McKinney is a high-growth area with a lot of road construction, traffic, and people. The roads around North Central Texas can be difficult for large commercial trucks to navigate. Tractor-trailers have much larger blind spots than other vehicles, and blind spot accidents can have terrible consequences. The other car may be absolutely crushed or knocked into other lanes of traffic.
If you were hurt in a blind spot accident, contact a McKinney truck accident lawyer today. With the help of an experienced attorney, you could pursue full and fair compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
The most common locations for blind spot truck accidents are on the highways. On Highway 380, it is very common to see these sorts of injuries because there is a lot of stop-and-go traffic. North of McKinney on 121, there are a lot of wrecks because of all the construction. With construction and lanes changing a lot, the potential for sideswipe impacts is significant.
Interestingly, now that Highway 75, the Central Expressway, has been finished and open through McKinney, there are higher speed issues with sideswipes as 18-wheeler drivers are trying to navigate and change lanes at higher speeds. It is also common along 121, at the Sam Rayburn Tollway.
Some tractor-trailers have signs warning other drivers to avoid the truck’s blind spots, but this does not absolve truck drivers of responsibility. Even if the truck is clearly advising drivers to avoid unsafe behavior when in the truck’s marked blind spots, either party can still be liable. Truck drivers have a duty to change lanes of traffic only when it is safe to do so. Merely putting a sign up on the truck is something that should be legally immaterial. However, there are times in which the driver of a passenger vehicle could be held somewhat at fault., depending upon all of the facts and circumstances surrounding that particular injury.
Texas has modified comparative negligence, which means that means if a person is found to be partially at fault for their own injuries, they are not to be compensated for that percentage of fault for their injuries. For instance, if the passenger vehicle is found to be 40% at fault for their own injuries, the judge will reduce their damages by 40%. If the damages total $100,000, they can only recover $60,000. In addition to that rule, if someone is more than 50% at fault for their own injuries, they can recover nothing, no matter what the other person did.
Truck accidents are often devastating for those involved. Victims may be left with thousands of dollars of medical bills, and some are unable to work due to lasting injuries. Thankfully, compensation may be available through a personal injury lawsuit. A McKinney blind spot truck accident lawyer could handle your case while you focus on healing. Call today to schedule a consultation.
McCraw Law Group