Fair Compensation for Accidents Caused by Speeding Truck Drivers

How Speeding Causes Truck Accidents

Truckers who violate speed limits are often under pressure from their employers to meet delivery deadlines. They might be fatigued or exhausted from too many consecutive hours of driving, which can reduce alertness and slow reaction times. Their speeding increases the likelihood of an accident in a number of ways:

Loss of control: If a trucker has to slow down suddenly, stop, or avoid hazards/debris on the road, driving too fast increases stopping distance and makes the truck harder to control.

Load shifts or losses: Heavy cargo is more likely to shift or fall off when the truck is speeding. The loss or movement of weight affects the handling of the truck.

Negotiating curves: If a heavily loaded truck is speeding through a curve, it’s much more likely to drift onto the shoulder of the road and possibly roll over.

Bad road conditions: Even when a trucker is obeying posted speed limits, rain, fog, ice, or snow can make the truck hard to control. On wet or slick roads, a truck might “hydroplane” and slide sideways into a vehicle in an adjacent lane. If a truck driver under deadline pressure speeds despite bad road conditions, the chances of a disastrous crash are even greater.

Blind spots: In front, behind, and on either side of tractor-trailers, truckers have blind spots. Driving too fast makes it even harder for the truck driver to remain aware of vehicles that are hard to see.

Injuries From Accidents Caused by Speeding Truck Drivers

Truck crashes cause some of the most severe injuries that can require surgery, long-term hospitalization/medical care, and extensive rehabilitation or physical therapy. Far too often, they lead to permanent disability or death. Much like injuries sustained in truck accidents by distracted drivers, some examples of truck accident injuries are:

Internal bleeding or organ damage
Back and neck injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Fractured, broken, or crushed bones
Burns
Cuts and lacerations
Head and brain injuries
Amputations
Death

Why You Need an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney in Maryland

Because truck accident injuries are so serious and their treatment so expensive, the defendant’s insurance company will fight hard not to give you the settlement you deserve. Paying truck accident claims is not good for the insurance company’s bottom line. It employs adjusters and lawyers who are paid to dispute your claim and offer you the lowest possible award or nothing at all. They’re very good at their jobs, and you’re not likely to prevail against them without the services of experienced truck accident lawyers in Maryland who will know how to:

Retain an independent investigator and an accident reconstruction specialist to investigate and reconstruct your accident, proving that the truck’s speed was a factor in the crash
Gather and present records of your injuries, surgeries, and treatments, calculating all medical expenses, past and future
Calculate your past and future lost wages
Obtain statements from any witnesses at the crash
Find video footage of the wreck if there were security cameras in the area
Put a dollar amount on your pain and suffering
File claims against multiple defendants (the trucker, the trucking company, maintenance personnel, cargo loading personnel, or others)
Negotiate with one or more insurance company to get your fair compensation
Observe the statute of limitations
Take your case to court, if necessary

Your Maryland truck accident lawyers will not only be familiar with the high level of safety standards truckers are required to meet, they will also know how to obtain crucial evidence that could strengthen your case by proving negligence on the part of the driver. This evidence, which is likely to be in the possession of the trucking company, could require a court order to obtain. This evidence includes:

The truck’s maintenance records
The trucker’s driving record
The trucker’s log books
The load manifest
The trucker’s toxicology report
The truck’s event data recorder (EDR) or black box

The Spoliation Letter

The black box will show vital information, including the truck’s average speed over the previous 30 days, as well as its speed at the time of your crash. However, trucking companies usually erase the black box data every 30 days, so this crucial evidence could be lost if you don’t act quickly. The first thing your attorney will do is send the trucking company a spoliation letter requesting that neither the black box recordings nor other evidence crucial to your case be erased or destroyed. Your lawyer can even arrange to have the data from the black box downloaded to a file that can be saved, so that vital information is not lost before you get a chance to present your claim.

Contributory Negligence

While most states use a comparative fault model when it comes to awarding damages, Maryland is one of the few states that follows a contributory negligence standard. In other states, if you are found partially at fault for your accident, your compensation award will be reduced according to your percentage of fault. In Maryland, however, if you are found to be even one percent responsible for your own accident, you are barred from recovering any damages whatsoever. This is just one more reason why you need an aggressive attorney on your side to prove the speeding trucker was 100% at fault for your accident.

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Have You or a Loved One Been Injured in a Maryland Truck Accident?

Truck accidents are not like other types of motor vehicle accidents; they often involve commercial defendants, multiple insurance policies, and significant damages. If you have been injured in a truck accident, you need a dedicated truck accident attorney to help resolve your claim for its full, fair value.

Our seasoned staff of truck accident experts stand ready to help you with your case. We have offices in Hagerstown and Frederick, and we serve clients in Baltimore, Catonsville, Lutherville-Timonium, Towson, Hunt Valley, Potomac, Columbia, Germantown, Waldorf, Silver Spring, Ellicott City, Glen Burnie, Gaithersburg, Bethesda, Rockville, Dundalk, Severn, and Annapolis. Speak with a truck accident attorney at the Poole Law Group at 301-790-3600 or contact us online for your free consultation.