Wyoming is one of the largest states in the U.S. as regards landmass. However, the state of Wyoming has a tiny population. Nevertheless, its residents must have access to the basic necessities that those living in other parts of the country do. Most of these items are shipped from outside of Wyoming because very few are produced, manufactured, and farmed in Wyoming; they are usually transported by huge trucks. But trucking companies do not always operate per federal and state regulations.
Sometimes truck drivers rush to meet delivery deadlines. Others spend too much time on the road. In some cases, some drivers are not screened adequately by trucking companies. There are also occasions when a truck company does not adequately inspect its vehicles before sending them off on a trip. Any of these circumstances can result in a tragic Wyoming truck accident.
A truck accident injury can alter the course of your life. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), Wyoming has one of the highest per capita trucking accident death rates.
Since 1978, Parker & McConkie has represented people who have been seriously injured or killed in truck accidents. If you have been injured in a truck accident in Wyoming, contact us to speak with a Wyoming truck accident lawyer. You can reach us by calling (385) 220-0383 or submitting your case details through our online contact form.
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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), heavy and large trucks accounted for approximately 5000 of all fatal crashes in 2018, roughly 10% of all accidents.
It is also worth noting that 67% of the people killed in fatal truck collisions were the occupants of the vehicle the truck collided with.
Any truck collision can cause significant damage to other vehicles and their occupants. The following are the types of Wyoming truck accidents we commonly handle:
Trucks that “jackknife” is a common cause of car accidents. When a tractor pulling a trailer folds like a folding knife, it’s called a jackknife accident. Most jackknife incidents are caused by truck drivers who brake abruptly. When a brake is slammed by a truck driver while traveling too fast in a curve or on a slippery road often results in a jackknife accident.
Underride collisions are among the deadliest of all truck collisions. Underride accidents occur when smaller vehicles collide with the side or back of a tractor-trailer and slide underneath.
Some drivers have little time to react when the truck driver brakes abruptly.
Excessive speed is a leading cause of rollover accidents, whether a single vehicle or a group of cars are involved. At a high rate of speed, a collision between two vehicles is bound to be catastrophic. Even when truck drivers operate carefully and responsibly, a rollover disaster can still occur. Other causes include excessive truckloads, slippery roads, distracted drivers, etc.
Truck drivers need extra time and space to drive commercial tractor-trailers to stop behind other cars safely. Drivers must remember that larger, heavier vehicles take a longer time to stop.
A catastrophic rear-end collision may happen when a distracted driver is not paying attention to the vehicle ahead of them.
Laws in Wyoming and the rest of the country mandate that commercial vehicle businesses and their drivers abide by particular safety standards. If companies and truck drivers fail to comply with these regulations, they can face severe penalties and consequences.
Listed below are the most common causes of truck accidents in Wyoming:
It is one of the top causes of truck crashes worldwide. Using a cell phone or doing other things that may take your attention away from the road while driving is against the law in many states.
The following are some of the distractions that can happen while you’re driving:
• Using mobile phones to talk or text
• Using electronic dispatching tools
• Eating and drinking
• Smoking
• Driver using maps or GPS
• Changing music on the stereo
• Daydreaming
• Exhaustion
Truck drivers who travel for a long time may do these things because they are bored or need to get through the time. This, therefore, increases the risk of a distracted driving crash.
Driver fatigue has the same consequences as drunk driving. Truck drivers are exhausted on the road due to long work hours. Fatigued driving increases the chance of an accident.
Tailgating and speeding are common forms of reckless driving. These bad habits often result in tragic accidents.
Truck drivers are often stressed out at work. Some will take stimulants to keep awake on the road or other medications to relax and feel better when away from home.
Alcohol and drugs impair a driver’s cognitive and bodily functions. A drunk driver driving endangers others since they usually lack proper coordination and concentration, and they must be held accountable. It doesn’t matter why a driver drinks or takes drugs.
People who drive trucks on highways and state roads can get into accidents because the roads aren’t well-designed or kept up. A lot of road defects are caused by bad road design. Road defects can include unmarked turns, potholes, and improperly maintained roads.
These vehicles are dangerous because they are much bigger than other cars. It could be disastrous if any parts of big commercial trucks or 18-wheelers break down. Injuries from a crash with a commercial truck can be terrible and require a lot of medical and rehabilitation care for a long time.
If there is a relationship between the driver and the company, the company can be held legally liable for the driver’s negligence under the term “respondeat superior.”
Trucking companies may be held liable if:
• They fail to inspect their trucks properly;
• They fail to hire or train drivers with clean records properly;
• They pressure their drivers to breach hours of service requirements.
Truck accidents can result in many traumatic injuries, including:
Like other vehicular accidents, truck accidents might have multiple causes and multiple parties to blame. Some parties who may be liable for a truck accident are:
Truck drivers, like other drivers, encounter various distractions, and a single driving error can result in a severe highway collision. They are the most likely to blame for the accident.
If drivers are found to be driving recklessly, intoxicated, driving fatigued, and failing to yield, they can be held liable for the accident.
Vicariously liable means that trucking companies can be held legally liable for accidents caused by their drivers. If a trucking company fails to do the necessary procedures before sending off its trucks on the road or fails to hire or train its drivers properly, it can be held liable for the collision.
Defects in a truck’s steering, brakes, tires, or other systems or components can cause truck accidents. If manufacturers or distributors fail to ensure that their products or parts are safe to use, victims can file claims against them.
The truck driver isn’t always to blame for most truck accident cases. It can also be caused by other drivers’ negligent actions on the road.
After a truck collision, determining your damages is also a part of the lawsuit filing process. The word “damage” in civil courts pertains to payments made for your injuries. Wyoming allows truck accident victims to recover economic and non-economic damages from the at-fault parties.
Economic damages are the measurable monetary losses you sustained due to your injuries. You can document and calculate damages like medical expenses, extra healthcare costs, medication costs, transportation to and from hospitals, pay cuts/future wage loss, and burial expenses for a wrongful death case.
Non-economic losses include physical and emotional pain rather than financial loss. A Wyoming truck accident lawyer can help estimate non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, mental agony, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, disfigurement, or scarring.
A Wyoming trucking accident lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and help you win your case to obtain money for your injuries, pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages. A Wyoming trucking accident attorney can also use various tools to fight for your rights and build a strong case.
Suppose you or a family member has been hurt or killed in a trucking accident. In that case, our skilled Wyoming truck accident attorney can help answer any questions you have, speed up the recovery process, and help you and your family move on with your lives. Here at Parker & McConkie, we can help you in many ways.
There are several reasons to choose us. Some of these are:
• We have experienced and dedicated trial attorneys;
• We focus on personal injury cases;
• We will help our injured clients get medical treatment;
• We have received numerous awards;
• We have a proven track record;
• We are available 24/7;
• We offer free consultations;
• We work on a contingent fee agreement, which means we only get paid if we win the case;
• We deal with insurance companies on our client’s behalf; and
• We will represent our client in court if necessary.
You are entitled to compensation regardless of who caused your vehicle accident. Finding out how much your trucking accident case is worth can be a challenging task. Various aspects go into determining the worth of your injury lawsuit. These include your injuries and property damage. Consult with a truck accident attorney; they can give you an estimate of your case’s value.
When a large truck is involved in a collision, the vehicle’s sheer size often leads to more destruction and more deaths. As a result, it may take longer to resolve these types of disputes than it would for ones involving passenger vehicles solely.
Some cases are resolved in a few months, while others take many years. Injury and property damage cases take longer to resolve on average when they’re more serious.
Various circumstances influence how much time you have to file a lawsuit against the liable parties. The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Wyoming is four years from the date of the accident or injury. Failure to do so within this deadline may bar you from pursuing compensation.
It all depends on how much your shared fault is. Wyoming upholds the modified comparative fault rule. This rule allows you to recover compensation if you are 50% less responsible for causing the truck accident than the other parties involved. This means that if you are found 50% or more at fault for the accident, you are barred from recovering compensation.
Our Wyoming trucking accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means that we only get paid or take a certain percentage of your compensation after we win your case. We don’t get paid if our client does not get paid.
If multiple parties are involved in a truck accident, the case can get more complicated. It isn’t always easy to figure out who is responsible for an accident, and sometimes the driver, the truck company, or both could be held responsible for their actions.
With so many possible causes of an accident, drivers may be overwhelmed by the process of getting compensation. This is why you need a truck accident lawyer. Truck accident attorneys can help you figure out the best way to deal with accident cases and any state or federal laws that might affect the case.
Contact a Wyoming truck accident lawyer today if you’ve been hurt or injured in a commercial truck, semi-truck, or delivery vehicle accident. Parker & McConkie believes in protecting the rights of every individual who has been injured due to others’ negligence, and we want to help you achieve the justice you deserve.
While you may have many questions, seeking legal assistance is an excellent first step. To obtain the best potential conclusion, you need an experienced truck accident attorney to analyze your case.
Schedule a free consultation protected by an attorney-client relationship today by calling us at (385) 220-0383.
Call 801-845-0440 to get in touch with a member of our firm after your accident. We can review your case for free!
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