Legal•Info

Delivery Truck Accident

If you have been reading or watching the news lately, you may have seen some alarming stories about accidents involving delivery trucks delivery trucks hitting and killing pedestrians and other drivers, delivery trucks that are involved in horrific crashes, and even delivery trucks hitting herds of cattle and other animals. News stories like this are becoming a common occurrence. Why are delivery truck accidents on the rise? Why is nothing being done to minimize the instances of such accidents?

As is the case with all big truck accidents, the cause of delivery truck accidents is generally due to the nature of the trucks. Being large and heavy, these trucks require special care while driving, because driving a delivery truck is not the same as driving other, smaller vehicles.

For one, a delivery truck needs much more space to come to a halt than is needed by smaller cars. Failure to keep the required space between vehicles, either by the truck driver or other drivers, often leads to braking accidents. Rollovers are also very common with delivery trucks because of the heavy loads that they carry. Another major concern is that of speeding. Delivery truck drivers are sometimes in a rush to reach someplace, as they have tight delivery schedules to meet. Higher speeds can cause a larger number of delivery truck accidents.

Legal Considerations of a Delivery Truck Accident

If you have been involved in a delivery truck accident, it is imperative to call an attorney as soon as possible. Delay of even a few days can result in important evidence being destroyed at the delivery truck accident site.

If you have sustained any injuries in the delivery truck accident, or have lost a loved one to such an accident, you may have a legal claim against the responsible parties and could be entitled to receive personal injury damages or wrongful death compensation, as per your individual situation.

You first need to determine who the responsible parties are. Your attorney can help you in this regard by getting a reconstruction of the accident done by professionals. Reconstruction of delivery truck accidents is an important manner by which lawyers and attorneys can prove who was responsible for the accident.

By using the evidence on the scene of the accident, such as tire skid marks, crash impact, position of the damaged vehicles, and from testimony of witnesses to the accident, it is possible to reconstruct the entire accident and the circumstances leading to it, which can then show whose fault the delivery truck accident was due to. Thus, it is essential to show expediency in contacting an experienced and competent attorney, so that maximum advantage is available of any possible evidence for reconstruction purposes.

Each and every truck accident case is different and thus settlement values will also differ on a case-to-case basis. There are many factors that will be weighed in any individual truck accident settlement, including the extent of your injuries, the length of time it will take for your injuries to heal, the amount of time you will be absent from work, the strength of your case, the amount of insurance held by the negligent party, and the nature of the accident itself. More than one person can have the same type of injury, though one may suffer much more than the other. The amount one may receive in damages can also vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Once it has been established who the at-fault party is, your attorney can help you in filing your delivery truck accident lawsuit, and in recovering the damages and compensation to which you are legally entitled.