Driving a large semi-truck is very different from driving a passenger vehicle, as trucks are immense in both size and weight and handle the roads differently in a variety of ways. A blind spot is an area around a vehicle where the driver cannot see other vehicles in the side-view or rearview mirrors. Trucking blind spot accidents are often the driver’s fault because truckers who drive semi-trucks and other large commercial vehicles know their vehicles have significant blind spots in front of, behind, and to the sides of the vehicle. Truck drivers are trained in how to watch out for other vehicles, but accidents caused by semi-truck blind spots still occur frequently across Texas.
Where are a semi-truck’s blind spots?
A commercial motor vehicle has blind spots on all four sides. While blind spots can vary by vehicle and a variety of other factors, the main and most common blind spots for semi-trucks – also called the “No-Zone” – are located:
- 20 feet in front of the truck: Big rigs can have blind spots that extend up to 20 feet in front of them depending upon the design of the truck.
- 30 feet behind the truck: There is a blind spot behind a semi-truck that can extend from the back of it for up to 30 feet.
- From the driver’s door toward the back of the truck on the left side of the truck: The left side of a truck cab has a blind spot that runs the length of the truck which can extend across three lanes of traffic to the left depending upon the size and shape of the semi-truck.
- From the right side of the truck cab down the length of the truck: As with the left side, this blind spot can extend across three lanes of traffic to the right depending upon the size and shape of the big rig.
Common Types of Blind Spot Truck Accidents
The significant blind spots mentioned above, coupled with potential issues like lack of proper training, driver inexperience, distracted driving, drowsy or fatigued driving, and more can lead to accidents caused by semi-truck blind spots. Some of the most common scenarios in which trucking blind spot collisions occur include:
- Lane changes and merging
- Run off the road
- Head-on collisions
- Override and underride truck accidents
- Rear-end accidents
- Sideswipe accidents
- Side-impact or T-bone accidents
Truck Accident Liability
While the truck driver may seem like the obvious at-fault party in a semi-truck accident, often many other parties can also be held legally responsible for the resulting damages. While the trucker may be liable, a thorough investigation must be conducted by an experienced trucking accident lawyer and a team of experts in order to determine the true cause of the crash and to identify all potentially responsible parties. Other potentially liable parties can include the trucking company that employs the truck driver, a truck manufacturer or distributor, a maintenance vendor, a shipping company, the agency that hired the trucker, inspection companies, the truck owner, the cargo loaders, local government, and its contractors responsible for maintaining the roads, and more.
Truck crash cases have a lot of evidence that must be properly preserved, collected, and reviewed after an accident to determine what happened and which parties may be legally responsible. This includes evidence collected at the crash scene, police reports, examining the truck and other vehicles in the wreck, downloading data from the truck’s “black box” event data recorder (EDR), truck inspection reports, photos, videos, witness statements, alcohol, and drug testing, electronic logs or hours of service (HOS) logs, truck driver’s driving records, dispatch instructions, hiring and supervision records, cargo and maintenance records, cellphone records, and more.
In addition to the evidence about the logistics of the crash and the at-fault parties, our attorneys will also obtain official documentation of your injuries and the other losses you suffer. This includes medical records, medical bills, receipts, invoices, pay stubs, and expert opinions about your prognosis, future care needs, and potential future loss of income or earning capacity.
Houston Semi Truck Accidents
If you’ve been injured in a semi-truck blind spot accident, contact a Houston truck accident attorney at Dax F. Garza, P.C. today to discuss your legal rights. You may be entitled to significant compensation to cover your medical expenses, lost income, future damages, and other losses. Firm founder Dax Garza is one of only a very small percentage (less than two percent) of lawyers to be Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs and has been selected for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters for over 10 years. He is a Life Member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
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