Truck distracted driving accidents in Albany are a serious road hazard. When they result in injuries to innocent victims, these careless drivers and their employers can be held liable. If you’ve been injured in an accident caused by an inattentive trucker, a distracted driving truck accident lawyer can help you demand the money you’ll need to rebuild your life.
Parker Trial Law has advocated aggressively on behalf of truck accident victims since 2016. We understand the high stakes involved in truck accident claims and approach every case we take with the goal of maximizing compensation on our client’s behalf.
Contact us today for a free consultation with a distracted driving truck accidents attorney, and let us put our experience, acumen, and tenacity to work on yours. You pay nothing unless we win your case.
What Is Distracted Driving?
According to the National Highway Transit Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving is the operation of a vehicle while engaged in any activity that diverts one’s attention from the road.
The CDC lists three types of distraction:
- Visual distractions, which divert a driver’s eyes from the road
- Manual distractions, which take a driver’s hands off the wheel
- Cognitive distractions, which disrupt a driver’s focus from the task at hand
As the NHTSA notes, in the time it takes to open and read a text message, a vehicle traveling 55 miles per hour will have covered about 100 yards of roadway. That’s the equivalent of rushing for a touchdown without paying any attention to the rest of the field.
This danger is exacerbated with semi-trucks, which require much greater stopping distances than smaller vehicles. If their brakes were applied at the same time, a tractor-trailer traveling at 65 miles per hour would take over 200 feet further to stop than a passenger vehicle traveling at the same speed.
Dangers of Distracted Driving with Commercial Trucks
Distracted driving is dangerous driving no matter what a vehicle’s size, but those dangers become especially acute when the vehicle in question is a commercial truck. These vehicles are substantially larger and heavier than passenger cars, which means the consequences of a truck driver losing focus can be even more hazardous.
The long stopping distances, wide turning radii, and potential for rollover make distracted driving further increase the risk of injuries, including the following:
- Broken Bones – The impact can cause fractures, often requiring surgery and lengthy recovery periods.
- Whiplash and Neck Injuries – Sudden deceleration can damage tissues in the neck and back.
- Severe Lacerations and Bleeding – Sharp debris can cause deep cuts that result in severe bleeding, which can prove fatal if not addressed quickly.
- Burn Injury – Fuel-related fires and hazardous materials can lead to severe burns, scarring, and emotional trauma.
- Internal Injuries – Blunt force trauma and piercing wounds can cause damage to organs such as the lungs or liver.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) – Concussions and other head injuries can result from the immense force of a truck collision, with potentially long-term implications on cognition and behavior.
- Spinal Cord Injuries – These injuries may lead to partial or complete paralysis, affecting mobility and independence.
Common Causes of Distracted Driving with Truckers
Truck drivers are professionals, so they should be better equipped than the average person to stay focused on the road and avoid potentially dangerous distractions. On the other hand, truckers also have monotonous jobs that keep them on the road for many hours at a stretch. Consequently, many distracted driving truck accidents stem from such causes as the following:
- Texting or Using a Mobile Phone – Despite strict FMCSA rules limiting their use, some truckers use phones while driving, leading to dangerous lapses in attention.
- Operating In-Cab Technology – Adjusting GPS devices, electronic logging systems, or other controls can divert attention from the road.
- Eating and Drinking – Consuming meals or beverages while driving takes a trucker’s hands off the wheel and focus off the road.
- Fatigue and Zoning Out – Long hours on the road can lead to mental fatigue, causing drivers to zone out or experience “highway hypnosis.”
- External Distractions – Roadside accidents, billboards, or other outside distractions can pull a trucker’s focus away, increasing the risk of accidents.
Who Is Legally Responsible for Distracted Driving Truck Accidents?
Responsibility for a distracted driving commercial truck accident often falls on one or more of the following parties:
- Truck Drivers – Truckers who engage in distractions like texting, eating, or using in-cab devices are most immediately responsible for accidents caused by their negligence.
- Trucking Companies – Employers can be held liable for the on-the-job actions of their employees. They may also be directly responsible if they fail to properly train drivers, enforce safety regulations, or encourage unsafe driving practices, such as pushing tight delivery schedules that promote multitasking.
- Other Road Users – Sometimes it’s another driver whose distraction is to blame. Another road user might be liable if the truck driver was merely responding to their unsafe driving behavior.
An experienced truck accident lawyer can investigate the circumstances to determine which of these parties might be to blame.
How to Prove Distracted Driving Caused the Truck Accident
To win your truck accident case based on distracted driving, you’ll need to prove that the driver was, in fact, distracted. The first step is to contact a truck accident attorney for help.
Here’s what Albany truck accident lawyers can do:
- Interview eyewitnesses who may have observed distracted behavior
- Review cellphone logs and “black box” data for signs of distraction
- Recover security camera footage of the accident transpiring
- Review physical evidence from the scene, such as skid marks and debris patterns
- Work with accident reconstruction experts to interpret the recovered evidence
Contact an Experienced Albany Truck Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Have you been injured in a truck accident in Albany, Georgia? Do you suspect distracted driving was to blame? If so, Parker Trial Law can help you pursue a personal injury claim against the responsible parties.
Contact us today for a free consultation with an Albany truck accident attorney, and let’s discuss your next steps together.
