Germantown Truck Accident Lawyer
While any collision between motor vehicles can lead to significant financial, physical, and personal losses, few types of roadway accidents have a greater potential to cause catastrophic harm than those involving commercial trucks. Tractor-trailers can weigh 80,000 pounds at maximum and stretch up to 80 feet in length under federal law, and when all that mass collides with a much smaller and lighter commuter car, the results can be absolutely devastating.
In light of that, seeking counsel from an experienced personal injury attorney is often especially important in the wake of traffic accidents caused by negligent truck drivers, trucking companies, or affiliated third parties. A knowledgeable Germantown truck accident lawyer could provide the help you may need to seek a positive and beneficial resolution to your settlement demand or lawsuit.
Causes and Effects of Truck Crashes
Like any other driver, professional truckers can and sometimes do cause wrecks by engaging in personally reckless or careless behavior, such as disobeying speed limits, failing to check blind spots and/or signal before turning, driving while distracted, and even driving under the influence. However, one of the most common causes of truck crashes in Maryland is fatigue, which can sometimes stem from an employer forcing a driver to violate federal driving time laws rather than the driver’s own negligence.
Likewise, poor vehicle maintenance by a third-party mechanic can lead to a mechanical failure during transit that even the most skilled and attentive truck driver cannot overcome without crashing. Other possible causes of serious truck accidents include defective vehicle components from negligent manufacturers, improper loading of trailers by suppliers, and reckless or careless behavior by other motorists.
Whatever the cause of a particular incident is, the physical impact it can have on both drivers and passengers of other vehicles involved can be life-altering. Injuries that Germantown truck crash attorneys often help plaintiffs seek recovery for include:
- Traumatic back, neck, or spine damage
- Broken and/or crushed bones
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue injuries like ligament sprains and tears
- Severe burns
- Lacerations from broken glass and vehicle components
- Traumatic brain damage
- Limb amputation
- Internal organ damage
Recovering for Wreck-Related Losses
If a truck wreck victim can prove that another party’s negligence directly led to them sustaining at least one injury requiring care from a medical professional, they should have grounds to demand financial restitution for every past and future form of harm they experience due to that incident. In addition to economic damages like car replacement costs, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and medical expenses, a comprehensive claim may also seek recovery for non-economic “pain and suffering,” including lost consortium, lost enjoyment of life, and other impacts of long-term disability or disfigurement.
Importantly, though, Maryland Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings §3-2A-09 limits recovery for non-economic forms of harm regardless of how substantial a plaintiff’s losses are. As a truck accident lawyer in Germantown could explain in more detail, the cap applicable to cases filed after October 1, 2020 is $890,000, with an increase of $15,000 scheduled to occur every subsequent year on that date.
Consider Working with a Germantown Truck Accident Attorney
Civil litigation is always a complex endeavor, but claims centered around commercial truck crashes can be especially difficult for plaintiffs to achieve success with. Trucking companies and their insurance providers generally fight hard to avoid liability for these incidents, and without a tenacious legal representative fighting on your behalf, you may have little chance of overcoming opposition that substantial.
A Germantown truck accident lawyer could discuss your options with you in a private setting during an initial consultation. Schedule yours by calling today.
