The Top 7 Most Common Injuries Caused by a Truck Accident

Road traffic collisions can be traumatic enough when two regular-sized vehicles weighing around 4,000 pounds are involved, so imagine the catastrophic consequences when a truck weighing around 40,000 pounds is caught up in it. The aftermath of a truck accident can be truly devastating, both physically and mentally, and can lead to permanent lifestyle changes. Below, we take a look at the seven most common injuries caused by a truck accident.

 

Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord is a fragile mechanism that’s responsible for sending messages between the brain and other parts of the body. Given the sheer force of truck accidents, victims often suffer spinal cord injuries, which can lead to a complete loss of motor control and/or sensation. Considering how delicate the spinal cord is, it’s important to refrain from moving it if you suspect such an injury; seek medical care immediately.

All spinal cord injuries are considered serious and require emergency care to avoid irreparable damage. Even with medical intervention, there’s no guarantee that a victim will completely heal. Here are some of the common side effects associated with spinal cord injuries:

  • Changes in personality
  • A loss of sexual function
  • Extreme suffering and pain
  • Complete or partial paralysis
  • A loss of cognition
  • A loss of bowel or bladder control

If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal injury during a truck accident, turn to our reputable truck accident lawyer team to claim the compensation you deserve.

 

Head and Brain Injuries

As accident injury lawyers, we come across head and brain injuries all the time ranging from mild concussions to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Even in the smallest of collisions, a bump to the head can cause lasting injuries. Typical symptoms of a head injury include dizziness, headaches, memory loss, and confusion. While some cases are recoverable, many head and brain injuries have a lifelong impact including regular mood swings, impaired cognitive abilities, constant headaches, and noticeable behavioral changes.

In the most severe truck accident cases, a TBI can leave a victim completely unresponsive or end up turning into an unfortunate fatality. Recovering from this type of injury is often challenging and long, with countless hours spent under medical care, therapy, and rehabilitation. Victims deserve compensation for this type of trauma, which is where Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys can help.

 

Back and Neck Injuries

The sudden impact caused by a truck can cause back and neck injuries, which can vary in severity from mild discomfort to ongoing agony. Alongside the pain, recovering from a neck or back injury is turbulent at best, and the pain and suffering may return just as things begin to look better. With both neck and back injuries, victims may require long-term medical care and extensive rehabilitation, which has a detrimental impact on life.

Any of these severe injuries can lead to excessive time away from work, which only adds to the stress of high medical expenses. Rely on a truck accident injury lawyer from Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys to make those responsible pay for their actions and receive a fair amount of compensation.

 

Lacerations and Burns

Trucks can carry hazardous materials including chemicals, which are more likely to cause fires and other extensive damage. Burns come in different shapes and sizes ranging from third to first-degree, and the road to recovery is extremely painful and long. Even when pain subsides and usual bodily function returns, many burn victims are left with permanent disfigurements, which can cause emotional distress.

Lacerations (any type of skin wound) are also common in truck accidents, and they can lead to severe bleeding and scarring. Additionally, depending on how traumatic the injury is, the recovery journey can be long and arduous.

The pain and emotional distress associated with the healing process are only half of the equation here. Many victims struggle with anxiety and other psychological issues as they grapple to accept changes in their appearance.

 

Internal Injuries

After being struck by a truck, the body can succumb to any number of internal injuries including bleeding, lung punctures, and damage to major organs. These types of injuries are caused by penetrative objects, blunt force trauma, or sudden/intense contorting of the body. The scary part about internal injuries is they’re not always immediately obvious; some people don’t experience symptoms until weeks or after the accident.

Suffering an internal injury following a truck accident means you’re entitled to claim compensation to cover pain and suffering, loss of income, medical expenses, property damage, and any other relevant damages. To make sure you get the best rate of compensation possible, put your trust in a road accident lawyer from Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys.

 

Fractures and Broken Bones

Fractures and broken bones are another type of injury we see in truck accidents. Fractures and broken bones describe any injury that results in the discontinuity of a bone. There can be non-serious fractures where there’s a break but zero shifting or they can be extremely serious, where entire bones are shattered into pieces, and it protrudes through the outer layers of skin.

Fractures and broken bones may require physical therapy, surgery, and a long rehabilitation period. In the most unfortunate of truck accident cases, victims are left with chronic pain, permanent disabilities, or life-threatening conditions.

 

Emotional Distress

As well as the obvious financial costs associated with medical care and potential loss of earnings, all of these injuries have the power to cause emotional distress, which can stay with a person forever. Even if the truck accident isn’t too catastrophic, the experience alone can leave a victim with depression, anxiety, and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), which often has a ripple effect that bleeds into many different areas of life including relationships, fear of driving, and comfort eating.

Truck accidents can wreak havoc in a person’s life, and there’s often no end to the trauma. If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident, contact Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys now for a free consultation.

What to Do After an Accident With a Semi Truck

Navigating the aftermath of an accident with a commercial truck can be an overwhelming experience. However, the steps you take at the accident scene and days after the crash can affect your ability to recover compensation for your damages. Your actions are critical to protecting your potential truck accident claim. Our truck accident lawyers highlight what to do after an accident with a semi-truck below.

 

Step 1: Check for Injuries and Call 9-1-1 to Report the Accident

Your first concern should be the safety and health of yourself and everyone involved in the accident. Before checking on passengers and other involved parties, check yourself for any visible injuries. Then, if you can, check on others.

Call 9-1-1 to report the accident and request emergency medical assistance if needed. Police will ensure that medical responders come to the accident scene. Additionally, police officers may come to the site, investigate the crash, and create a police report.

A police report is official legal documentation of the accident. It may include information about involved parties, witnesses, a summary of what happened, and other details of the crash.

 

Step 2: Gather and Exchange Important Information

You should exchange information with the semi-truck driver and any other involved parties. You should gather the following information:

  • Truck driver’s name
  • Contact information
  • Driver’s license number
  • Insurance company and policy number
  • Name and contact information of the driver’s employer
  • Commercial truck’s license plate number
  • Any other identifying information about the truck

Additionally, if there were any witnesses to the accident, request their names and contact information. Their statements may be essential for your claim.

 

Step 3: Document the Accident

Use your phone to take photographs and videos of the accident scene. By taking pictures, you are preserving evidence of the crash. This evidence may be critical to proving liability and protecting your potential truck accident claim.

Our semi-truck accident lawyers recommend taking photos of the following things:

  • Any visible injuries
  • Interior and exterior damage to your vehicle
  • Commercial truck
  • Nearby road signs or landmarks
  • Road conditions
  • Weather conditions

 

Step 4: Get Medical Attention

After you leave the accident scene, you should get a complete medical evaluation as soon as possible. Even if you feel fine, a medical evaluation is critical for a couple of reasons. First, you want to ensure that you get medical treatment if you have internal injuries or injuries that are not showing immediate symptoms.

Second, you want medical documentation. Medical documentation is critical for proving that your injuries resulted from the semi-truck accident.

 

Step 5: Consult With a Commercial Truck Accident Attorney

Commercial truck accident cases can be complex. Semi-truck accidents typically result in catastrophic injuries or death, so damages are generally significant. Additionally, many parties are typically responsible for ensuring a truck is safe and may be liable for your damages.

A semi-truck accident attorney can help you understand your legal rights and protect your claim from the beginning. Your attorney can help you preserve critical evidence, talk and negotiate with insurance companies, and fight for your right to compensation.

 

Schedule a Free Case Review With Our Semi Truck Accident Lawyers

Have you or a loved one suffered damages in a commercial truck accident? You may be entitled to compensation for your damages, such as medical bills and lost wages. Contact our semi-truck accident lawyers to discuss your legal options during a free, no-obligation consultation.

At Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys, we fight for California, Nevada, and Texas accident victims to help them secure the compensation they need and deserve. Call us at (888) 779-1180 or contact us online to discuss your situation today.

 

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What to Say to Your Insurance Company After a Car or Semi-Truck Accident

After being involved in a car accident, you might experience a whirlwind of emotions and it can be quite terrifying. Even if you are lucky enough to not be seriously hurt, the stress, worry and anxiety after a car accident feels awful, and could lead you to act or speak in a way that might compromise your best interests when it comes to your case.

In fact, your insurance company or that of the other driver might be waiting for you to say the wrong thing. For example, apologizing at the scene might feel natural to you if the other driver has been hurt or their car is wrecked. But while you might be saying sorry just to be nice, insurance companies might take this as an admission of fault and hold you liable for the accident, even if you weren’t at fault.

 

What to Say to the Insurance Company After an Accident

You will likely get a call from the claim adjuster from your insurance company around a few days after the accident, in which they will want to get more information on the details of what happened. It’s important to bear in mind that insurance companies are looking out for themselves rather than you. Because of this, you need to be prepared for them to be looking out for any reasons to reduce your payout as much as they can. The best way to avoid giving them anything to use to do this is to say nothing at all and hire an experience personal injury attorney.  If you find that you must provide a statement keep your conversation as short and to the point as possible. Some tips to keep in mind include:

Give General Information

When speaking to your insurance company, you are only obligated to provide general or basic details about the accident. This includes personal information about yourself such as your name, the type of car you were driving when the accident happened, the other cars involved, the names of other people involved in the accident, where the accident happened, when it happened, and information on the other driver’s insurance company.

 

Don’t Provide a Recorded Statement

You are not under any legal obligation to provide a recorded statement to your insurance company. It is important to avoid recording a final verbal statement, without consulting a good car accident or personal injury lawyer beforehand, who can help you do this in a way that is in the best interests of your case.

 

Don’t Be Too Specific

Even if you have got medical attention after being involved in the accident and are aware of the extent of your injuries, it is important to avoid giving a detailed description of them or providing a final statement regarding your injuries to the insurance company. This is because after a car crash, injuries may appear later down the line, especially if you have internal injuries that are not always obvious. Along with this, there is also the risk of your current injuries escalating into something more serious.

 

What You Should Never Say After a Car Accident

Whether you are talking to the insurance company, the other driver involved, or witnesses at the scene, it’s important to choose your words carefully after a car accident. The vocabulary that you use could lead to problems with your case after a car accident, even if you said them innocently or meaning well. Some things that you should always avoid saying after a car accident include:

Sorry

Even if you are simply the type of person who apologizes a lot and you feel bad for the other driver involved, apologizing to them is always a bad idea. Even if you think that you might be at fault for the accident, don’t say sorry to the other driver. This is because any witnesses to the interaction might see this as an admission of guilt or taking responsibility for the accident.

 

That You Don’t Have an Attorney

If you are contacted by your insurance company before you have had the chance to get in touch with us here at Karns & Karns Personal Injury & Accident Attorneys, the last thing you should do is admit to them that you don’t have a lawyer yet. If your insurance company knows that you do not have any legal representation, they might try to reduce your compensation. For example, they may offer a quick settlement, which will typically be significantly lower than the amount you could have received.

 

Let’s Handle It Ourselves

You should always tell your insurance company about any car accidents that you are involved in. It’s not uncommon if you have a minor crash that only causes a little bit of damage to your car, and has not led to any serious injuries, to consider simply not telling your insurance company about it, getting the cars fixed and getting on with your life. However, it’s important to resist the urge to avoid reporting a car accident, especially if it was only a fender bender. The truth is that you may be due compensation for any crash, and not reporting a car accident to your insurance company will only make it harder to receive the payout you are owed.

If you’ve been involved in a car crash, then it’s important to carefully choose the words you use at the scene and when talking to your insurance company. Get in touch with our experienced lawyers today if you need advice on what to say. Call us at 877-557-4221.

5 Common Accidents In California

Accidents can and do occur in everyday life. Being a careful driver, wearing reflective clothing while bicycle, or waiting for the green light to cross the street as a pedestrian are all important ways to reduce your accident risk. However, it’s still too easy to endure the effects of a life altering injury.

Anyone who lives in California would probably not be surprised to learn that the most frequent causes of injuries are slip-and-fall accidents, automobile accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle accidents. The most crucial thing to remember is that you must learn about your rights and take proactive measures to protect yourself and your future if you ever find yourself the victim of such an accident.

Truck Accidents

There are many other reasons why truck accidents might happen, including careless truck drivers, poor vehicle maintenance, and the inability of passenger automobiles to maneuver around larger vehicles. Among the most typical accidents kinds you could experience are listed below:
• Jackknife
• Wide turn collisions
• Truck rollovers
• T-bone accidents
• Tire blowout

If a truck accident has injured you, you must retain the services of a qualified attorney who can assist you in obtaining the money you want to cover your medical expenses, property damage, lost earnings, and emotional distress. Likewise, even if everyone is cooperative and you believe your injuries may be minor, you should consider calling the police and going to the hospital immediately.

Car Accidents

In California, there are hundreds of thousands of car collisions annually. Unfortunately, many car accidents are caused by drivers who are careless or reckless. To significantly reduce the danger of collisions, injuries, and fatalities, drivers must comprehend and steer clear of the most prevalent of these behaviors.
• By limiting a driver’s effective reaction time and ability to maintain control of their vehicle, speeding can increase the likelihood of collisions.
• Each year in California, hundreds of car accidents are caused by drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• One other accident-causing factor in California is driver distraction. Numerous still-legal distractions, like eating while driving, might increase the likelihood of a car accident.

Motorcycle Accidents

One of the riskiest modes of transportation is a motorcycle. Tragic accidents are more likely to happen to motorcycle riders. Hundreds of motorcycle accidents in California yearly result in injuries or fatalities. Some of the most common reasons for motorcycle accidents in California are the ones listed below:
• Head-On Vehicle Collisions
• Intoxication
• Lane Splitting
• Road Hazards

Speak with motorcycle injury lawyers. Everything will be handled by motorcycle injury lawyers, including gathering proof, speaking with witnesses, communicating with insurance providers, and presenting the case in court.

Train Accident

It is impossible to emphasize railway accidents’ emotional and financial toll on victims and their families. Despite the fatalities and demands for more safety, there will probably be more California train accidents in the coming days. The following list includes some of the most frequent causes:
• Negligent engineering
• Lack of sufficient training
• Equipment malfunction
• Extreme speed
• Inconsistent signals

A train accident lawyer who is well-versed in how California and federal law interact may be necessary for the sufferer. Regardless of your situation, train accident lawyers will vigorously defend your rights and work to get you the money you are due.

Pedestrian Accident

Since pedestrians use the roads, their safety is just as crucial as that of drivers and passengers. However, these mishaps can result in catastrophic injuries or the loss of precious lives. Here are a few of them to keep in mind whenever you set out on foot:
• Intoxicated drivers
• Walking during night-time
• Pedestrians not using the sidewalk
• Drivers making unsafe left turns
• Speeding drivers
• Distracted pedestrians

Get the necessary legal counsel from a personal injury attorney as soon as possible to avoid engaging in a pedestrian accident in California. Do not hesitate to contact Karns & Karns Personal Injury & Accident Attorneys if you or a loved one was injured in an accident. Our pedestrian accident lawyers have years of expertise in helping clients obtain the greatest compensation to cover their damages and injuries. Our injury attorneys will ensure that you receive the correct medical care for your injuries, provide outstanding legal counsel, and secure just compensation.

Let our award-winning attorneys at Karns & Karns Personal Injury & Accident Attorneys help you. Call us at 877-557-4221 today!