Brooklyn, NY Personal Injury Attorney: Assessing Truck Accident Cases

Personal injury cases are filed when someone is injured as a result of another person’s mistake or negligence. Among the many grounds for personal injury cases, truck-related accidents are one of the most common. In 2013, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles reported that large trucks were behind 11,452 crashes, of which 7,530 resulted in property damage, 3,828 caused non-fatal injuries, and over 94 led to deaths. Any form of vehicular accident is dangerous, but the level of danger multiplies when there are trucks involved because of their size and power.

Human error is often a factor in truck accidents, with driver inattention and tailgating on the top two of the list. Anyone who was injured due to a truck accident must immediately report the incident to the police and seek the help of a personal injury attorney in Brooklyn, NY to file a claim.

Now, this is what’s interesting. Truck accidents are not as simple as a collision between the truck and another vehicle. There are certain instances when the truck that caused the trouble isn’t even in the accident scene. Here are two examples of such road accidents:

Oil Spill

A truck was carrying more than a thousand gallons of canola oil in Macon, GA. Without the driver’s knowledge, it leaked oil and made the road slippery, causing multiple accidents that day. The truck wasn’t part of any collision but caused several. People injured due to the leak could file a personal injury case against the driver for carrying an unsecured load. Truck drivers are responsible not only for their vehicles, but also for their cargo. Basic security checks and inspection are part of the driver’s job, and he will be held liable for any accident caused by his/her carelessness.

Free Bees

A slightly similar case involved a bee truck that crashed near Lynnwood in Washington State, and released over 14 million bees, which stung many people who aren’t necessarily in the immediate area. Based on the investigation, the driver lost control of the truck. If it was discovered that he was inattentive or was not following rules, he can be sued by the people attacked by the bees. If the truck was found to be in bad condition, the trucking company or fleet operator will also be held liable.

It’s important to carefully assess each situation and to identify exactly who could’ve caused the accident, so you could file a case through local injury attorneys in Brooklyn. Some circumstances may be more complicated than most, so law firms such as The Law Offices of Joseph Lichtenstein carefully study reports and medical findings to gather the best information that would help clients.

Sources:

(Bee truck carrying 14 million insects crashes on to highway, independent.co.uk, April 18, 2015)

(Truck leaking canola oil leads to multiple accidents in Macon, The telegraph, May 12, 2015)

(New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, dmv.ny, 2013)