If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, you may have a potential legal claim against the trucking company. An experienced Thornton truck accident attorney at The Frickey Law Firm can represent you in the legal process and maximize your financial recovery. Insurance companies don’t want to pay, The Frickey Law Firm makes them pay.
Any type of truck accident injury can be serious due to the size disparity between the truck and your car. These factors can be made far worse when it is snowing on the roadway. Trucking companies cannot defend against your lawsuit by blaming the weather for what their driver may have done to cause the crash.
Since truck accident injuries are often serious, you may be entitled to substantial financial compensation. Learn more about a potential legal case and how much money you may be eligible for by scheduling a free initial consultation with a truck accident lawyer in Colorado by calling The Frickey Law Firm at (303) 237-7373.
Shipping cargo on Colorado roadways is a year-round business. At the same time, truck drivers are under pressure to make timely deliveries to customers. The result is that a truck driver may be on the road during a snowstorm. Not only does this raise the risk of a truck accident, but it also means that any injuries that you suffer may be more severe.
Truck Drivers Are Less Able to Control Their Vehicles
Driving in the snow takes away much of the truck driver’s control over their own vehicle. It already takes a fully loaded truck 500 feet to come to a complete stop, even under ideal weather conditions. If the driver is traveling at anything close to the speed limit, this distance will be lengthened in the snow. Even if the driver tries to brake, chances are that a rear-end collision will strike the front vehicle at a higher speed. Of course, this magnifies the injuries suffered by the driver of the car that was struck.
Snow increases the chance that there may be a multi-car pileup. With multiple vehicles involved in the crash, there is a chance that your car may not only be struck by the truck, but it could also be hit by another vehicle that was involved in the accident. Two impacts to your car mean that you could suffer more serious injuries.
Less Visibility Can Lead to Sudden Braking
A truck driver has far less visibility in the snow than they would have under normal weather conditions. Truck drivers must be able to see both far in front of their vehicle and into their blind spots. When a truck driver is unable to see, the likelihood increases that they will need to brake suddenly to avoid an accident. Sudden braking can cause serious truck accident injuries in several ways. First, when a truck brakes suddenly, it gains additional momentum that carries it forward and leads to a change in velocity. The amount of force involved in a truck accident is determined in part by the change in velocity. It follows that a truck that has brakes suddenly applied will strike a vehicle with more force, leading to significant injuries.
The sudden braking can also lead to other types of serious truck accidents that can injure multiple other drivers. Specifically, unexpected braking can cause jackknife and rollover truck accidents. When a truck jackknifes, the trailer could strike all vehicles in its vicinity. Rollover truck accidents also cause more serious injuries because a rolling truck gathers more momentum, and there may be multiple points of impact on a passenger car that is struck.
Your Body May Be More Prone to Serious Injury in Cold Weather
Another reason why truck accident injuries may be more serious in the winter is due to the nature of your body. Muscles tend to be stiffer when it is cold outside. Since the muscles do not easily stretch, the surrounding tissue will absorb more stress when there is a sudden shock to your body. You are more prone to ligament tears and cold weather, and the effects of whiplash could be amplified.
Trucking companies cannot blame adverse weather conditions for the accident that injured you. The driver is expected to use their individual judgment about whether to drive in bad weather. If they choose to do so, they are responsible for any actions that are considered negligent. The trucking company may even face punitive damages if your truck accident lawyer uncovers evidence that they forced the operator to be on the road in bad weather.
Contact a Thornton Truck Accident Law Firm
You can talk to a Thornton truck accident lawyer at The Frickey Law Firm, and it will not cost you anything. Message the law firm online, or call the firm today at (303) 237-7373 to begin the legal process in your truck accident case.
