Your experienced lawyer focusing on truck accidents for injured victims throughout Colorado and Wyoming
Before choosing a lawyer, be sure the lawyer has handled truck accidents, not simple auto accidents.
Click here for a copy of a complaint of a truck accident case handled by Jim Gigax
Truck accidents are unique. Handling a truck accident case requires knowledge of federal rules concerning hours-on-duty, truck maintenance and record keeping, and specialized trucking vocabulary terms, such as AVL (Automated Vehicle Location), BBC (distance from a truck’s front bumper to the back of its cab), and Bridge Formula (a bridge protection formula used by federal and state governments to regulate the amount of weight that can be put on each of a vehicle’s axles), to name a few.
If you need a Colorado truck accident lawyer, or Denver truck accident lawyer, or are looking for a Wyoming truck accident lawyer, look no further.
Throughout Colorado and Wyoming, fatal trucking accidents happen every week. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in 2005, the last year for which data is available, there were 65 fatalities involving large trucks in Colorado and 24 in Wyoming (there were 47 in 2004) and nearly 2000 non-fatal crashes.
Because of their sheer size and weight, large trucks — particularly fully loaded tractor trailer trucks — can crush smaller passenger vehicles upon impact. typical fully loaded large commercial truck can weigh over 80,000 pounds, while an average passenger automobile weighs approximately 3,000 pounds. Because of the sheer size of trucks, any collision between a commercial truck and another vehicle is likely to result in serious, even fatal, injuries.
These horrible accidents can cause traumatic injuries including damage to the brain and spinal cord, broken bones and loss of limbs, and permanent disabilities. Sometimes these accidents are fatal. Truck accidents can bring about lifelong medical expenses for those who survive and funeral expenses for the family if someone dies.
Who Is to Blame in a Truck Accident?
Accidents involving massive objects be devastating. Cases and claims involving truck accidents can also be legally complex and challenging to pursue, because the driver may not be the only one at fault. The vehicle and equipment manufacturer, and/or the trucking company, may share some or all of the blame.
The two general categories of truck accidents causes are (1) driver error due to factors such as fatigue (often blamed for poor judgment and falling asleep at the wheel), inexperience, inadequate training, operating under the influence of alcohol and drugs (both prescription and illegal drugs), and driving at excessive speed; and (2) vehicle maintenance failure.
Truck Driver Fatigue: Truck driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of truck accidents in Colorado and Wyoming. Although laws are designed to limit truck driving activity, many drivers either disobey the law or engage in physical activity during the time they should be resting to drive. Drivers and their employers are required to keep track of the hours driven by the driver, but some times drivers feel pressured to lie about the hours they’ve really been driving between required rest time off.
Truck accident claims and lawsuits become especially complicated when it isn’t clear who is liable — the driver, the trucking company, and/or the vehicle or equipment manufacturer.
While driver fatigue and speed are common causes, the trucking company may also be at fault if the driver were hauling overloaded freight or if he was under pressure to meet unreasonable deadlines. Equipment malfunction may involve manufacturer liability for faulty truck parts, or manufacturer and/or distributor liability for defective tires. If the driver failed to abide by State and Federal Regulations, both he and his trucking company may share the blame as co-defendants.
Both the trucking companies and the insurance companies realize how complicated truck accident cases can be. This is why it is so important for you to contact an experienced truck accident attorney and not speak to anyone from the insurance companies.
In the event that injury or death results from a large truck collision, you will need a skilled lawyer in your corner to prove the accident resulted from another’s negligence. Hiring an experienced Colorado truck accident attorney or Wyoming truck accident lawyer can help you and your family meet mounting medical and other bills. Jim Gigax will work hard to show that the driver, trucking company, or maintenance worker failed to exercise a duty of reasonable care, which ultimately caused the accident and resulting injuries.
If you or someone you love has been in a truck accident. Please contact our Colorado truck accident lawyers and Wyoming truck accident lawyers for a complimentary legal consultation.