Trucks used to haul construction materials are often among the heaviest on the road. Their design and function come close to topping the 80,000-pound weight limit for a vehicle that can travel on public roads. When these vehicles collide with a passenger car, there is no limit to the severity of damage and injuries caused. The specialized attachments and type of cargo hauled can play an additional hazard in causing accidents.
If you or a loved one was injured or killed in a collision involving a construction truck in Lafayette, you could be eligible to collect compensation for your losses. Reach out to a Lafayette truck accident lawyer to discuss your situation.
Construction Truck Driver Negligence May Mean Compensation for You
Just like all other motorists, construction workers must take reasonable actions to not put others in harm’s way. Distracted driving, tailgating, and ignoring traffic signals are all forms of risky driving that these drivers are not immune to.
Other elements that could cause an accident may include:
- Driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or fatigue
- Improperly operating a construction vehicle
- Not having the legal licensure or endorsements to be operating heavy machinery
- Driving on roads that do not allow these vehicles
- Poor judgment or error
When you work with our team at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers, we can compile evidence from your accident to identify what negligent act caused your accident. You are entitled to a degree of safety when traveling on public roads. Call a Lafayette personal injury lawyer today to schedule your free consultation.
Laborde Earles injury was great for me they took care of me very fast and professional. If for any reason I need legal help they will be who I use.
ClientCollisions with Construction Trucks Can Feature More Than One Liable Party
Construction workers, their employers, and the greater company that supervises them all uphold a duty of care to perform the aspects of their job without harming others. With this in mind, when seeking compensation for the cost of your accident-related expenses, more than one party can be held responsible for your damages.
The Individual Driver
If your construction accident was the result of a negligent crane operator, a Lafayette crane accident lawyer can help you understand the compensation you could recover.
Princeton University notes that, in order to optimize vehicle safety, construction workers that operate heavy machinery must not only have a license to drive a motor vehicle but must also be specially trained to handle specific trucks. If the negligent driver was operating a forklift, one of our Lafayette forklift accident lawyers can help you hold them accountable.
For example, a worker who is trained to operate a crane may not have the requirements necessary to drive a steamroller. If we can find in the course of our investigation that this was the case in your accident, this may be grounds for assigning liability. Additionally, if we find that the driver was otherwise acting negligently, this could also factor into your claim.
The Construction Company
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has certain guidelines illustrating what measures must be taken on a construction site to prevent accidents.
Some of these rules include:
- Certain construction trucks are not allowed to leave their designated areas to travel on public roads.
- All vehicles must be used within the scope of their intended purpose.
- Every truck must have an unobstructed rear view and working headlights.
If an employer fails to regularly service their trucks or knowingly allowed their workers to perform in hazardous conditions, they can be found responsible for their employee’s actions. For example, if a concrete truck needed maintenance and caused an accident, our concrete truck lawyers in Lafayette can help you hold the employer liable.
The Construction Truck Manufacturer
If a vehicle used for construction was found to have a defective part that hindered its operation, liability may rest on the company that built the truck. The OSHA requires that before a truck is in use, all defects must be addressed to promote safe working conditions.
Even if the crane operator has the proper experience to operate it, they can still be negligent and cause you injuries. A crane accident lawyer in Lafayette can help you recover your losses.
Should a warning light on the truck’s dashboard not draw attention to a difficulty, or if a part was improperly made, you can pursue damages from this entity as well. If an employee was operating a dump truck improperly and caused your accident, our Lafayette dump truck accident lawyers can help you.
I thank God for Digger & David. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t have been for them.
Rick Smith | ClientA Lawyer Can Help You Seek Justice for Your Losses
When considering the parties that can be held responsible for your expenses, it can be overwhelming to thinking about how you will take them on by yourself. Construction companies have legal defenses at the ready for situations just like yours and may stop at nothing to deny responsibility.
By working with Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers, an attorney can help you by:
- Helping you identify one or more defendants in your case
- Filing documentation to get your case started
- Collecting all available evidence of the accident, such as photos, videos, witness accounts, and police reports
- Speaking with your attending doctor to obtain documentation of your injuries
- Completing the duties necessary to promote your case’s resolution, whether it is a judgment or settlement
- Protecting your rights throughout the legal process
The goal of your Lafayette construction accident lawyer is to prove that the defendant or defendants in your case exposed you to an unreasonable risk of harm. Therefore, they are responsible for compensating you for your losses.
Do Not Wait to Call a Lawyer
In Louisiana, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is generally one year from the date of the accident. The same applies to wrongful death claims. You have one year from the date of your loved one’s passing to file a civil action. You may want to get legal assistance as soon as possible; your time is limited.
The reassurance from Digger and his staff gave me that renewed hope that it’s going to be okay down the road.
ClientCall Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers Today
The details surrounding your accident will be at the heart of whether you are ultimately entitled to financial recovery, and how much that may be.
Some possible forms of compensation that you could collect include coverage for:
- Medical costs
- Lost income or reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
For wrongful death claims, additional compensation may cover:
- Funeral-related costs
- The loss of wages from the deceased
- Loss of consortium and household benefits
If you were in an accident involving a construction truck, or a loved one died in such a collision, allow a lawyer to bring forth your case for compensation. Our team works on a contingency basis. What this means is that we do not ask for any fees unless we successfully pursue your claim. Call our team of construction truck lawyers serving Lafayette at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers at (337) 777-7777 for a free consultation.
