New Haven and the surrounding Connecticut communities depend on the goods and services delivered by large commercial trucks. Trucks are key links in the nation’s supply chain. However, they are also immense, unwieldy vehicles that weigh as much as 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. In a collision with a smaller, family vehicle weighing a typical 4,000 pounds, the motorists in the smaller cars are at extreme risk of injury.
Commercial trucks have to cross state lines, leaving them subject to safety regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These regulations promote safety through stringent requirements for driver qualifications, driving hour limits, load securement, and truck maintenance. Despite these requirements, common causes of fatal truck accidents in New Haven and elsewhere include:
Because it takes many entities using reasonable care to minimize the risk of fatal truck accidents, it often takes an experienced truck accident lawyer to perform an in-depth investigation to determine the cause of the accident and the correct liable party to file a claim against for damages.
What Types of New Haven Truck Accidents Cause Fatalities?
Due to the immense size and weight of commercial trucks like 18-wheelers, box trucks, tow trucks, dump trucks, and garbage trucks, accidents tend to leave victims with catastrophic or fatal injuries. National Safety Council (NSC) data shows that 70% of truck accident fatalities occur to motorists in other vehicles, not the truck drivers. Common types of deadly truck accidents in New Haven include the following:
Some of the most serious truck accidents with fatalities in New Haven can impact entire communities due to toxic spills, explosions, and road closures.
What Is a Fatal Truck Accident Wrongful Death Claim?
When a motorist suffers fatal injuries through no fault of their own but due to the negligent actions of a truck driver, trucking company, truck maintenance company, or freight-loading company, family members may file a wrongful death claim against the liable party. In Connecticut, the personal representative named in the decedent’s will or one appointed by the court files a wrongful death claim.
Common compensation awarded to family members in these claims includes funeral expenses, loss of household services, loss of companionship and consortium, and the lost income and benefits that the decedent would have provided for the remainder of their earning years — a wrongful death lawyer in New Haven understands the care and expert attention cases like these require.
How Can a New Haven Fatal Truck Accident Lawyer Help My Case?
Even when a truck accident causes devastation to an entire family due to a fatality, insurance companies may protect their company’s profits by attempting to shift liability to the injury victim or devalue and deny claims. When a claim is as crucial to a family as a New Haven wrongful death claim after a truck accident fatality, it’s imperative to have proactive legal representation throughout the process.
Call the New Haven fatal truck accident attorneys at Weber & Rubano, LLC at (203) 888-8888 or contact us online for experienced legal counsel and prompt action for your compensation claim.