Truck Accidents
Elmwood Park, NJ Truck Accident Lawyers Work Tirelessly to Get You Compensated for Injuries Sustained in a Truck Crash
New Jersey is no stranger to truck traffic. Being home to one of the most important ports in the United States, as well as one of the busiest airports, there is no shortage of cargo being hauled from here to there all day, every day. In fact, commercial truck volume on both highways and local roadways in Rutherford, Passaic and South Plainfield is both inconvenient and potentially dangerous.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident, whether on the New Jersey Turnpike, Rt. 287, or other Middlesex County, NJ roadways, it’s likely you are facing mounting medical bills, not to mention considerable pain and suffering. Contact the experienced personal injury lawyers at Sheffet & Dvorin for a free consultation about your Dover NJ truck accident case.
What are the Main Causes of Truck Accidents?
We’ve all been there. You are driving on the roadway and feel boxed in or overwhelmed by a tractor trailer. You slow down, hang back. You change lanes. You are aware that while all motor vehicle accidents can be harrowing, truck accidents are especially frightening. Due to the sheer size and weight of a commercial vehicle as well as the potentially dangerous substances being hauled, injuries sustained in truck crashes can be more than severe; they can be life-threatening.
- Weather: Slick or icy roads, poor visibility caused by rain, snow, fog or even blinding sunshine have been known to cause quite a large share of accidents. Truck drivers must take the proper safety precautions to attempt to avoid weather-related accidents.
- Road Hazards: Potholes, construction areas with poor signage, lane shifts and even spillage from another accident can cause dangerous road hazards. These are especially serious for tractor trailer drivers who may not be able to stop quickly enough to avoid them.
- Driver Fatigue: There are guidelines that truck drivers must follow when it comes to shift length and taking breaks to rest, sleep and eat. Some companies, however, put pressure on drivers to make their deliveries ahead of schedule. Additionally, weather and traffic delays may cause a driver to forego a nap in an effort to get to the destination on time. Sleepy drivers are dangerous drivers; falling asleep at the wheel can be catastrophic and fatigue can slow the driver’s reflexes to react to roadway situations.
- Driver Inexperience: Of course, truck drivers must obtain their CDL (commercial driver’s license) to legally operate a commercial vehicle on New Jersey’s roads. However, it can take years to develop the instinct and reflexes to properly react to unsafe roadway conditions. An inexperienced driver may not be able to avoid all potential hazards.
- Driver Negligence: Call it distracted driving, if you will. A truck driver who doesn’t keep both eyes on the road at all times – because they are paying attention to their phone or the radio or the GPS or any other distraction – can cause an accident. One of the worst distracted driving offenses is drunk driving. There’s never an excuse to drive while intoxicated and DWI laws in New Jersey are extremely severe.
- Poorly Packed Loads: If the materials being hauled weigh too much or they are not tied down properly, they can shift and cause the truck to be off balance, making it difficult for the driver to control the vehicle. Similarly, if the ties or straps that hold materials in place snap or break, it can be an accident waiting to happen.
- Poor Vehicle Maintenance: If the truck is in disrepair or routine maintenance checks and repairs haven’t been made, the heavy tractor trailer barreling down the highway can cause any number of accidents with serious personal injuries.
When you or your loved ones are injured in a truck accident in Rutherford, Passaic or Hackensack, you will naturally find yourself in the middle of a “he said, she said” battle with the trucking company, insurance carriers and others. Leave the business of dealing with fault and compensation to the experienced lawyers at Sheffet & Dvorin. You concentrate on getting back to good health.
We’ll Prove Fault in Your Truck Accident Case
As with most personal injury cases, it’s important to be able to prove that your injuries happened because of someone else’s negligence or carelessness. Negligence doesn’t have to be purposeful. It’s fairly unusual that a motor vehicle accident occurs because an aggressive driver wanted to hurt someone.
Therefore, when you bring your case to Sheffet & Dvorin, we will sit down and determine who the likely at-fault parties are in your accident. Was it the driver? Was in the trucking company or the mechanic? Was the accident due to roadway conditions or the recklessness of another driver on the road?
Proving fault is not always easy; New Jersey personal injury law can be complex. That’s why it’s critical for you to choose a personal injury law firm with extensive experience in this area. We are quite proud of the success we’ve achieved in getting clients injured in truck accidents compensated for their injuries.
Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation about Your Truck Accident
Truckers have a job to do and, sometimes, they are behind schedule and are forced to push the boundaries of safety for the sake of getting their haul delivered on time. However, their deadlines are no excuse for speeding and putting themselves and others on the road in harm’s way. Further, we won’t accept the fact that some trucking companies put profits over people.
For many years, the skilled personal injury lawyers at Sheffet & Dvorin have been helping good people, like you, get compensated for injuries sustained in an Elmwood Park, Randolph or South Plainfield NJ truck accident.
We will sit down and discuss exactly what happened and we will advise you how to proceed with your legal claim. We work on contingency. That means that you don’t pay us a dime unless we collect damages on your behalf. Call Sheffet & Dvorin today to set up a confidential meeting with an experienced personal injury lawyer today.
