Dump trucks, which can carry cargo weighing over 50 tons, are hazardous. Dump truck collisions and injuries require an experienced truck accident lawyer who knows trucking law.
Usually, in a dump truck accident with a smaller vehicle, the other vehicle will break up or be crushed. Depending on the speed of one or both vehicles when the crash occurs, along with other factors, the other car’s driver and passengers have a greater probability of sustaining serious, disabling injuries or being killed than of escaping uninjured or with minor injuries.
Causes of Dump Truck Accidents
Dump trucks often haul loose materials like concrete, gravel, and sand. There are many kinds of dump trucks, and the weight they can carry varies. A standard dump truck uses a hydraulic lift to tilt the cargo carrier and dump the load. Some trucks, like a super standard hydraulic cylinder, can haul 26 tons or more.
Dump trucks are taller than most other vehicles, and in a collision, the other vehicle frequently goes under the truck, causing severe injury or death to those in the car. Truck drivers do not usually sustain injuries unless the truck flips on its side, goes down an embankment, or the driver fails to utilize safety features.
These huge trucks have much bigger blind spots, and some, like the semi-trailer dumper, are considered more dangerous. Because of a high gravity center on the dumper vs the low weight of the truck’s trailer, there’s a danger of imbalance, causing the truck to move or even tip over.
Because dump truck loads weigh tons, if an accident causes the truck to dump its load prematurely and the load lands on another vehicle, the weight of several tons of material like gravel or concrete will almost surely cause disabling injury to occupants of the other vehicle(s), should they survive.
What to Do After a Crash
After any North Carolina automobile collision, the most important thing to do is seek medical attention. Even if you cannot identify external injuries, call 911 anyway. You may be in shock, and it’s recommended that you go to the hospital and be checked thoroughly. If your injuries are worse than initially thought, this could mean ongoing and devastating financial loss. Some injuries, such as traumatic brain injury, may not be apparent for weeks or months.
Because dump truck crashes have extreme consequences, one crash could mean paying millions to settle a claim or claims. Insurance companies don’t want to do this; they are in business to make a profit. The vehicle owner will immediately contact their insurer so they can send a team of investigators out to the accident site.
The insurance investigation team will arrive and begin doing what they can to avoid responsibility for paying a claim. They may discuss the collision with the police and even offer some “helpful and neighborly advice” to the police and point them in your direction as the cause of the collision. Therefore, you need an experienced attorney in your corner at a critical time of any investigation – the beginning.
Representation for Dump Truck Collisions
Maginnis Howard’s team of personal injury attorneys has decades of experience handling complex cases, including those involving victims of dump truck collisions.
We handle personal injury matters on a contingency basis – meaning that you do not pay any attorneys’ fee unless we make a recovery on your behalf. We have three conveniently located offices across the state in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Fayetteville. Visit our contact page for information about each location. You can submit an inquiry through our contact form, and someone in our offices will respond as quickly as possible.
