Truck rollovers can occur due to a wide variety of hazards and events, including excessive speed, distracted driving, improper cargo loading, and dangerous driving conditions. As top-heavy vehicles, trucks are more likely than most vehicles to roll over. Their size means that, when a truck does roll over, it becomes an immediate crash hazard, potentially blocking busy roadways and falling on other vehicles.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries because of a truck rollover, a lawyer will pursue fair compensation for you. Don’t wait to hire a truck accident attorney, as there may be one or more deadlines for filing your case.
Why Truck Rollovers Happen
When you suffer injuries because of a truck rollover, identifying the cause of the accident is one of the most urgent priorities for your lawyer. By determining why the rollover (and subsequent accident) happened, your attorney can determine who owes you compensation for accident-related damages.
Some of the most common explanations for truck rollover accidents are:
Distracted or Impaired Driving
Whether you are in a minivan, two-door coupe, or large truck, paying attention is a must. Truck drivers must always avoid distracting behaviors while behind the wheel, including:
- Texting
- Talking on the phone
- Eating and drinking
- Reaching for items in the vehicle
- Taking photographs or video
- Staring at the scenery outside the vehicle
A distracted truck driver may not see upcoming turns, braking vehicles, or other changing road conditions. This can cause them to lose control of the truck and roll the vehicle over.
Motorists who are tired, intoxicated, or under the influence of one or more drugs are also more likely to cause a rollover accident.
Reckless Driving
Large trucks cannot stop on a dime—far from it. These are multi-ton vehicles that also cannot swerve or engage in other evasive maneuvers with the risk of rolling over. This means that truck drivers must always refrain from:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Changing lanes erratically or unsafely
- Running red lights, stop signs, or yield signs
- Engaging in any other dangerous driving practices
If a truck driver has to swerve to avoid a collision, they risk the truck rolling over. A collision caused by reckless driving may also cause a rollover.
Truck drivers who follow the law and best driving practices are far less likely to cause rollover accidents.
Improper Loading of Cargo
Cargo can have a significant effect on how a truck moves. The physics of carrying a large, heavy cargo trailer (or another type of trailer) can contribute to rollover accidents.
Cargo-related rollover accidents can result (totally or partially) from:
- Failing to secure cargo properly (the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has specific rules for how to secure cargo for maximum safety)
- Failing to distribute the weight of cargo evenly
- Operating the truck in a dangerous manner that does not account for the weight of the cargo
Fully loaded trucks are ten times more likely to roll over than trucks that are not fully loaded. Truck drivers, cargo loaders, and other responsible parties must be aware of this risk and act accordingly.
Tire Blowouts and Other Vehicle-Related Defects
Vehicle-related defects can cause the truck driver to lose control of the truck. When the driver has limited or no control of the truck, a rollover is far more likely.
If a tire blowout or other vehicle-related hazard contributed to your accident, your attorney will determine who is liable. A vehicle manufacturer, component manufacturer (such as a tire producer), trucking company, truck driver, or other party may be responsible for the defect.
Dangerous Road Conditions
Some dangerous road conditions that can contribute to rollover accidents are:
- Potholes
- Cracks
- Out-of-order traffic lights
- Downed or absent signs
- Work zones
These hazards may contribute to tire blowouts, cause a truck driver to lose control of the truck, require the driver to engage in evasive maneuvers, and cause accidents in other ways.
How Truck Rollovers Lead to Injuries for Non-Truck Drivers
In some cases, a truck rolls over, and only the driver suffers injuries. However, there are many other cases when:
- A truck rolls over and collides with other vehicles, whether landing on them or sliding into them
- A rolled-over truck blocks a roadway, causing other vehicles to crash into it
- Debris from a rolled-over truck is in the roadway, causing collisions
- Flammable or combustible materials from a rolled-over truck causes fires, explosions, and other harmful events
If you were in a collision or another harmful event triggered by a truck rollover, consider hiring a truck accident attorney to pursue justice for you.
Now Is the Time to Hire Your Truck Accident Attorney After a Rollover Collision
You must take immediate action after a truck accident—for your physical health, financial well-being, and psychological and emotional recovery. Essential steps to take after the collision include:
- Seeking medical care, as many victims have traumatic brain injuries, whiplash, and other injuries that do not always show acute or immediate symptoms
- Hiring your attorney, who will immediately secure evidence of negligence, reach out to insurance providers and create a one-of-a-kind case strategy for you
- Referring to your lawyer before giving statements to insurance companies or making other major case-related decisions
Experience is an asset after a truck rollover accident. You may not have much experience with truck accident claims or lawsuits, but you can find an attorney who does. Let them lead the way while you rest and heal from your accident-related injuries and trauma.
Who Is Responsible for Your Damages After an Accident Caused by a Truck Rollover?
Determining who caused your accident will be one of your lawyer’s most urgent and important responsibilities. By establishing fault, your lawyer can also figure out who must provide compensation for your covered losses.
In some cases, it is fairly obvious who caused the rollover accident. In other cases, the issues of fault and liability are more complicated. Some of the parties your lawyer will investigate are:
- The truck driver
- The owner of the truck (which is likely a trucking company)
- Those who loaded the truck’s cargo
- The municipality responsible for the road where the accident happened
Your attorney will determine fault by:
- Gathering and reviewing relevant evidence
- Consulting with experts whose knowledge is relevant to your accident
- Weighing all relevant information and determining who caused the collision
More than one party can be responsible for a truck rollover accident. Your lawyer will keep this fact in mind as they determine who to demand compensation from.
A Truck Accident Lawyer Will Provide Priceless Protection and Service After Your Collision
No truck accident victim should put off hiring a lawyer. To understand why urgency is so important in retaining an attorney, you must understand the many benefits—including immediate advice and assistance—your lawyer will provide. A truck accident attorney and their team will:
- Enable you to put your health first: Time is one of the greatest challenges for truck accident survivors. You may have many doctor appointments, personal obligations, rest-related needs, and other priorities on your plate. Yet, you only have so much time. By allowing your lawyer to handle your case, you give yourself more time for recovery and other important matters.
- Ensure nobody can undermine your case: Your truck accident lawyer will be the one who deals with insurance companies. This alone will ensure the insurance companies cannot convince you to accept a lowball settlement or violate your rights in other ways.
- Use their experience to your benefit: Lawyers’ experience with truck accident cases gives them a perspective that money cannot buy. When you agree to hire a lawyer, you get the full benefit of their experience, which they will share freely with you.
- Lighten your financial burden: Truck accident attorneys offer their services on a contingency basis. This low-risk fee structure means the client does not have to pay the firm directly. Rather, your lawyer will get a fair percentage of any compensation they obtain for you. This agreement should ease your financial concerns after the accident.
Every auto accident causes unforeseen, considerable stress on the victim. Hiring a lawyer can be a stress reliever and can also lead to the financial recovery you deserve.
How, Specifically, Your Truck Accident Lawyer Will Build and Resolve Your Case
Expect your lawyer and their team to handle your case in its entirety. Attorneys are equipped with the legal knowledge, experience, training, and resources to oversee every aspect of your case, including:
Communicating with Insurers
Trucking companies often have extensive insurance coverage. Therefore, there is a significant possibility your lawyer will deal with at least one insurer, and they will:
- Share documentation of your covered losses (including medical records)
- Arrange any necessary meetings with insurance adjusters
- Pass along settlement demands and arrange negotiations, if necessary
- Handle every other accident-related interaction with insurers
Your lawyer will ensure insurance companies don’t delay your claim or succeed in any bad-faith tactics they use against you.
Securing Evidence That Proves Fault for the Truck Rollover (and Subsequent Collisions)
By proving why the truck rollover happened, your lawyer may prove who is responsible for your accident-related damages. Your lawyer will waste no time in securing:
- Evidence from the trucking company (such as black box data, video footage, a driver’s safety record, and other relevant evidence)
- Testimony from anyone who saw the accident
- Expert testimony about why the rollover happened
Your attorney will also use your own words if they are relevant in proving fault.
Obtaining All Proof of Your Damages
Your lawyer can prove the nature and cost of your damages with:
- MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, and other medical images showing your injuries
- All medical bills for accident-related care
- Your account of how the accident has harmed you
- A mental health professional’s diagnosis of any pain and suffering you’ve experienced
- Financial records showing a dropoff in income after the accident
Insurance companies don’t typically want to pay accident victims. With such detailed documentation, your lawyer should leave insurers no choice but to recognize your losses.
Negotiating a Settlement for You
Insurance companies are often financially responsible for negligence by truck drivers, cargo loaders, trucking companies, municipalities, and others who cause rollover accidents. There is a significant likelihood your lawyer will be seeking compensation from one or more insurance providers.
Representing You in Any Necessary Lawsuit and Trial
There is a chance that insurance companies don’t:
- Have liability for an at-fault party (as may be the case when a driver has no insurance)
- Accept the validity of your claim
- Agree with your lawyer’s valuation of your losses
- Negotiate in good faith
Insurance companies may try certain bad-faith tactics—like offering lowball settlements—but eventually give into your lawyer’s settlement demands. In some cases, though, truck accident lawyers and insurance providers cannot reach a financial agreement.
If insurers or other liable parties won’t pay you fairly, your lawyer will be ready to file a lawsuit and go to trial for you.
What Damages Will My Truck Accident Lawyer Seek Compensation For?
Your settlement or verdict must match or rival the cost of your accident-related damages. The nature of your damages can depend on your unique injury profile, the symptoms stemming from those injuries, the specific care you need, severity of property damage, and other considerations.
Some of the damages truck accident lawyers often include in their cases are:
- Medical costs, a great financial burden for many truck accident victims
- Pain and suffering, intangible losses that lawyers are specifically trained to calculate
- Professional harm, generally includes lost income and may also include a host of other losses
- Property costs, including but not limited to the cost of repairing your vehicle and getting temporary transportation
Lawyers understand the complex and unique nature of truck accident victims’ damages. Let an attorney lead the fight for fair compensation based on the unique harm caused by your collision.
Waiting to Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer Exposes You to Risk, Call Today
We know you are dealing with complex, unfamiliar, and confusing circumstances. To make matters simpler, hire your rollover truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Your personal injury lawyer will take your case off your hands and provide some much-needed clarity for you.