Truck AccidentsOklahoma City Truck Accident Lawyer
Vehicle accidents that involve large commercial trucks account for an inordinate number of fatalities and very serious injuries on our nation’s highways and roads. For example, although trucks represent 7 percent of the miles driven in the U.S., accidents involving trucks account for 12 percent of traffic deaths. Not surprisingly, drivers and passengers in cars bear the brunt of the impact. Approximately 98 percent of those killed in large truck accidents were riding in the car, not the truck.
Trucking accidents are caused by a number of factors, including but not limited to:
- Truck driver fatigue
- A truck that is overloaded and/or oversized
- Improper maintenance of the truck in question
- The truck driver having received inadequate or improper training
- Excess speed or reckless driving
- The truck driver being under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Road rage. That is, overly aggressive driving
While it is important to know the cause of an accident, an Oklahoma trucking accident attorney must be able to prove that it was the result of negligence. In addition, it is essential that the attorney understand how trucking companies try to deny access to vital evidence. Maintenance records, log books, driver experience, driver training, drug and alcohol tests, and more… trucking companies closely guard this information and make it very difficult to obtain. In fact, they generally take immediate action after a crash to protect their interests. How? A claims investigator is quite often dispatched to the scene within an hour to look for evidence favorable to the truck driver and his or her employer. And, if evidence of driver or truck company negligence is found, it is not unheard of for such evidence to vanish. When you consider the chaos and devastation that typically surround truck accidents, it is easy to understand how this can happen.
You should also know that a quick settlement is often offered in accidents involving large commercial trucks, and that the settlements may be for fairly large sums of money. Understandable, considering that damages to the driver’s car, person and passengers are generally very severe in accidents involving large trucks. What you must also know, however, is that the level of compensation offered is likely to be considerably less than what the victims would receive if details of the accident and negligence on the part of the driver or trucking company was fully investigated. And, of course, proven.
The truck accident law firm of Hasbrook & Hasbrook has the necessary experience in this area of the law and understands what the trucking companies and their lawyers will try to do to minimize the amount of damages they pay. If you, your passengers or someone you love has been injured in a trucking accident, please call us as soon as possible. We will set up a free consultation to discuss what happened to you, and will fight tooth and nail on your behalf to obtain every penny to which you are entitled.
