New Hampshire Truck Accident Attorneys

What percentage of accidents are caused by trucks? The question might be straightforward, but there is no clear answer due to all the varying details within each crash.

However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has estimated before that at least 10% of all fatal motor vehicle accidents involved a large commercial truck. This percentage is concerning because big rigs and semi-trucks do not comprise 10% of all vehicles on the road.

The statistic leads to another question: What is happening to cause so many truck accidents? Why are so many commercial trucks crashing and seemingly so often? The answers can help establish liability in a truck accident claim.

Four of the most common causes of truck accidents are:

• Exhaustion: As shocking as it might seem, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) actually allows the average commercial truck driver to drive up to 11 hours a day during a 14-hour shift and a 70-hour workweek. Not surprisingly, many truck accidents involve a truck driver who was fatigued or asleep behind the wheel at the time of the collision.
• Impairment: In order to combat fatigue, some truckers are tempted to use drugs or alcohol to cause temporary stimulation. Of course, drug and alcohol use behind the wheel is never a safe practice because intoxication and impairment can be more dangerous than exhaustion.
• Speeding: Truck drivers are usually not paid by the hour. Instead, they are paid per mile driven. To try to maximize their paychecks or to complete a lengthy shift early without a pay deduction, some truck drivers break posted speed limits for commercial trucks, putting everyone else on the road in severe danger.
• Brake failures: Truck part failures are a serious problem, and perhaps none are as dangerous as brake failures. The brakes on a commercial truck have the difficult task of bringing an 80,000-pound vehicle to a complete stop in a short distance, which puts immense strains on them. Heavier loads put greater strain on the brakes, so overloaded trailers pose a greater risk of a brake failure.

The average truck accident will result in tremendous damage to smaller vehicles around it, possibly causing life-changing injuries. Therefore, significant financial damage often follows.

Damages that could apply to your truck accident claim are:

• Current and future medical treatments
• Future rehabilitative care
• Vehicle repair or replacement
• Lost wages
• Pain, suffering, and disability
• Lessened enjoyment of life

Our truck accident attorneys in New Hampshire can fight for a maximized compensation amount on your behalf. If your case can be settled without jeopardizing your compensation amount, then we will explore this option. Settlements usually take much less time to close a case than going to court.

However, we are also capable of taking your truck accident case to litigation in pursuit of a fair verdict. When the opposition does not want to settle or accept any liability, courtroom litigation might be the only way to seek justice and compensation on your behalf.