Every motor vehicle has blind spots around it that the driver can’t easily see into from their position in the driver’s seat. On a typical passenger car, these blind spots stretch five to ten feet out beyond the front bumper, ten to fifteen feet out beyond the back bumper, and in diagonal patterns starting at the driver’s and passenger’s side doors and ending about one traffic lane out from the sides of the car.
On a tractor-trailer, blind spots are big enough to hide an entire passenger car—or sometimes multiple passenger cars—completely from the driver’s view, which makes it extremely important for truckers to use their mirrors, automatic collision prevention systems, and anything else at their disposal to avoid crashing into anything in those areas while driving. If you were recently hurt in a blind spot truck accident in Pennsauken because a trucker failed to act responsibly, a skilled truck accident lawyer can help you file suit.
Proving a Trucker Didn’t Check Their Blind Spots
One thing that can make suing over a blind spot truck wreck in Pennsauken complicated is the fact that not checking your blind spots isn’t a traffic violation in the same way that things like speeding and drunk driving are. While drivers are expected to check their blind spots as part of the general duty of care they have to act responsibly behind the wheel, not checking blind spots isn’t something a police officer can write a ticket for, which means there may not be any formal record in a police accident report of a trucker specifically not checking their blind spots immediately prior to a wreck.
Not checking blind spots can still serve as grounds for an injury lawsuit, since any breach of duty that directly leads to an injury occurring counts as legally actionable negligence. If you can prove a truck driver clearly didn’t check their blind spots before swerving into you through evidence like witness testimony, surveillance/dashboard camera footage, and black box data, you can likely hold that trucker liable for your crash-related injuries with or without a related traffic citation.
What If a Crash Victim Is Partly at Fault for Their Own Injuries?
People driving near tractor-trailers have duties of care too, and part of your duty as a passenger car driver is to know where the blind spots on other vehicles are and stay out of them as much as possible. Unfortunately, this means that one of the most common defenses used by truckers involved in Pennsauken blind spot accidents is claiming the injured person suing them is mostly at fault for causing the accident because they were irresponsibly in their blind spot for too long.
If a court agrees with this kind of argument during your claim, that court might assign you a percentage of comparative fault for your injuries and then reduce your final damage award’s value—or even throw your case out entirely—based on that percentage. This is one of many procedural obstacles that a respected legal professional can help you navigate around while pursuing civil compensation.
Contact a Pennsauken Attorney for Help with a Blind Spot Truck Accident Claim
Tractor trailers are bigger than most street-legal vehicles, and they also have bigger blind spots. Put those two things together, and you have a recipe for a uniquely dangerous type of traffic accident that can have life-altering implications for everyone unlucky enough to be involved.
Fortunately, you have support available to you from seasoned legal counsel if you have been hurt through a blind spot truck accident in Pennsauken and want to take legal action over your injuries. Call today to learn more.