Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Cement trucks are essential for construction and road work projects, but there’s a lot of pressure on these vehicles. Drivers of cement trucks usually have to get to their destinations quickly, because there are crews waiting for them. Cement is also very heavy, with fully loaded trucks weighing in at 33 tons, on average. That’s a lot of potential force if these vehicles are in a collision.
If you’re injured in a crash with a cement truck, you’re likely to sustain serious injuries. In this situation, you can contact Flaxman Law Group at any time to set up a free consultation with a Hollywood accident attorney. We can review your injuries and the details of your case to help you understand whether you might have a claim that lets you seek compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and more.
Why Do Cement Truck Accidents Happen?
Most of a cement truck’s weight is in the barrel of cement the vehicle is carrying, and this barrel is constantly spinning to prevent the cement from hardening. This can make these vehicles top-heavy and especially unstable. With high speeds, bad weather, and driver negligence, it’s easy to rollover accidents and crashes to happen.
The distribution of weight in these trucks can make sharp turns especially risky. This is why experienced truck drivers slow down before taking a turn. When they don’t, the vehicle can easily flip over.
Cement trucks need to deliver their loads within 90 minutes or the cement inside the barrel will start to harden. This can mean drivers feel pressure to speed to make it to their destination on time. This issue, too, can lead to accidents. Drivers racing to beat a deadline can also be driving distracted, which puts everyone at risk.
What Do I Need to Know?
The first thing you need to know about cement truck accidents is that they can cause severe injury. The weight of the vehicle can crush smaller cars in its way or cause serious injuries when it crashes into other vehicles. It’s always important to get medical help if you’ve been in this type of crash.
The second thing you need to know is that most injured people underestimate their losses. If you’ve been seriously injured, even if you expect to make a full recovery with time, you may lose thousands of dollars in income if you need to take time off of work. You may need to pay additional money for medical care, ongoing treatment, car repair costs, medication, and the many other expenses that can easily add up. It’s not unusual for this type of accident to cost tens of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars in the case of a catastrophic injury.
It’s also important to keep in mind that these truck accidents can be complex. The driver may be hired by one company and may be driving a truck belonging to a second company, carrying cement from a supplier to a third company site. In this situation, it can be hard to even know where to start making your claim. Worse, all the different parties tend to start blaming each other.
Fortunately, all these challenges can be addressed head-on, and an experienced Hollywood truck accident attorney can make a difference as you navigate your accident’s aftermath. An experienced lawyer can evaluate your injuries and make sure all your costs are considered. He or she can negotiate with your insurance company, find all liable parties, and can file a claim to seek compensation, if you qualify.
It’s incredibly important to contact a Hollywood truck accident attorney as soon as possible after your crash. The sooner your reach out, the sooner your lawyer can start protecting you and acting on your behalf. It’s incredibly easy to contact an attorney when you reach out to the family-based law firm of Flaxman Law Group. We have offices in Miami, Homestead, and Hollywood and we can be reached at any time. Best of all, you can meet with us in a free consultation so you can review your situation before you make any decision about what to do next. Contact us today and let’s start a discussion.