Every vehicle has blind spots. Yes, some vehicles have larger blind spots than others, but every driver should be aware that there are areas around their vehicle that they can`t see by looking in their side or rear mirrors. If a driver does not check their blind spots before attempting a maneuver with their vehicle, it can lead to an accident. Here, our lawyers for car accidents in Chicago want to discuss who can be held responsible after a car accident in the blind spot. This challenge is growing for truckers because of the size and shape of their vehicles. Motorists learn to avoid a semi-trailer driver`s blind spot, but semi-trailer drivers also need to make sure they are driving safely. If this is not the case, accidents leave extremely serious injuries in the victims. They can always contact a lawyer who specializes in truck accidents to protect their rights and claim compensation. Property damage, pain, loss of wages and other expenses can also be recovered in the event of bodily injury in the blind spot. An experienced lawyer can advise you on how to proceed after an accident so you can focus on your health. Before hiring a personal injury lawyer, consider the following: A fully loaded commercial vehicle can weigh up to 40 tons, which is 20 to 30 times the size of an average passenger car on the road today. Tractor-trailers are also located higher above the ground with a high center of gravity, making them more likely to be involved in rollover accidents as well as collisions in blind spots.
For example, truckers typically swing to the left before turning right at an intersection. If the truck driver does not check to see a vehicle on the right side before turning, he could paint smaller vehicles on the side, crush them or push them off the road. In this example, the driver of the truck would likely be responsible for the accident. If you have recently been involved in a blind spot accident, a lawyer who specializes in truck accidents can help you find compensation for your damage. Whatever the reason a truck driver didn`t check a blind spot, they should be held responsible if their mistake caused damage to you or others on the road. Having a blind spot is not an appropriate defense against collision grip. In these cases, victims will argue that a reasonable and prudent driver should have been able to deal with what was happening in his blind spot and prevent the accident. Despite the pressure on passenger car drivers to be careful when driving in a truck driver`s blind spot, truckers are often stuck in the blind spot in the event of an accident. If you`re involved in a blind spot accident, the truck driver`s insurance company and their lawyers will likely argue that you`re to blame for being in the truck driver`s blind spot.
However, if the truck driver didn`t check his mirrors and clear his blind spots before maneuvering his vehicle, he could still be to blame. Truckers and freight forwarders should not escape responsibility for blind spot accidents by calling these areas restricted areas. This means that the driver may have been wrong by being in a blind spot, but it cannot overcome the trucker`s duty to check their blind spots. The right truck accident lawyer can check what happened and fight allegations of staying in no-go zones that could jeopardize your case. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has requirements for the financial liability of freight forwarding companies, and these high insurance limits cover people who suffer catastrophic injuries in truck accidents for all their losses. Some truck accident claims can reach millions of dollars, so you want to know when you can sue the freight company that hired the driver who didn`t properly check their blind spots. The area between a commercial driver`s door and the rear of the vehicle on either side is part of the driver`s blind zone. The right side of a large vehicle is particularly vulnerable to blind spot accidents because the blind spot to the right of the vehicle can extend over two to three lanes. For this reason, other drivers should avoid passing a large commercial vehicle on the right side. These vehicles also require a lot of space when turning right. In most cases, a driver who does not check their blind spots before securing, merging or changing lanes is responsible in the event that they encounter another vehicle or pedestrian.
It is the driver`s responsibility to be aware of any activity in his own blind spot. There are no laws according to which state vehicles are not allowed to drive in the blind spot of other vehicles. The bottom line is this: if the driver of a large commercial vehicle does not check his mirrors and does not clear his blind spots before performing a maneuver, he is likely to be held responsible for causing an accident. If you`ve been hit by a truck, call our truck accident lawyers in Nashville for a free consultation. In the event of an accident in the blind spot, the driver who had the blind spot is usually responsible. Most drivers cannot use the defense that the blind spot caused the car accident. Drivers are required by law to drive reasonably in the circumstances, even when faced with blind spots. As a victim of a blind spot accident, you can argue that a reasonable and careful driver would have been able to mitigate the dangers of the blind spot to prevent the car accident. Truckers need to understand these factors and know how to properly eliminate their blind spots when changing lanes, turning or moving their trucks. If truckers do not take these steps and cause injuries, victims can often hold them accountable for their injuries with the help of a lawyer who specializes in truck accidents. In fact, blind spot accidents are more common than you know. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that there are approximately 840,000 blind spot accidents in the United States each year.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of being involved in one. Due to their size, even small mistakes or moments of negligence in a large commercial vehicle can lead to serious injury or death.