Every motor vehicle has blind spots the driver cannot easily see into from their position in the driver’s seat, even with the help of side and rearview mirrors, in some cases. The blind spots on semi-trucks are substantially larger than those on all other types of vehicles and can sometimes hide multiple other cars from a truck driver’s view.
For this reason, truck drivers in the Lone Star State have a legally enforceable duty of care requiring them to carefully check their blind spots before turning or changing lanes. When truckers fail to do so and cause blind spot truck accidents in Houston as a result, they may hold civil liability for ensuing injuries. If you were hurt in such a wreck, working with our seasoned truck injury lawyers here at Fleming Law Accident & Injury Attorneys may dramatically increase your chances of obtaining the civil compensation you need.
There are four major blind spots on a typical tractor-trailer, in the following places with roughly the following dimensions:
However, modern-day semi-trucks have advanced collision detection systems as well as oversized side mirrors. Any responsible trucker should be able to tell when another vehicle is in one of their blind spots. Accordingly, the vast majority of blind spot truck crashes in Houston can be traced directly back to negligence by the truck driver involved.
An insurance provider representing a trucking company will not immediately believe your claim that someone else is legally at fault for your medical bills, lost work income, and other damages stemming from a traffic wreck, and neither will a court. You will need extensive evidence proving that a truck driver’s failure to check their blind spots was likely the main and direct cause of your wreck, and that the wreck likely would not have happened without that negligent act.
You may also need to proactively prove that you were not partly at fault for your own blind spot truck collision in Houston—for instance, because you remained in a trucker’s blind spot for an unreasonably long time without a good reason for doing so. Our team can provide crucial assistance in both regards so you can recover fully for your losses while avoiding comparative fault and other legal obstacles throughout the process.
Just as you have a legal duty to be aware of your surroundings while driving a passenger car, long-haul truckers have a duty to know what is in their truck’s blind spots at all times so they do not accidentally cause a collision. However, not every trucker takes care to meet this standard.
We know how to fight tenaciously and effectively on behalf of people injured in blind spot truck accidents in Houston, and we are prepared to do so for you. Call Fleming Law Accident & Injury Attorneys today to learn more.