Wide Turns: How They Can Cause Truck Accidents

It is essential that truck drivers engage in deliberate and safe driving, free of behaviors that could inhibit their ability to drive safely. If you are injured in a truck accident caused by a wide turn or other negligence on behalf of the driver, they will be liable for any damages that you experience. Your local Santa Ana truck accident lawyer from The Law Offices of Benjamin Arsenian can help you determine what your best options are to collect the full damages you deserve for your truck accident. 

Wide Turns and Truck Driver Negligence 

When it comes to driving large commercial trucks, the drivers are not only required to obtain a commercial drivers license that entails greater knowledge, they must also exercise greater care while driving. Trailer truck, 18-wheeler, or big rig is a term used to describe the same type of vehicle, which is essentially a truck towing a large trailer. When a trailer must make a right or left turn, often on the way off the highway to the final destination, particular care must be paid.

Large commercial trucks are especially dangerous on the highways given their substantially greater size, height, and weight, as well as their lower level of maneuverability. However, 18-wheelers and big rigs on city and town streets can be equally as dangerous. Large trucks require a substantially greater turning radius than traditional automobiles, and often must turn from a lane over from a curb. If an automobile gets into the lane between the large truck and the turn, it can be pinned against the curb, forced onto the sidewalk, or even into a building. 

If a truck driver does not effectively signal, maintain responsiveness to traffic conditions, and/or ensure that their actions do not pin an automobile against a curb or push it into traffic, accidents can and will happen. Damage to your vehicle, your person, and any passengers in your vehicle will be the liability of the at-fault truck driver, and generally their insurance company. A Santa Ana truck accident lawyer can help you determine when the other driver was at fault and how to completely measure and collect the damages to which you are entitled. 

Common Causes of At-Fault Truck Accidents 

When you are injured in an accident that was caused by the negligence of another driver, then the other driver will generally be liable for the damages that result. Negligence is a legal concept that has 4 parts: duty, breach, causation, and damages. Another party must have a duty to you that is breached, and that breach must be the cause of injury that leads to damages. Damages include your property, your person/health, in addition to your ability to earn income. In some situations, punitive damages or damages for pain and suffering may also be available, as we’ll discuss below. 

Some of the most common causes of at-fault truck accidents include: 

• Distracted driving 
• Drunk or intoxicated driving 
• Drowsy driving 
• Equipment failure/malfunction 
• Improper maintenance 

When another driver is at fault, you are generally able to recover compensation for your damages.

Types of Damages Available 

When another party’s negligence was the cause of your injury, then you are entitled to the following types of damages: 

• Medical bills – the cost of emergency medical care, surgeries, rehabilitation, medication, and other treatments that result from your accident can be substantial, and when the accident that caused them was due to the negligence of another party, then these damages and costs are covered within your accident settlement
• Lost wages and earnings potential – one of the most significant elements of the damages that are available to you after an at-fault accident are damages to cover the lost wages during your recovery, which includes work benefits such as sick and vacation time, as well as any decrease in your ability to earn an income that your injuries might cause
• Pain and suffering (in some instances) – when an accident leads to painful outcomes for the victim, including ongoing surgeries and treatments or rehabilitation, then damages may be available for the pain and suffering that is experienced as a result of the accident, which is not limited to the pain experienced only during the accident itself 
• Punitive damages (in some instances) – these are damages meant to punish a party for their behavior, while also meant to deter others from engaging in such behavior, and can be applied in instances of recklessness such as drunk driving or the intentional causing of an accident and/or injury 
• Wrongful death – when an at-fault accident leads to the death of an individual, the surviving family is able to collect compensation to cover any medical bills, lost wages, and potential damages for pain and suffering and punitive damages on behalf of their lost loved one

How a Santa Ana Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help You 

While it is possible to pursue a claim for the damages associated with your injuries on your own, this will generally lead to the recovery of less in damages than you are entitled to. In order to collect complete compensation for your injuries, you must completely and accurately measure your present and future medical bills, lost wages and earnings, as well as any other damages that you might be entitled to. Then, you must prove the fault of the liable party, and file your claim with the appropriate insurance company to collect what you are owed. 

The process of drafting, filing, and negotiating a claim that fully covers your damages without experience practicing the law is difficult, especially when you are trying to recover from the injuries associated with your truck accident. Working with an attorney takes the entire process out of your hands so that you can focus on recovering from your injuries while your attorney handles the rest of the process on your behalf. 

Discuss Your Truck Accident with a Santa Ana Truck Accident Lawyer

The sooner you reach out to an attorney, the faster your claim will be taken out of your hands and processed by a legal professional with the experience needed to win. You’ll generally begin by filing your claim with the insurance company of the truck driver and their employer. They have full-time teams of attorneys and claim analysts working to oppose your claim, to pay as little as possible, if anything at all. 

Your experienced Santa Ana truck accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Benjamin Arsenian is prepared to review your case free of charge, and if we are able to take it, we only get paid if we win. Contact us today to get started for free.