The Many Causes of New Jersey Truck Accidents
New Jersey highways are crowded with trucks, which are particularly dangerous vehicles. There are many reasons that trucks cause so many accidents, but New Jersey drivers should know that the law protects them from truck drivers’ negligence. If you are involved in an accident with a truck in New Jersey, you need to consult experienced truck accident attorneys immediately.
The risks of trucks on New Jersey roads
Many people think that a heavier vehicle is safer — and this is true for the driver of that vehicle. However, for anyone that vehicle encounters in an accident, the additional weight can be deadly. Unless you are yourself a commercial truck driver, you are unlikely to be on the advantaged side of an accident with a heavy truck. In fact, the degree of disadvantage can now be quantified. A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that a one-thousand-pound increase in the weight of one vehicle in a crash will increase by 47 percent the likelihood of a fatality in the other vehicle.
New Jersey law does provide for the increased risk involved in accidents with trucks. Additionally, truck drivers, because they drive unusually long hours and under intense conditions, may be particularly at risk for sleep deprivation, distraction, substance abuse and poor vehicle maintenance. While New Jersey is generally a no-fault insurance state, meaning that claims for injury are limited, commercial trucks do not carry this kind of insurance.
It is possible to file a larger claim for pain and suffering against the insurer of a commercial truck, but only under specific circumstances. For the most part, death or very serious injuries — dismemberment, permanent disability or disfigurement, displaced fractures — are the only grounds for such a claim. Knowledgeable truck accident attorneys can provide the legal guidance you need.
If you have been in an accident that involved a commercial truck in New Jersey and feel you are entitled to damages, you should be aware that such cases are not easy to prove. You will need expert testimony as to the driver’s condition and to your own injuries. These are hurdles that require the services of a New Jersey personal injury lawyer.
Consult an expert personal injury lawyer to make your case
Trucks are a special case in New Jersey insurance law, and a particularly dangerous force on New Jersey roads. If you have been injured in an accident with a commercial truck, you may be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering. Yet such cases are difficult to make and to win. The personal injury lawyers of Kardos, Rickles & Hand are experienced in New Jersey’s complex insurance laws and compassionate toward the needs of their clients. Contact us today for a consultation.
By Michael DeRose | Published May 16, 2013 | Posted in Truck Accidents | Tagged attorneys, truck accident injury, truck accident lawyer, truck accidents, truck wrecks
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