New York, NY Truck Accident Attorney

Truck Accident Lawyer In New York, NY

Oddo & Babat : A Legal Firm You Can Rely On

When you want a truck accident lawyer New York, NY locals recommend, you may want to consider talking with Oddo & Babat. Over the last three decades, our attorneys have vigorously represent personal injury claims of all kinds, including those involving truck accidents. Whether your own situation is straightforward or complex, we can get you the maximum possible amount of compensation. To schedule a consultation with a truck accident lawyer in New York, NY from our firm, call 212-642-0950.

The Potentially Devastating Effects of a Truck Accident

Many commercial trucks are massive and built to carry thousands upon thousands of pounds. They can weigh between 50,000 and 80,000 pounds. Whenever a collision involves a commercial truck, the damages are often very serious. Often life threatening injuries are a factor, and in some cases, it can result in death. It can be to your benefit to work with an experienced NYC truck accident lawyer who has handled similar cases in the past. Serious injuries often associated with truck accidents include:

• Head, neck, or spine injuries
• Brain damage
• Skull injuries
• Loss of limb
• Severe burns
• Lacerations and bruising
• Torn muscles or ligaments
• Facial damage
• Loss of motor function
• Nerve damage
• Internal bleeding
• Collapsed lung
• Disability
• Scarring
• Loss of life

By filing a claim with a truck accident lawyer New York, NY victims turn to for justice, you may receive damages to help you overcome some or all of your losses. Compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and so forth are some examples of damages may be recoverable.

The Potential Causes of a Truck Accident

Although a truck is a type of vehicle, it is significantly different from a car which also means the accidents will not be the same. For example, truck drivers spend hours every day on the road. Although they are required to adhere to maximum drive time regulations, they are still prone to fatigue; a common error that contributes to nearly 40% of truck accidents. When fatigue is also combined with speeding or a tire blow out, the accident might be much worse. Additional causes of a truck accident are:

• Impractical or overloaded schedules
• Too much weight
• Defective parts
• Tire blowouts
• Brake failure
• Reckless driving
• Poorly maintained truck
• Lack of driving experiencing
• Road obstacles
• Speeding
• Driving under the influence
• Poor weather conditions
• Distracted driving

To successfully reach a settlement, a truck accident lawyer New York, NY motorists rely on must be familiar with state and federal trucking regulations and laws. For this reason you should choose Oddo & Babat to legally represent you. Our attorneys have a deep understanding of the truck regulations and know how to build a solid case.

Should I Hire a Truck Accident Attorney?

After a truck accident you may be contacted by insurance adjusters who advise you that you do not need an attorney. They might promise you a large settlement and encourage you to agree to it immediately. These companies do not have your best interests in mind. Rather their intention is to make profit and that means they seek to payout as little as possible. No matter how the might try to pursued you into a settlement, do your best to remain calm and politely decline. After this you should call a truck accident attorney to find out what to do next.

At Oddo & Babat, we handle most personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis. This means you will not be obligated to pay upfront fees. Only after we settle will we deduct a previously agreed amount from the total settlement. Rest assured you will still likely get far more than what may be available from the insurance companies. A truck accident lawyer New York, NY residents choose from our firm will have your best interests in mind.

Accidents involving commercial vehicles are all too common these days, as any truck accident lawyer New York, NY offers might tell you. There are up to 63,000 truck related crashes each year, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. In 2015, large trucks were involved in more than 400,000 crashes, which resulted in more than 4,000 deaths and 116,000 injuries — a 4% increase from 2014. According to Truck Safety Coalition (TSC), truck crash injuries increased by 57% during the years 2009-2014, and in 2016 alone, 87 bicyclists were killed in large truck crashes.

The AAA and other safety research groups say that equipping large trucks with advanced safety technologies has the potential to prevent a great number of these crashes. As a truck accident lawyer New York, NY provides would explain, this could prevent thousands of deaths each year. The AAA recommends that all large trucks, both existing and new, get equipped with cost-effective technologies to improve safety for everyone on the road.

Weight Regulations
When discussing truck safety, a NYC truck accident lawyer would likely begin with the issue of weight regulations. Trucks that exceed the maximum weight limits have an increased risk of being involved in a traffic crash. Truck compliance to weight regulations is vital to improving safety. Overloaded trucks also pose serious threats to the durability of infrastructure (pavements and bridges).

An overloaded truck is more likely to be involved in an accident, and have more severe consequences, than a legally loaded truck. The heavier the vehicle, the higher its kinetic energy. This results in greater impact forces and damage — to other vehicles or to the infrastructure — in the event of a crash. A seasoned truck accident lawyer New York, NY can provide could tell you that passengers in other vehicles tend to sustain far more damage than the driver of a commercial truck in an accident.

An overloaded vehicle is also less stable because of the increased height at its center of gravity. Because on-board stability tools (ESP, anti-rollover system, etc.) may be overstrained, the risk of rollover, lane departure, or jackknifing is increased.

Braking Systems
The braking system of any truck is designed for the maximum allowable weight indicated on the vehicle documents. The breaking capacity depends not only on the brakes themselves, but also on the tire and suspension performances designed for the maximum allowable weight of the truck. In sum, any excess weight reduces the braking capacity of a truck. Additionally, an overloaded truck can induce tire overheat, with a higher risk of tire blowouts. An experienced truck accident lawyer New York, NY drivers trust has likely seen more than one accident caused by a truck’s tire blowout.

WIM Systems and Other Safety Technologies
The good news that a truck accident lawyer in New York, NY wants you to know is that new technologies are being developed for more efficient overload screening and enforcement.  Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) technologies allow trucks to be weighed in the traffic flow, without any disruption to operations. Much progress has been made recently to improve and implement WIM systems, which can contribute to safer and more efficient operation of trucks.

Researchers have suggested that equipping trucks with other advanced safety technologies such as lane departure warning systems. These systems detect and warn drivers when their truck drifts out of its lane. Onboard video monitoring systems monitor the driver’s behavior and performance and can provide information to the driver on how to improve performance. Also, it is recommended that trucks focus on improving the quality of their braking mechanisms. This can be achieved by installing emergency braking systems that detect when a truck is in danger of an immediate crash and will break automatically, and by installing air disc brakes, which provide superior performance as compared to traditional drum brakes.

Call Oddo & Babat Today for Your Consultation

If you are ready to speak with a truck accident lawyer New York, NY offers, call Oddo & Babat, P.C. at 212-642-0950.

Client Review

“Darren and his team worked seamlessly to arrive at a resolution on two different cases against high profile companies. We are extremely happy with the speed and professionalism they displayed and will use them again in the future, if the need arises. I would recommend, Oddo, & Babat for legal advice and help.”
James Murphy