To support the needs of the city and surrounding areas, large commercial vehicles frequently travel in and through Hitchcock. Unfortunately, because these trucks are typically considerably larger than other vehicles, they pose a more serious risk of injuries in accidents. Some of the most common types of trucking crashes that can result in severe harm are blind-spot truck accidents in Hitchcock.
If you believe that trucking accident that harmed you occurred because of a truck driver’s blind spot, you need legal help. A dedicated truck crash lawyer could meet with you to review the circumstances of what happened to let you know if you could be eligible to pursue a legal claim for economic compensation.
Explaining Blind-Spot Trucking Collisions
A blind spot is the area around a car or truck that the driver cannot see either directly or with the use of their mirrors or cameras. Hitchcock blind spot trucking collisions happen when a truck driver hits, runs over, backs into, runs off the road, or side swipes someone that they were unable to see in another vehicle, on a bike, on a motorcycle, or on foot, because they were in the truck driver’s blind spot.
Every type of vehicle has some blind spots, but tractor trailer trucks have particularly large no-zones, which are areas which other drivers should avoid because they are in a truck’s blind spot locations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that the following areas are a truck’s no zones:
- Up to 30 feet in back of a truck – Unlike drivers of most other types of vehicles, semi truck drivers cannot rely on a rearview mirror to see what is behind them because the trailer is directly behind the cab, blocking the driver’s view of the area behind them.
- Up to 20 feet in front of a truck – because truck drivers sit so high, they cannot look directly down to see if there is a car or person right in front of them.
- Up to two traffic lanes to a truck’s right
- One full lane to a truck’s left
If you have questions after an accident about the blind spots for tractor trailer trucks, our Hitchcock legal team could help search for answers.
Why Do Blind Spot Trucking Crashes Happen?
Most blind spot trucking crashes in Hitchcock could be avoided, happening when truck drivers drive unsafely and negligently. These types of wrecks occur when a truck driver tries to merge, change lanes, pass another vehicle, or otherwise move to a place on the road where someone else is already there, but the truck driver is unable to see them because of their blind spots. Blind spot crashes happen when a truck driver does not continuously check around them and compensate for their blind spots, by monitoring what is happening with the cars around them.
Truck drivers who are overly tired, in a rush, or distracted often fail to check their blind spots. Our dedicated personal injury attorneys could investigate the causes of the crash to determine if the truck driver made a mistake and who is potentially legally responsible for the cost of your injuries and other losses.
Speak with a Hitchcock Lawyer About Blind-Spot Trucking Crashes
Blind-spot truck accidents in Hitchcock should not occur. Commercial truck drivers should pay careful attention to what is occurring on the road around them.
If you or your loved one experienced harm in a trucking crash because the truck driver failed to safely monitor their blind spots, speak with an attorney from Schechter, Shaffer & Harris to see how we can help you.
