The Tri-State and New York City Metropolitan area are hubs through which substantial amounts of goods are transported. As a result, many large trucks, such as 18-wheelers, are out on the road and interact with average motorists and pedestrians every single day. Accidents involving 18-whelers can result in serious injury, and will frequently result in the inability of a person to continue working and supporting their family. According to the New York City Department of Transportation, more than half of truck-involved pedestrian and cyclist crashes resulted in serious injury or death.
Injuries from collisions with trucks, and 18-wheelers in particular, are more severe than the average motor vehicle accident as a result of the weight and size of these large commercial vehicles. For some perspective, consider the tires of a large 18-wheeler as compared with the tires of an average passenger vehicle. The average passenger car tire weighs approximately 20 pounds. A light truck tire weighs approximately 35 pounds. The tires for a large semi-truck, such as the 18-wheeler, weigh a staggering 110 pounds. In addition to the fact that these tires are clearly bigger and heavier than the average passenger car tire, they also tend to have intangible differences such as thicker, strengthened sidewalls in order to support heavy loads in the trailers of the truck. These differences can have devastating and deadly consequences when an accident occurs.
Indeed, many truck accidents can be fatal. If a person is killed in a truck accident, the family of the deceased can file a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that employed the driver.
Causes of 18-wheeler accidents include: driving beyond the allowed hours of service, speeding, and tires that are inappropriate for the weight of the trailer.
If you have been injured in a truck accident you have the right to receive compensation for medical expenses, lost wages to compensate for the inability to work, your pain and suffering as a result of your injuries and the changes that happened in your life because of that pain.
There are laws in New York State to protect you from being injured in an 18-wheeler accident. Call Gorayeb & Associates to learn your rights and begin the process of obtaining compensation and security for you and your family.
