Bad Weather Truck Accidents
Bad weather doesn't cause truck accidents – unsafe trucking companies do. Our lawyers hold these wrongdoers accountable and get you the compensation you deserve.
While truck drivers and companies cannot control the weather, they can control their response to it. bad weather is never an excuse for truck accidents; drivers and companies must adjust for dangerous conditions. If you have been seriously injured in a bad weather truck accident, contact the Law Firm for Truck Safety.
Our personal injury firm exclusively represents people injured in truck accidents and families who have lost loved ones because of truck driver negligence. Our attorneys have a deep understanding of the industry and the laws that pertain to it, and we will work to ensure you receive justice for your injuries.
Bad Weather Rules for Truckers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) publishes regulations regarding many aspects of the trucking industry, including those that address driving in poor weather.
Truckers must use extreme caution and reduce their speed when weather conditions affect visibility or traction. When they cannot operate the vehicle safely, they must stop driving until the dangerous weather has cleared. If pulling over may cause danger to others, truckers may proceed at a very slow speed until they reach a place of safety.
Unfortunately, truckers often ignore these rules. They may be anxious to get home, or their employer may be pressuring them to make a delivery on time. Whatever the reason, when a trucker violates the rules against operating in bad weather and a serious accident occurs as a result, they and their employer may be liable. Many of our attorneys hold commercial driving licenses, so we are familiar with the bad weather rules and how to determine whether an accident happened because a trucker violated them.
Holding the Trucker Liable
Suing for compensation after a truck accident requires you to prove negligence. In legal terms, a person is negligent when they fail to take reasonable precautions to prevent harm to others, and someone else sustains injuries because of that failure.
In a bad weather accident involving a commercial truck, the negligent parties almost always include the truck driver. Operating the truck when weather conditions made it unsafe to do so may be “negligence per se.” This is a legal term that essentially means you do not need to prove negligence, but only show that the truck driver was violating the rules against operating in bad weather when the accident occurred.
The transportation company is also liable if the driver is an employee. In addition, the company may have imposed an unreasonable delivery schedule that encouraged the driver to break the rules, failed to screen the driver properly, or committed some other negligent act. Sometimes faulty equipment contributes to an accident, and in that case, the manufacturer may be responsible for paying compensation to an injured person.
Compensation for Serious Injuries
Truck accidents often cause life-altering injuries and even death. When the weather is bad, the arrival of emergency services may be delayed. Without immediate medical treatment, your injuries could worsen, making a full recovery less likely.
All the parties whose negligence contributed to your injuries owe you compensation. They must reimburse all of your past and future injury-related expenses, including:
- Medical treatment and rehabilitation
- Ancillary services to help you adapt to a disability
- Durable medical equipment
- Home renovations to accommodate disability
- Lost income and the value of paid time off you used during your recovery
- Reduced ability to earn in the future
- Incidental expenses related to your injury
You are also entitled to payments to compensate for the pain, emotional trauma, disability, scarring, and any other effects of the injury that impact your quality of life.
At the Law Firm for Truck Safety, we negotiate aggressively to get you the maximum compensation possible. Our attorneys will work to ensure that you receive the financial resources you deserve and that the negligent parties who caused the truck crash are held responsible for ignoring bad-weather driving rules.
Talk to an Attorney About a Bad Weather Truck Wreck
Accidents are common when the weather is bad. However, weather is not an excuse for failing to follow the rules regarding truck operation. When they cannot operate their rig safely, the law requires truck drivers to get off the road.
Our firm has experience helping those who have been hurt in bad weather truck accidents. If you suffered injury in such an accident, contact us today to discuss your case.
