Truck Accident Attorneys in New Jersey
Commercial trucks have caused devastating accidents for decades across the United States, and New Jersey is obviously no exception. There are a lot of different ways an 80,000-pound truck can destroy a passenger vehicle, including override and underride accidents, jackknifes, rollovers and many others. Any time a truck hits a car, the car – and everyone inside – are going to be at a risk of suffering catastrophic injuries or worse.
Truck accident victims deserve justice. The New Jersey truck accident attorneys with Penn Kestner & McEwen have helped them get just that for several years. Our firm will investigate your case, determine all liable parties, and then work to help you obtain maximum compensation. You can schedule a free, no-obligation review of your case by giving us a call at (800) 732-3070 or using our online contact form.
New Jersey Truck Accident Statistics
Truck accidents continue to be a problem in New Jersey and across the country. The number of fatalities in our state rose 50% – from 52 in 2010 to 78 in 2019. This is the case even though there are strict federal rules in place designed to reduce fatalities and severe injuries. As long as trucking companies place profits over safety, and as long as truck drivers have to meet increasingly ridiculous deadlines, it’s hard to believe those numbers will go down any time soon.
Common Injuries from Truck Accidents
A commercial truck accident results in the drivers and other occupants of passenger vehicles being subjected to incredibly strong forces. These forces can inflict horrible damage, resulting in a wide range of severe injuries, including:
- Internal bleeding. When a truck hits a car, the result is typically a great deal of broken glass and twisted metal. These objects can tear through a body, damaging vital organs in the process. This can also result in severe internal bleeding, which will be fatal if medical attention is not received immediately.
- Spinal damage. Passenger car occupants will oftentimes suffer severe spinal cord damage. When this happens, they could very well suffer total paralysis, and need around-the-clock care as a result.
- TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). This is another catastrophic injury that can be so bad a victim is left unable to take care of the most basic of tasks, such as bathing themselves or being able to prepare their own meals.
Causes of Truck Accidents in New Jersey
A truck accident can occur for a variety of reasons. Here are just a few of the more common ones.
- Exhausted drivers. Again, truck drivers have to operate under a great deal of pressure due to incredibly tight deadlines. They’ll push themselves far too hard as a result, staying behind the wheel even though they’re completely exhausted. Of course, this will often have a disastrous result.
- Profits before people. Like any business, trucking companies have one main goal – to make as much profit as possible. But most other businesses don’t endanger others in pursuit of that goal. Trucking companies, on the other hand, put people at risk every day by failing to perform critically important negligence. They will, for example, neglect basic maintenance, such as making sure the tires on a truck are fit for the road, or making sure the brakes are functioning properly.
- Impaired driving. As astounding as it may seem, there are some truck drivers who will actually operate these huge machines while they’re drunk, or they’re on some sort of drug. As bad as it is for a driver to try and operate their car when impaired, it’s even worse when that driver is behind the wheel of a commercial truck.
Potential Liable Parties in a New Jersey Truck Accident
There are a lot of reasons victims of truck accidents need the help of skilled attorneys. One of the biggest is that this type of accident can be incredibly complicated. There could very well have been more than one person or entity that played a role in causing the wreck, so a detailed investigation must be performed.
Understanding Multi-Party Liability
When more than one person or company contributes to an accident, all of them can face legal action. Multi-party liability is common in truck accidents.
For example, let’s say a truck jackknifed on a New Jersey highway, and destroyed three passenger vehicles. After an investigation, the attorney for one of the victims discovered the following:
- The truck driver was driving for 16 consecutive hours.
- The cargo the truck was carrying came loose, resulting in a sudden balance shift.
- The brakes failed due to the trucking company’s lack of maintenance.
- One of the tires blew out due to defective manufacturing.
In this particular instance, the victims could not only sue the truck driver, but also the company that loaded the cargo, the company that owns the truck, and the manufacturer of the defective tire.
Types of Damages You Can Recover
Whenever someone is injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, they suffer what are known as “damages.” This simply means they’re experiencing significant financial losses, including their medical expenses (surgical procedures, prescriptions, hospital stays, etc.), property damage, lost wages and others. Victims will also often have to endure severe pain, and also experience mental and emotional anguish.
The purpose of a truck accident lawsuit is for the victim to be able to recover their damages from those whose negligence directly led to the accident.
Do I Need to Hire a Truck Accident Attorney?
There’s no question that you’ll need expert legal representation if you’re going to have any kind of realistic chance to obtain enough compensation to recover your damages. The parties you’ll be suing have deep pockets, and a team of skilled professionals who will fight to deny you the compensation you deserve.
Don’t try to go it alone. Get in touch with Penn Kestner & McEwen, New Jersey truck accident lawyers so we can work to help you get what you have coming. Just contact us online or give us a call at (800) 732-3070 for a free evaluation of your case.