Portsmouth Truck Accident Lawyers

Big Accidents Call for Bigger Representation

Few accidents are as devastating as truck accidents. It is incredibly common for these collisions to end in someone’s severe injury. If this happened to you or a loved one, then you should take legal action to make things rights.

Upton & Hatfield, LLP has been helping locals in Portsmouth with difficult accident claims for more than 100 years. Many of our greatest case results have been achieved for truck accident clients who were in situations much like yours. We don’t hesitate when it comes to bringing claims and lawsuits against major insurance companies and trucking companies, and neither should you.

Find out more about your legal options. Call our truck accident attorneys in Portsmouth at (603) 716-9777.

On This Page:

• How Truck Accidents Happen
• Commonly Sustained Truck Accident Injuries
• Determining Truck Accident Liability
• What Is Your Truck Accident Settlement Worth?
• Get Help Today

How Truck Accidents Happen

Commercial trucks are involved in an inordinately high percentage of fatal and catastrophic motor vehicle accidents on America’s highways. Why is it that so many truck drivers seem to be driving negligently when they’re working? The answer lies in the understanding of what causes truck accidents.

Truck accidents can be caused by these forms of negligence and more:

• Exhausted driving: In an average shift, a commercial truck driver can be scheduled to work for 14 hours with only 3 hours not spent behind the wheel. When nearing the end of a workday, a trucker’s chances of feeling an unsafe level of exhaustion are high.
• Impaired driving: It is not unheard of for a trucker to take over-the-counter stimulants or illegal narcotics to try to fight off the worst effects of their exhaustion. Of course, using a substance while driving can be even more dangerous than driving while tired.
• Speeding: One way that a truck driver can reduce the time they work in a day is by speeding. However, speeding is illegal and extremely dangerous, so it should never be done. If you were hit by a trucker who was speeding, then we need to know right away. Some trucks are equipped with “black box” systems that record their speed at all times, so we will want to access that data. If we wait too long, the data could be “accidentally” deleted by the trucking company.
• Parts defects: Each part of a truck needs to be fully functional for the entire vehicle to be safely operated. If a part fails while the truck is in motion, like the brakes or steering column, then the result can be a terrible wreck.

Commonly Sustained Truck Accident Injuries

Because truck accidents involve much larger and heavier machinery than the standard passenger car accident does, the injuries sustained in truck accidents tend to be more catastrophic. Some injuries common to truck accidents include:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord or back injuries
• Broken or fractured bones
• Internal organ injuries
• Amputation
• Severe scarring or disfigurement
• Lacerations
• Burn injuries