Fayetteville Truck Accident Lawyer

Truck accidents have the potential to cause significant damage due to a truck’s size and weight. A large truck can weigh up to 80,000 lbs., while an average car may weigh under 3,000 lbs. In an accident, the vehicle occupants could sustain life-threatening injuries.

Get Fair Compensation After a Semi-Truck Accident

If you or a loved one has been injured in a semi-truck accident, a Fayetteville truck accident lawyer from McMath Woods can help you understand your legal options. Our firm is dedicated to giving truck accident victims a voice and getting them the compensation they deserve. We have fought for citizens throughout our state and are ready to provide the same help to Fayetteville. While a serious accident can cause many setbacks, we can be at your side and guide you through the claims process so you receive a fair settlement that will aid in your recovery.

How Do Truck Accidents Happen?

The truck collision lawyers at our firm understand how complicated and confusing a claim involving a truck can be. You need to know all the facts and how the negligence occurred. A few common causes of truck accidents may apply to your case. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released The Large Truck Crash Causation Study, which took data from large truck crashes between 2001 and 2003. They broke down factors in an accident into categories concerning driver error and truck issues. In many cases, the driver could have made a mistake that caused the accident. While there are instances of negligence that could cause a collision with any motor vehicle, like distracted driving, drunk driving, or aggressive driving, truck drivers also need to be aware of other dangers.

Truck Blind Spots

For example, trucks have significantly different blind spots than an average car. If there’s a vehicle directly in front of the truck, behind the trailer, or next to a truck on either side, there’s a strong chance the truck driver cannot see the vehicle. Truck drivers must be careful when merging or changing lanes, or they could swerve into a vehicle next to them.

Driver Fatigue

Trucker fatigue is another factor that could have led to your collision. Truck drivers often have strict, busy schedules that may push them to drive when exhausted. Unfortunately, a fatigued driver is not attentive and cannot react quickly to emergencies on the road. A truck driver may fall asleep at the wheel. Fatigued driving was a factor in 13% of the study’s accidents.

Inexperienced Driver

A new truck driver may not be used to handling such a large vehicle. Big rigs need more time to speed up, slow down, and turn. If an inexperienced driver tries to slow down or turn the truck but doesn’t give it the proper amount of time to decelerate, they could lose control of the vehicle. Speeding in a truck can sometimes cause jackknifing, where the trailer swings out next to the cab and forms an L or V shape. Vehicles in the path of the truck are in danger of getting hit. Jackknifing contributed to five percent of accidents from the study’s sample.

Truck or Truck Part Failure

However, vehicle issues can also cause wrecks. The driver may not be aware of these issues until something happens on the road.

Problems with brakes or tires
Improperly loaded cargo

If the brakes or tires fail on a truck, the driver could lose control and crash into a vehicle next to them. A truck transporting cargo will have a weight limit, and the cargo needs to have an even distribution so there isn’t unnecessary stress on axles and the trailer won’t be unbalanced. If the cargo weight exceeds what the trailer can hold or isn’t balanced, the driver could have difficulty controlling the vehicle, especially one as large as an 18-wheeler.

Which Roads May Trucks Use in Fayetteville?

Fayetteville has several highways and an interstate that trucks may use. When you’re driving on these roads, be sure to look for trucks and drive cautiously.

Interstate 49
Highway 16E and 16W
Highway 45
Highway 62
Highway 71B
Highway 112
Highway 156
Highway 180
Highway 265

An incident on Interstate 49 revealed another dangerous aspect of large transport vehicle accidents—what happens if the truck loses its cargo? A trucker transporting chicken by-products witnessed two cars get into an accident ahead of him. He had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the vehicles. His brakes locked, and the chicken by-product load littered the interstate.

While the truck didn’t collide with the vehicles, it shows how accidents on interstates and highways can quickly threaten the safety of drivers and passengers in vehicles around them because they’re traveling at high speeds. An inattentive or drowsy truck driver may not have hit the brakes in time.

If the truck had transported hazardous chemicals or other dangerous substances, they could cause a fire or seep into the environment. These dangers could potentially put those involved in the accident and residents in the area at risk.

Accidents like the one on Interstate 49 demonstrate how complicated an accident involving a truck can become. It takes an experienced Fayetteville truck accident attorney to discover who was at fault. Our attorneys are up to the task. Let’s review possible liable parties if a big rig collision occurs.

Determining Liability in a Truck Accident

After investigating what caused your accident, your lawyers in Fayetteville will find the person responsible for your injuries. While many may automatically think the truck driver was at fault, that isn’t always true. The trucking company could be legally liable for your accident.

Trucking companies are supposed to inspect their vehicles and ensure they’re putting safe trucks on the road. Skipping inspections or knowingly sending out a truck with an issue puts the company’s driver and others around them in danger.

A manufacturing company that sells truck auto parts could produce a faulty product that causes the trucker to lose control and crash while driving. If a defective product is why your accident happened, we’ll do everything we can to hold the manufacturing company responsible.

Seek Justice with McMath Woods

Our attorneys realize you need a fair settlement to pay your medical bills and recover in peace. When we’re by your side, you’ll know we’re doing our best to get you the compensation you deserve. The sooner you contact a truck accident lawyer from our law firm, the sooner you can start moving forward with your case. Give us a call today.