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Knoxville Truck Accident Lawyers: Protecting Your Rights After a Collision
Information and Questions for a Knoxville Truck Accident Attorney
We all know to look out for 18 wheeler, tractor-trailer trucks when we’re driving. These large trucks sling up roadway debris, have many blind spots and other hazards associated with vehicles of their size. However, in many cases, there’s not much you can do to prevent an accident with a commercial vehicle. In Knoxville, with all of its winding roads and narrow shoulders, truck accidents are not uncommon. If you ever find yourself injured in a trucking accident, you need to call a truck accident lawyer in Knoxville immediately. After an accident, it is standard proceedure for the truck driver to report the accident to their trucking company who will then will most likely contact their lawyer (that they most likely have on retainer for these types of issues). This leaves you to choose a trusted law firm like Wettermark Keith to ensure you get proper compensation for your injuries.
Things to Do After a Truck Accident
Take the right actions to protect yourself after an accident with a truck. Until you hire attorneys, no one will be watching out for your interests. These steps taken immediately after an accident will help:
- Document the crash. If you are able and while still at the scene of the accident, take photos and write down contact information for the truck driver and witnesses. Write or record details of the accident and scene.
- Call the police. Dial 911 from the scene and report the accident. Move yourself and car away from harm to safety if possible. Check yourself, other drivers and passengers for injuries. Medical help and first repsonders will arrive shortly. Have police file an accident report, but don't admit fault.
- Go to the hospital. Get medical care after a truck accident even if your injuries seem minor. Request copies of medical documents and reports on your injuries.
Contact the personal injury attorneys at Wettermark Keith in Knoxville. The attorneys will offer you a free initial consultation to document details and any personal injury, and to discuss compensation for your car and truck accident. They can give you a timeline for your accident case and answer your accident questions.
WETTERMARK KEITH: A KNOXVILLE TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYER FOR YOU
Getting justice for your truck accident comes with many details. You need to know the particulars of the law, regulations for trucks, and which events in an accident collision are important to your case. However, no amount of internet searching can give you the same expertise a trucking accident attorney in Knoxville can provide. When you’re going up against the truck driver’s criminal defense attorney or other type of injury lawyer, you need your own attorney representing your interests.
Our attorneys at Wettermark Keith have decades of experience dealing with truck accident cases, trucking companies, truck drivers, their insurance companies and all the various types of truck accident claims. While your insurance company might help secure some compensation, working with an experienced team of truck accident lawyers will greately increase your odds of securing the settlement you deserve. Our team at Wettermark Keith is also proud to offer a "no recovery, no fee guarantee" which means you don’t pay anything unless and until we’ve won your case. If you find yourself involved in a truck accident, get started on your claim with a free consultation by filling out the form on our website.
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INJURY CAUSED FROM TRUCK CRASHES
Knoxville accident attorneys can help you with your claim and compensation for a common injuries caused by a Tennessee truck accident. Truck accident lawyers have dealt with auto accidents, motorcycle accidents and commercial truck accidents. They've seen it all and know these type injuries may include:
- Neck and spine injury
- Head and brain injury
- Bleeding internally
- Damage to internal organs
- Amputation
- Broken bones
- Paralysis
- Lacerations
- Burns
- Death
The smallest mistakes can have huge consequences when it comes to accidents involving trucks and commercial vehicles. This is why our attorneys at Wettermark Keith Knoxville feel compelled to do anything we can to help secure compensation for your accident and injuries. While we all would prefer the accident to have been avoided all together, this compensation will help cover medical bills, lost wages, property damage, physical therapy, or special medical equipment. Let our attorneys in Knoxville deal with the other driver while you recover from the accident and your medical injuries.
WHAT DOES THE LAW REQUIRE OF TRUCK DRIVERS?
Rules, laws and ordinances are in place to protect you and others on the roadways. This includes many regulations a commercial trucking company must abide by to make sure their vehicles and drivers maintain safe practices, which protect everyone.
One way Tennessee state law does this is by classifying its drivers. In order to drive a truck, you must have a commercial driver's license (CDL) issued by the state. CDL holders indicate what type of commercial work they intend to do with their trucking vehicle, including interstate travel. Commercial licenses come with different classes based on the weights and product types trucks will be carrying. This license class also includes people who haul large loads with pickup trucks or tractor-trailers and large passenger vehicles as well as transporters carrying oversize loads.
More regulations exist outlining the "do's and don'ts" for drivers while on the road. Truck drivers cannot drive for more than 60 hours in a week and 70 hours within a consecutive 8-day period. Each driving shift cannot exceed 14 hours, wherein the driver cannot actively operate the truck for more than 11 hours of that 14 hour period. After the driver has operated the vehicle for 8 hours, they must take at least a 30 minute break. Before drivers start a shift, they must have rested for 10 hours prior. These rules help ensure that truckers, regardless of company and professional pressures or personal preference, are not endangering others with fatigue.
Regulations specific to a truck include that no cargo load can weigh more than 80,000 pounds. Semi-trucks themselves cannot be larger than 8 feet by 13 feet, 6 inches. In addition, these trucks must be regularly maintained by a company and driver, and inspected by interstate law enforcement. Inspections include checking safety chains, brakes, logbooks, registration and proper securing of cargo loads.
If you are involved in an accident with a Knoxville truck, there may be reason to suspect the driver was not following or in compliance with one or more of these safety precautions required by law. Other driving laws such as maintaining the proper speed limit or not using a phone while driving, may have been broken. In order to truly know all the laws, rules and regulations required of truckers, you need to hire an injury attorney at Wettermark Keith.
TENNESSEE TRUCK ACCIDENT STATISTICS TO KNOW
Tennessee 2020 large truck accident statistics according to the TN Department of Safety and Homeland Security show:
- 12,221 (1 in 14) motor vehicle collisions involved large trucks
- 195 (1 in 6) crash fatalities involved large trucks
- 1 in 3 collisions with trucks occurred on interstates
- 2 of 15 daytime truck collisions happened in rainy weather
- 6% of large truck drivers were following improperly when they crashed
- 1 in 4 intersection collisions involved large trucks
- 1 large truck collision occurred every 3 minutes
Hopefully, this data can be used to help avoid future crashes and aid in current cases. For each one of those truck accidents, property was damaged, lives were changed by medical injuries, and an insurance company pressured people to settle for less. Regardless of the scope or severity of your truck accident case, it’s vital that you hire a truck accident attorney to get proper reimbursement for your damages.
Unfortunately, the rate of involvement by large trucks in a fatal collision has been increasing since 2016. Because of the dangerous nature of these vehicles, they are closely regulated. Large trucks cause crashes that are more severe because of their size and weight, but that doesn’t mean that the people of Tennessee should experience a wreck without seeking proper compensation for their case. Advocate better roadway safety for other drivers by standing up for your own cause and getting justice.
If you haven’t been involved in an accident, these statistics may help you avoid future trucking wrecks. In Knox county, June is particularly fatal for truck accidents, with the most dangerous day being Friday and the most dangerous time being between 3-6 PM. Additionally, October is the most dangerous month for crashes. The number one reason for wrecks in this area is improper following, likely by drivers not maintaining a proper distance between one car and another. Finally, the age range most associated with accidents is 25-29 years.
Knowing these statistics could help you circumvent an accident, and avoid severe misfortune. But, you should also consider which accident lawyer Knoxville has for you to call in an emergency. For that, we truly believe your best option is the team of Knoxville truck accident attorneys at Wettermark Keith law firm.
TYPES OF TRUCK ACCIDENTS AND THEIR CAUSES
Truck accidents don’t all look the same. Different truck types and sizes can influence how a truck accident unfolds, some with devastating consequences. Some truck accidents tie up multiple lanes, backing up traffic for miles, while others impact just the truck itself. Truck accidents can involve quite a few different types, including head-on collisions, roll overs, jackknifing, T-boning, side-swiping and under-riding. Truck accidents can take on a variety of forms, and each one is different. Regardless, every truck accident carries scary consequences, which can present themselves in harmful personal injury or fatality, which may cause truckers to even hire criminal defense attorneys. Causes of these types of accidents include:
- Distracted Driving
- DUI Driving
- Driver Fatigue
- Speeding
- Unbalanced Cargo Loads
- Trucking Maintenance Issues
- Lack of Driver Screening and Training
- Severe Weather
This is not an exhaustive list of types of injury that trucking accidents can cause. You’d be remiss to ignore the severity of a truck accident and the importance of an experienced Knoxville truck accident lawyer to handle your case from truck crash to compensation.
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