Common Nashville Truck Accident Injuries

Truck accidents have become increasingly common in Nashville. These accidents can have serious, sometimes fatal, consequences for those involved. The resultant injuries can be painful lead to previously unanticipated medical costs. A compassionate truck accident lawyer could help an individual recover compensation for the common Nashville truck accident injuries that they may have sustained.

Causes of Truck Accidents

In Nashville, the common causes of truck accidents are the same as those seen across the state. They also are the same as the things involved in car accidents, including driving under the influence, speeding, and reckless driving.

Not all of the truck accidents are on the interstates. Sometimes, a truck driver may run a stop sign or a red light or fail to recognize another driver’s right of way. One of the main causes of truck accidents that differ from car accidents is driver fatigue. Sometimes, they are under pressure from their company to operate more hours and deliver their load faster, even though the law limits the number of hours they are permitted to drive. When fatigue sets in, that can be just as dangerous as distracted driving or drunk driving. There also are trucking companies that do not keep their fleets up to date. That can lead to problems with maintenance and equipment problems if a truck has many miles on it.

Injuries in Truck Accidents

Brain injuries, paralysis or broken arms and legs and other severe fractures are some of the common Nashville truck accident injuries that car drivers or passengers experience after collisions. A truck versus a car is an unfair fight and people in the car bear the brunt of injuries, often quite serious, even fatal. There also can be severe burn injuries when the car catches fire.

Short and Long-Term Truck Accident Injuries

There are immediate as well as long-term effects of certain common Nashville truck accident injuries and both can be painful. A truck accident usually causes serious injuries, often leading to hospitalization. Those people could begin losing wages immediately and incurring medical bills, and in some cases they will have only maximum medical improvement, meaning they will never be restored to their former level. That is the point at which the lawyer and the patient begin looking at long-term effects of the injuries.

Comparative Fault in Truck Accidents

Tennessee is a comparative-fault state. To succeed in a case, a person must prove that the other driver was more than 50 percent at fault for the accident. The amount they can recover, however, will be reduced by the percentage of their own fault. For example, in court a jury or judge may decide that one party is 80 percent at fault, and the other 20 percent. If the damages award is $1 million, that amount will be reduced by 20 percent, $200,000.

Value of a Nashville Truck Accident Attorney

The number of truck accidents has increased in the Nashville area in recent years because its extensive interstate system has made it a trucking hub. An exploding population also has put more cars on the road. All of that means many of a law firm’s potential clients and witnesses to the accidents are from out of state and traveling through the city.

That makes it important for someone in a truck accident to get a lawyer early to help get witness statements before they leave the area. A lawyer also will be familiar with the area’s interstate system and its dangers that people just passing through may not be aware of.  A skilled truck accident attorney could help an individual recover damages for some of the common Nashville truck accident injuries that they have sustained.