Manassas, Virginia Truck Accident Lawyers

Attorneys for People Injured in Commercial Truck Accidents in Manassas

People in and around Manassas will often need to share the roads with fully loaded commercial trucks. When collisions involving these trucks take place, the consequences are rarely minor. Accidents with 18-wheelers and other large vehicles can be devastating, and the injuries that can occur may be severe. The medical costs and other damages that victims may face can be substantial, and questions may arise about who was responsible for a collision, affecting a person's ability to obtain financial compensation.

At Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, our attorneys have a strong understanding of the federal and state regulations that affect the commercial trucking industry, and we have the investigative resources needed to uncover what caused a crash. We fight to ensure that our clients will receive full compensation from every party that was responsible for a truck accident.

Why Truck Accidents Can Be So Serious

In a collision between a passenger vehicle and a commercial truck, the occupants of the smaller vehicle are likely to suffer serious harm. A fully loaded tractor-trailer weighs as much as 30 times more than an average car. The force of impact in a truck crash can crush a vehicle's passenger compartment, overwhelm modern safety systems, and lead to severe and catastrophic injuries.

Commercial trucks require much more distance to stop than passenger cars. When a large truck is traveling at 65 miles per hour, it may need nearly two football fields to come to a complete stop under ideal conditions. Issues such as worn brakes, overloaded cargo, or delayed reaction times due to distractions or fatigue can cause the stopping distance to increase even more. With little margin for error, truck drivers may be unable to avoid collisions in situations where they need to slow down or stop suddenly.

Serious Injuries in Commercial Truck Accidents

The injuries suffered by truck accident victims will often be more harmful and long-lasting than those that may occur in other types of motor vehicle collisions. Traumatic brain injuries are especially common in these cases. Concussions and other brain injuries can affect a person's memory, intellectual abilities, mood regulation, coordination, sensory processing, speech and language, and more. Brain injuries that occur in truck crashes can affect nearly every part of a person's life, and they may require ongoing medical management for years.

The extreme impact of a truck accident can lead to spinal cord injuries, which may result in paralysis or other ongoing health issues. The costs involved in treating a spinal cord injury may include medical care, adaptive equipment, home modifications, and personal assistance. A person's overall quality of life may also be affected, especially if they lose their mobility and will be unable to complete daily tasks on their own.

Crush injuries, amputations, severe burns, fractures, and internal organ damage may also occur in truck accidents. Many crashes will result in a combination of different types of injuries. Extensive medical treatment may be needed, and a victim and their family may experience long-term consequences that can affect their finances and their well-being.

When a truck accident results in a fatality, a victim's surviving family members may struggle with financial difficulties while also dealing with grief and emotional trauma. In these situations, a family may pursue a wrongful death claim to obtain compensation that will address lost income and financial support, lost companionship and guidance, funeral and burial costs, and other damages.

Forms of Negligence That Can Lead to Truck Accidents

Truck accidents may involve negligence by a driver, a trucking company, or another party that was responsible for ensuring that a commercial vehicle could operate safely. Our legal team can investigate truck accidents to identify all contributing factors and all responsible parties. We can help determine whether a truck crash may have been caused by issues such as:

Driver Fatigue

Truck driver fatigue is one of the most serious concerns in the trucking industry. A fatigued driver may experience slowed reaction times, impaired judgment, reduced attention levels, and other issues that can lead to truck accidents. Extreme fatigue can lead to microsleep episodes in which a driver is unconscious behind the wheel for seconds at a time, or a driver may completely fall asleep and lose control of their vehicle.

Fatigue-related truck accidents often occur because of unsafe practices by trucking companies. These companies may create unrealistic delivery schedules, pressure drivers to continue driving when they are fatigued, or fail to monitor drivers to ensure that they comply with the limits on their hours of service. Our attorneys can obtain electronic logs and other data to determine whether fatigue played a role in a truck crash.

Negligent Maintenance

Trucking companies are required to perform inspections and keep the vehicles in their fleets maintained. When these obligations are not met, mechanical failures can cause catastrophic truck accidents. Brake failures may prevent a truck from stopping in time. Tire blowouts can cause a sudden loss of control. Defective steering systems can prevent a driver from avoiding an accident. Trailer coupling failures may cause a trailer to separate from a cab and collide with other vehicles.

Maintenance failures may occur due to negligence by a trucking company or third-party maintenance contractors who did not perform repair work correctly. Parts manufacturers may also be liable if defective equipment caused a truck accident. Our legal team can obtain maintenance logs, inspection records, and other evidence to establish liability for a truck accident caused by inadequate maintenance.

Unsafe Cargo Loading

Freight must be loaded, distributed, and secured correctly on commercial vehicles. Cargo that is improperly secured can shift, which can affect a truck's handling and lead to a loss of control. When trucks are overloaded, issues such as braking and steering may be affected, and there will be a higher risk of rollover accidents.

Cargo that falls from a truck can cause hazards for other drivers. A heavy object that strikes a passenger vehicle can result in serious or fatal injuries. Debris that lands in lanes of traffic can endanger other vehicles and cause accidents.

The parties responsible for cargo-related truck accidents may include a trucking company or a loading company whose employees did not load and secure freight correctly. Our lawyers will take steps to identify the parties who may be held liable for accidents involving shifting or falling cargo.

Distracted Driving and Impaired Driving

Truck drivers are subject to the same laws that apply to other drivers regarding distracted driving or driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. However, when truck drivers engage in distracted driving, or when they get behind the wheel while they are intoxicated, they will be more likely to inflict severe injuries in accidents. Our attorneys can help ensure that truck drivers will be held responsible for acting unsafely and causing harm to others.

Speeding

When a commercial truck travels at an excessive speed, this can increase the risks of accidents, and it may cause collisions to be more severe. At higher speeds, more stopping distance will be required, and a driver may be unable to maintain control if they need to make quick or sudden movements. Truck drivers who violate speed limits or travel too fast in harsh weather conditions may be held liable for causing truck accidents. Trucking companies may also share liability if they pressured drivers to deliver goods more quickly, causing them to drive unsafely.

Contact Our Manassas, VA Truck Accident Attorneys

The aftermath of a commercial truck accident can feel overwhelming for victims. Legal help from an attorney can help ensure that a person will be able to address the harm they have suffered because of the negligence of a truck driver, trucking company, or other parties. At Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, we can help victims take steps to obtain the full compensation they deserve. Contact our Manassas commercial truck accident lawyers at 703-392-6686 to arrange a free consultation.