Articles Posted in Truck Accidents

Each year, thousands of people are injured, and more than 100 killed, in vehicle accidents involving semi trucks. A late December accident near Shreveport was just another example of this, with two people dying in a DeSoto Parish crash. Any accident involving a semi truck is potentially extremely dangerous or even catastrophic, given that a fully loaded semi truck can weigh 75,000 pounds or more, as compared to a 5,000-pound passenger vehicle. If you’ve been hit by a semi truck, you may have suffered serious and possibly life-altering injuries. It is important to act promptly to protect your rights, including retaining experienced Louisiana truck accident counsel to advocate for your rights and a proper recovery under the law.

The DeSoto Parish crash took place three days before Christmas. The 24-year-old Hudson was driving his pickup truck across Interstate 49 at around 7:00 pm when he encountered a semi truck driven by a 59-year-old Shreveport man named Charles. Hudson rear-ended Charles’ big rig. After those two vehicles collided, another semi truck, driven by a 34-year-old Texas man, rear-ended Hudson’s pickup, which caused those two vehicles to burst into flames. The accident killed Hudson and the second commercial truck driver, thetowntalk.com reported. Reports indicated that police did not know why Hudson rear-ended Charles’ truck, and the reports also did not indicate what exactly caused the pickup and second semi to burst into flames.

When an accident causes injuries that include permanent paralysis, the level of harm is often catastrophic. You may be entitled to multiple different types of damages, depending on the nature of your injuries. A skilled Louisiana truck accident attorney can help you make sure you get everything to which you are entitled.

One recent case demonstrated the sort of catastrophic injuries that can occur. The case arose from a terrible accident along Highway 90 on the outskirts of Lafayette. Ronald was driving to work along Highway 90 in a dense, heavy fog. The intersection of Highway 90 and Austria Road was one controlled by a flashing light. Highway 90 traffic had a yellow flashing light, and Austria Road traffic had a red flashing light (and a stop sign). As Ronald approached the Austria Road intersection, he saw an 18-wheeler in the road. The semi was traveling straight through the intersection on Austria Road and had not cleared the intersection. Ronald tried to stop but slammed into the rear wheel of the truck.

There are many rules, doctrines, presumptions, balancing tests, and other concepts written across the law, including when it comes to personal injury law. That is why knowledgeable Louisiana injury attorneys are so important to your personal injury case. You certainly know the facts of your case. But do you know how to go about obtaining the evidence you need? Do you know which legal concepts will apply to your case? One concept that can affect many types of personal injury cases is the “duty-risk analysis.”

Last year, the Court of Appeal looked at a case involving a fast food customer injured by a cup of hot coffee. In making its decision in that matter, the appeals court pointed out the four factors that go into the duty-risk analysis:  “(1) Was the conduct in question a substantial factor in bringing about the harm to the plaintiff…? (2) Did the defendant(s) owe a duty to the plaintiff? (3) Was the duty breached? (4) Was the risk, and harm caused, within the scope of protection afforded by the duty breached?” In other words, did the defendant cause the injury, did the defendant have a duty to the plaintiff, did the defendant violate that duty, and was the injury suffered within a reasonable “scope of protection” of the duty?

When you are injured in an accident with a truck, there are many things that will go on in your trial. One part of your trial will center around deciding how to allocate blame for the accident among you, the defendant, and any third parties. Just because a jury may find you partly at fault doesn’t mean that you automatically recover nothing. In one recent case, the Louisiana Court of Appeal affirmed a jury’s finding that a pedestrian was largely to blame for his accident but still increased the pedestrian’s damages recovery from $54,600 to $80,600.

• Read more about personal injury accidents involving trucks.
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