Truck accidents can cause severe injuries, disrupting your work, family life, and finances. When a trucker’s negligence caused the accident, the trucking company may be responsible for compensation.
Trucking companies often blame injured motorists for blind spot truck accidents in Kansas City. If you were injured in a truck accident, consult an experienced truck accident attorney at Foster Wallace LLC. We will amass evidence proving the truck driver’s responsibility and obtain the compensation you deserve.
The size of a truck’s blind spots depends on the height of the cab and the length of the trailer. In some cases, a blind spot can extend a car length or more in front, several car lengths in back, and cover several lanes of traffic on either side.
Vehicles in a truck’s rear blind spot are in danger if the truck must brake suddenly. A vehicle in front risks the truck accelerating and overtaking it. Accidents often occur when a truck changes lanes without realizing another vehicle is occupying the adjacent lane.
Ultimately, the trucker is responsible for operating the truck in a way that does not endanger surrounding vehicles. However, the trucking company may try to shift blame onto you for being in a blind spot. It is essential to seek representation from a Kansas City truck accident attorney as quickly as possible to protect your rights.
New drivers are taught to avoid a truck’s blind spot, and that is excellent advice. However, doing so is not always practical or possible, especially in heavy traffic. Trucks include multiple safety devices that should alert drivers to vehicles in their blind spots.
These accidents should not occur when a trucker remains alert, drives carefully, and uses safety equipment properly. Limited exceptions exist, such as when a trucker must take quick action to avoid an obstacle, but those situations remain rare. Most blind spot truck wrecks are avoidable with greater care.
Our attorneys in Kansas City could obtain the trucker’s electronic log, the vehicle’s electronic data recorder, and any available video footage to determine what factors led to the blind spot accident. Combined with evidence such as tire marks and witness statements, there is often strong proof that a trucker was fatigued, distracted, or careless. When a truck driver fails to operate a rig with the required level of care, that conduct may amount to negligence, and the trucking company could be liable for your losses.
Truck crash claims often involve multiple defendants. Potential defendants could include the trucking company, other drivers, safety equipment manufacturers, and the government entity responsible for designing and maintaining the road.
Missouri Revised Statute § 537.067 assigns each party, including you, responsibility for that party’s share of fault in a crash. If you bear partial responsibility, you must absorb a portion of your losses equal to your percentage of fault. Each defendant must pay a share of your damages based on fault, but a defendant who is more than 50 percent responsible could be held liable for all your damages.
The defendants’ insurance companies may use the law to reduce their liability by shifting blame onto you or each other. Settlement negotiations will require knowledge and skill, but our Kansas City-based attorneys wcould advocate aggressively to ensure you receive the full compensation the law allows after a negligent truck accident.
Insurers routinely try to shift blame to injured people after blind spot truck accidents in Kansas City. The lawyers at Foster Wallace LLC understand their tactics and could counter them to ensure you get accountability and maximum compensation.
Reach out to us today to discuss your truck accident case.
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