Blind Spot Truck Accidents in Greeley
Commercial tractor-trailers have large blind spots that can endanger others on the road. Truckers who are not attentive to other vehicles in their blind spots can cause collisions that result in severe injuries to the smaller vehicle’s occupants.
If you were hurt in a blind spot truck accident in Greeley, speak with a local attorney as soon as possible. The trucking company might blame you for being in the truck’s blind spot, cheating you out of the compensation you deserve. With the help of a capable truck wreck lawyer, you could demonstrate that the trucker bears primary responsibility for the accident and collect the compensation you deserve.
Truck Blind Spots Create Huge Hazards
The size and shape of large tractor-trailers create huge blind spots. A trucker cannot see the area twenty feet in front of the cab or thirty feet behind the trailer. On the left side, the blind spot reaches from the cab to the middle of the trailer and on the right, it hides everything across two lanes of traffic for the full length of the trailer.
Training for professional truckers involves learning to track vehicles that enter a blind spot. All trucks have mirrors, and modern trucks have cameras and sensors that notify the trucker when something is their blind spot. Even with the latest technology, however, a trucker must learn to keep track of other vehicles’ movements into and out of their blind spots. Even a moment of distraction could cause a devastating accident.
Unfortunately, a typical trucker’s working conditions could cause them to become fatigued or distracted. Truckers can drive as many as ten hours a day and often must drive long hours for several days straight. Boredom and fatigue could lead to drowsiness, and some truckers distract themselves with their cell phones or other devices. Others ingest stimulants to keep themselves awake, which could increase the possibility of inattentiveness.
Trucks Must Exercise Utmost Care
All motorists must exercise reasonable care while operating their vehicles to prevent injuries to others. However, truck drivers have an additional obligation because of the danger trucks pose in a collision with a smaller vehicle. Trucks must operate with the utmost care to protect others.
This concept could be significant in a blind spot truck accident. Although motorists must use good sense and reasonable caution to avoid entering a truck’s blind spot, truckers must exert their best efforts to track vehicles entering or leaving their blind spots. If they merge or turn into the path of another vehicle, it might be evidence they were not using the utmost care.
In any lawsuit seeking damages, the injured person (plaintiff) must prove that another party (defendant) was negligent. If a Greeley attorney could show that the cause of an accident was the trucker’s failure to notice or remember that a vehicle entered a truck’s blind spot, the trucking company and the truck driver could be liable for the plaintiff’s damages.
Can an Injured Driver Be Found Partially At-Fault?
Motorists have a responsibility to avoid a truck’s blind spots whenever possible. Trucking companies could cite a motorist’s poor judgment in entering the truck’s blind spot as evidence of negligence. The trucking company might argue that the accident would not have occurred but for the motorist’s move into a truck’s blind spot.
Colorado Revised Statutes §13-21-111 allows negligent plaintiffs to collect damages from other negligent parties if they were not primarily to blame for the incident that caused their damages. However, the law requires reducing a negligent plaintiff’s damages by a percentage equal to their degree of fault.
A capable accident attorney could subpoena a trucker’s cell phone records, trip logs, delivery schedule, personnel file, and driving history. They also might review the truck’s video footage and performance data. This evidence could help establish that the driver was fatigued, distracted, ill, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol when the accident occurred and, therefore, primarily responsible for the accident.
Contact a Greeley Attorney After a Blind Spot Truck Collision
If you suffered injuries in a blind spot truck accident in Greeley, do not delay seeking legal representation. The trucking company will begin building its case immediately, and you should, too.
A local injury attorney could provide vigorous representation to establish that the trucker and trucking company are at fault and owe you compensation. Call us today to get started.