Truck Accidents
A fully loaded semi-truck or big rig can easily weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. By comparison, the average car on the road weighs just 3,000 pounds. As you can well imagine, when these two vehicles collide the occupants in the passenger car have a significant disadvantage—and the result is usually catastrophic and often fatal.
In 2012 alone, more than 104,000 people were seriously injured in crashes that involved large commercial trucks—and an additional 3,921 people were killed. This was an 18% increase from 2011.
Trucking Through the Washington, D.C. Metro Area
Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are packed with interlocking interstates, freeways, and highways. These freeways are full of a variety of produce trucks, livestock containers, freight trucks, big rigs, and semi-trucks en route up and down the Atlantic coastline. This makes the Washington, D.C. metro area a prime location for serious and often fatal trucking accidents.
Establishing Trucking Accident Negligence
After a serious trucking accident, it is important to establish who is to blame for your accident—and your injuries. Trucking accidents are unique in that there are often multiple parties to blame for the accident and this is not always apparent from the initial police accident reports. Your attorney will need to investigate the accident closely, interview eye witnesses, obtain the black box recording data, review the driving logs, and inspect the maintenance records to determine if the trucking company or truck driver failed to comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules and regulations.
There are numerous parties that could be held responsible for your trucking accident, including:
- Trucking companies
- Owner or truck leasing company
- Trucking manufacturers
- Truck drivers
- Truck part manufacturers
- Truck tire manufacturer
- Shipper or loader responsible for loading trucks
- And more
Unfortunately, unscrupulous trucking companies often attempt to reduce their liability by losing valuable evidence, altering driving logs, or changing maintenance schedules. A thorough and prompt investigation by an experienced trucking accident attorney can usually uncover these devious tactics and expose the true negligent parties.
Types of Injuries Sustained in Trucking Accidents
Trucking accidents are often horrific and catastrophic—especially for the victims in passenger vehicles. Due to the sheer size and weight of commercial trucks and big rigs, injuries are often life threatening and fatal. Common trucking accident injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones
- Leg injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Burns
- Internal organ damage
- Hemorrhaging
- Facial damage
- And more
Contact Trucking Accident Lawyers
At Patrick Malone & Associates, our trucking accident lawyers realize how serious truck accidents in the Washington, D.C. metro area, Virginia, and Maryland can be. We also know that truck accident victims face a long and arduous recovery battle and need someone on their side to protect their rights throughout their ordeal. Our accident attorneys work tirelessly from the very start to ensure that all our clients receive the compensation they need to fully recover. Call us at 1-202-742-1500 or fill out our confidential contact form for a FREE Consultation and review of your case.
The trucking accident attorneys at Patrick Malone & Associates have successfully represented injured individuals in Washington, D.C., Arlington, Alexandria, Annapolis, Rockville, Baltimore, Richmond, Fairfax, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and other locations throughout Maryland and Virginia.