when they do, you want to do anything in your nature to protect your rights and work toward compensation you deserve during one of the most difficult and traumatic times in your life. Today we want to take a closer look at some of the common reasons why these accidents occur and how one special feature on many trucks can help you in the midst of your case.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
In New York, many truck accidents take place every year despite the fact that these truck drivers have had training in a variety of areas. There are a number of reasons that these accidents happen, including the following:
Fatigue: One of the most serious threats on our road involving truck accidents is the fact that many truck drivers are fatigued. Truck drivers put in long hours on the roads and, though regulations have been passed to ensure that drowsy driving doesn’t occur on our roads, it still continues to happen, especially for companies who disobey these rules. Companies are supposed to limit the amount of time a driver is on the roads in just one week, but this does not always happen as we expect.
Failure to Maintain: Semi-trucks must also be in good condition if they are being operated on our roads. If anything is out of order or not working properly, a fatal accident could happen in the blink of an eye. Trucking companies and drivers are expected to maintain their vehicles under New York law.
Distracted Driving: If your vision or concentration is taken from the roads, you are driving distracted. This is the reason for many accidents that happen every year, and a reason why lives are taken in the blink of an eye.
Inexperience: Driver inexperience can happen when a driver has not spent much time on the road or a company has not supplied the necessary training to a truck driver. It takes a lot of time and skill to understand how to drive one of these large vehicles.
The “Black Box”
There is a tool in many modern trucks that allows injured parties to seek information regarding the truck driver’s actions at the time of an accident. This is known as the Electronic Control Module, which is also known in short as the “Black Box.” These boxes are equipped to a truck and are meant to capture ongoing information regarding how the truck was being operated at the time. For instance, if a truck was speeding at the time, the black box could show a figure such as ‘highest speeds traveled,’ which will show roughly how fast they had been traveling at that time. They show other aspects as well such as the amount of time the driver spent on the road that day, seat belt use, idling time, and many other aspects.
Though the black box can be one of the most useful tools that you will ever discover, many companies are guilty of destructing data after an accident. This means that, after you have been involved in an accident, the trucking company might take it in their own hands to destruct the data that has been captured, making it difficult to prove your claim against the other party and hold them liable unless witnesses watched the accident unfold in front of them. In some states, companies are not permitted to destruct this data, as it could include important information – but in others, they are permitted to do with it as they wish.
New York Truck Accident Attorney
You’ve been injured in a life-changing truck accident and wonder where you will turn during this difficult time. If you or someone you love has been involved in a truck accident, you might wonder how you can move forward with a claim for compensation that you deserve. Our truck accident attorneys in New York are here for you in your time of need when you are unsure of where to turn. At Antin, Ehrlich & Epstein, L.L.P., we are well-versed in these cases and want to help you through every step of the process. Contact us at 917-730-7151 for more information.