When the average person thinks of how a collision between a tractor-trailer and a passenger car might happen, they may imagine an out-of-control semi-truck accelerating toward standstill traffic or flipping onto its side while going around a sharp turn. What might not immediately occur to someone is a truck simply swerving into another car’s path while both vehicles are traveling at the same speed. In reality, that exact scenario is how a surprising number of big rig crashes happen.
Truck accidents caused by unsafe lane changes in West Jordan can lead to very serious injuries, which can also make them uniquely tricky to seek fair civil recovery from. However, by working with a tenacious and compassionate truck collision attorney from Kramer Injury Law, you could construct the strongest possible claim and more effectively pursue the compensation you deserve.
What Makes a Truck Driver at Fault for a Lane Change Collision?
Semitruck drivers are required to follow all the same basic traffic laws as passenger car drivers, which means, among many other things, that truckers must use their turn signals to indicate when they are about to make a turn at an intersection, merge onto or off a highway, or change lanes while in motion. Any truck driver who fails to signal properly before making one of these maneuvers has violated the duty of care they owe everyone on the road with them.
If a driver causes injury to someone else through such a breach of duty, they can be held financially accountable for ensuing losses based on their legal negligence. Notably, it is also possible to sue truck drivers for careless lane change accidents in West Jordan caused by irresponsible behavior, as opposed to overtly illegal actions. For example, if a driver does not use their mirrors to check their blind spots carefully before turning or changing lanes, this could be a reason to sue.
Recovering Fairly for Short-Term and Long-Term Losses
Being sideswiped by a tractor-trailer can be just as dangerous as being rear-ended or even T-boned by one, depending on the speed at which the collision occurs and what happens immediately afterwards. Because of that, civil claims over West Jordan truck accidents resulting from reckless lane changes often have to account for losses that may not fully manifest for months, years, or even decades after legal proceedings conclude, including:
- Physical discomfort and pain
- Emotional trauma and anguish
- Lost working and earning capacity
- Decline in overall enjoyment and quality of life
- Disability-related expenses, including wheelchairs, home modifications, and in-home assistance
- Costs of long-term medical treatment, including physical therapy and disability management
Our skilled attorneys could provide vital help identifying the specific compensable damages you need to recover, determining a fair financial value for them, and proactively incorporating them into your settlement negotiations. We could also file a lawsuit in civil court if necessary.
Call Us For Help After a Truck Crash in West Jordan Caused by an Unsafe Lane Change
Truck accidents caused by unsafe lane changes in West Jordan can cause life-altering and even life-threatening harm to other people around them, whether from drivers who fail to properly signal turns or who do not check their blind spots before merging. Despite that, it can still be very difficult to hold a trucking company—or, as is usually the case in practice, their insurance provider—properly liable for harm resulting from a wreck of this nature. This is the case even if it seems obvious to you that a specific negligent act by a trucker directly led to you being hurt.
Fortunately, that is where our team here at Kramer Injury Law could help. We work with clients in West Jordan and throughout Salt Lake County, so call today to discuss your legal options following a tractor-trailer accident caused by negligence.
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