New Mexico Truck Accident Lawyers
Have you been hit by an 18-wheeler?
Truck accidents are some of the most serious and destructive highway accidents. When loaded to capacity according to federal trucking regulations, an 18-wheeler can weigh as much as 40 tons. The sheer size and weight of such a vehicle, combined with highway speeds, can result in fatalities, catastrophic injuries, and severe property damage. At Bussard Law, we believe that you deserve to be compensated for any injuries sustained in an accident for which a truck driver or their company are found liable. Our firm has helped countless clients in recovering compensatory damages in serious injury cases.
Determining Liability After a Truck Accident
Commercial truck accidents can range from sideswipe accidents and rear-end accidents to jackknife accidents and underride accidents. These can be caused by a number of factors, including driver negligence, fatigue, or intoxication, or poor truck maintenance such as brake failure or lack of rear guards. In building an aggressive personal injury lawsuit for an accident with an 18-wheeler, it is crucial to conduct necessary investigations to compile evidence that can supplement your case.
Our personal injury attorneys know the right questions to ask:
What is recorded in the driver’s log?
What is the owner/operator’s background?
Is there evidence that the driver violated federal regulations?
What might blood work and toxicology tests reveal regarding the driver?
Is there evidence available from the driver’s communication devices?
What hours were logged by the driver? Was the driver fatigued due to excessive driving hours?
Did the driver use narcotics or other drugs to stay awake?
Was the driver distracted or texting?
Furthermore, we will work with accident reconstructionists to determine why the accident really occurred. We also analyze police records to seek further evidence and determine whether or not the records are correct; often, police aren’t witnesses to crashes and can misunderstand the details. Additionally, we will speak with other witnesses to gather testimony to support a personal injury lawsuit.
How Black Box Evidence Can Help Your Case
Due to federal interstate transportation law, most large commercial trucks now have black boxes which are highly similar to the boxes found on airplanes. This is good news for victims of truck crashes, as it can help uncover information that can reveal the true cause of the accident that resulted in your injury. Truck black boxes can provide crucial evidence regarding a driver’s speed at impact, how long it took a truck to stop after impact and other important details that can help you win your case.
Federal Regulations for Truck Safety
In order to encourage and enforce public safety on New Mexico highways, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has defined regulations and policies for truck drivers and companies to follow. When an accident results from failure to adhere to these regulations and results in your injury or loss of a loved one, you should not be responsible for any financial damages; let our injury attorneys in New Mexico assist you.
New Mexico has rules regarding the following aspects of truck driving:
Adequate training of drivers
Use of alcohol and other substances
Regulated substance testing
Qualifications and backgrounds of drivers
Driver illness
Driver fatigue
Use of emergency signals, radars
Safe driving practices
Driver hours
Proper maintenance and repair of trucks
Regulation of hazardous materials
At Bussard Law Firm, we will examine all information and evidence surrounding your accident with an 18-wheeler to determine whether the driver and company complied with the aforementioned policies.
Involved in a rear-end collision with a truck?
Many of us remember a central tenet of driver’s education school; if you rear end someone, it’s your fault. Why? Because it’s almost impossible for a driver to cause an accident in which he or she is struck from behind. It, therefore, stands to reason that the rear vehicle is to blame. This argument makes sense when two cars or light trucks are involved, but quickly falls apart when semi-trucks are involved. How? Semi-truck drivers operate under numerous regulations. When truck owners and drivers fail to follow these laws and regulations, they can be held responsible when another driver rear-ends them.
Failure to observe the following safety measures can lead to rear-end accidents:
The absence of reflectors
Lack of lights
Incautious entry onto a road
If you have rear-ended a truck and been injured, we advise that you do not assume you were to blame for the accident. At Bussard Law, we have successfully obtained significant compensation for numerous drivers who were injured in rear-end accidents. We can obtain police reports and black box evidence and work with an accident reconstructionist to determine the true cause of your collision.
Get Your Free Consultation Today: (512) 518-1332
As a firm dedicated to recovering fair compensation for all of our clients, we will conduct thorough and meticulous investigations to build a winning strategy for your personal injury lawsuit that you can trust. Our New Mexico and Texas injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you will not pay us unless we win your case. We hablamos español.