Cincinnati Box Truck Head-On Collision Accident Lawyers
Have you been seriously injured in a head-on collision with a box truck that wasn’t your fault? If so, you have the right to pursue compensation for your injuries.
Head-on collisions occur when two vehicles facing each other front to front crash into one another. This type of collision is one of the most fatal types of collision because the vehicles are typically traveling at high speeds, and each vehicle forcefully impacts each other head-on. When you consider that box trucks can weigh up to 26,000 pounds if they’re fully loaded, the force with which a box truck traveling at high speeds can collide with a passenger vehicle can be deadly. Head-on collisions accounted for nearly 11 percent of all motor vehicle crashes in 2019, second only to angle collisions.
Head-on collisions, if not fatal, often cause serious injuries. These injuries can cause an accident victim to suffer life-long physical and health issues. If you’ve suffered severe injuries in a head-on box truck collision caused by someone else, you deserve to be compensated for your suffering and how your injuries have changed your life.
The Cincinnati box truck accident lawyers of Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC have experience representing box truck accident victims who were injured in head-on collisions. We can help you seek justice and compensation for your injuries. For a free consultation, call us at (513) 351-5997 or contact us online today.
Causes of Box Truck Head-On Collisions
Box truck head-collisions can be caused by a number of negligent actions that a truck driver may commit. Many are caused by the following truck driver actions:
- Distracted driving – Using a cellphone or sifting through items in the cabin can prevent a truck driver from keeping their eyes focused on the road.
- Driving while intoxicated – Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs causes impairment of a driver’s reactions, thinking, and visual acuity.
- Driving while fatigued – The nature of a truck driver’s job is long-distance travel. Due to the demand on trucking companies, truck drivers may be working long hours. This can cause them to be fatigued while driving. Fatigued driving can produce similar effects to intoxicated driving, where truck drivers can experience impaired judgment and faculties and slowed reaction times.
- Speeding – A common traffic violation, speeding can cause a truck driver to lose control of the truck. Speeding also reduces the amount of time either driver may have to brake to avoid a collision.
- Inexperienced driving – Truck drivers of box trucks are not required to have specialized training or any type of special license. Box trucks are like moving trucks from familiar moving companies. Nearly anyone can drive one. Some truck drivers may not have reasonable experience, so they don’t have the knowledge of how to react to obstacles when driving a box truck.
Some causes of head-on collisions involving box trucks and passenger vehicles may be out of the direct control of the truck driver, such as inclement weather and mechanical issues. The latter common cause may not be the fault of the truck driver directly, but their employer could be liable.
Common Box Truck Head-On Collision Injuries
Head-on collisions involving passenger vehicles and box trucks can cause serious and life-threatening injuries. Some common injuries that victims have sustained in head-on collisions with box trucks include:
- Head injuries, such as skull fractures
- Brain injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries, such as whiplash
- Back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Muscle sprains
- Broken bones
- Internal bleeding
- Organ damage
- Burns
- Amputation
- Disfigurement
- Lacerations
- Hearing and vision impairment or loss
- Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Most of these common box truck head-on collision injuries will require immediate medical attention. Your injuries may require extensive medical treatment, including surgery and other invasive, life-saving procedures, as well as an extended hospital stay. Your injuries could cause you to be permanently disabled and can cause you chronic pain. You may need treatment for years to come, and may never fully heal from your injuries. You deserve compensation for all of the pain, suffering, and impact that your injuries have had and may continue to have on your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
We understand that you may have a lot of questions about what it means to pursue compensation for your injuries and what the process entails. Below, we’ve answered a few questions we often hear from our clients.
Who is liable for the truck accident?
Typically, the truck driver who caused the head-on collision is responsible for the accident. But their employer is likely to be liable for the accident. This means that because the truck driver works on behalf of the trucking company, and the accident occurred while the truck driver was conducting their job duties, the trucking company would be the one to compensate for your injuries. In most cases, you’ll begin your pursuit for compensation by filing a claim with the trucking company’s insurance company. If necessary, you may have to file a lawsuit against the trucking company. Your lawyer will walk you through this process, however, and keep you informed on what to expect moving forward.
Should I talk to the insurance company if they contact me?
You should avoid speaking to any insurance company representatives if they try to contact you after the accident.
Insurance companies will contact you after the accident as part of their investigation. The primary goal of their investigation isn’t to find out what happened. Their objective is to glean any available information and evidence that they can use to reduce the amount of compensation that they may have to pay you or deny your claim outright.
When the insurance companies contact you, they will dissect anything you say to them about the accident to assign some level of blame for the accident to you. In Ohio, if you are found to be partly responsible for the accident, your compensation can be reduced in proportion to your fault. If you were more than 50 percent responsible for the accident, then neither the insurance company nor the truck driver or their employer has to compensate you for your injuries.
Do I have to file my claim or lawsuit within a certain time?
There may be a time frame within which you have to file your personal injury claim with the insurance company, but that would be subjective and based on the insurance company’s policy. To seek compensation in court, you have to file your personal injury lawsuit within two years from the date of the accident. This two-year time frame is known as the statute of limitations.
Call Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC for an Experienced Box Truck Head-On Collision Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been seriously injured in a box truck head-on collision that wasn’t your fault, call Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC at (513) 351-5997, or reach out to us online for a free consultation. You may be entitled to compensation, and our highly skilled accident lawyers can help you pursue what you may be owed.
