Like many people, you probably feel somewhat nervous when you are surrounded by large commercial trucks on the highway. If you have to pass a big rig, you might feel worried about whether the truck’s driver can even see you. Your small passenger car could easily get lost by vanishing from the driver’s view in a blind spot.
Blind-spot truck accidents in West Virginia frequently result in devastating physical, emotional, and financial losses. If you or your loved one experienced harm because of this, our dedicated truck collision lawyers can help you determine what to do this.
Although every vehicle has some blind spots where the driver cannot easily see, large semi trucks have blind spots that are significantly larger and deeper. The truck driver’s field of vision is more limited and even their rearview and sideview mirrors, motion sensors, and cameras cannot fully cover every angle and area. A tractor trailer’s truck’s blind spot areas, also known as “no zones,” are located in four large areas.
Because a truck’s driver sits so much higher in their seat and the truck is so much larger, they cannot see the area directly in front of the cab that is below them. Any car driving up to 20 feet in front of the truck could get lost in a trucker’s blind spot.
Unlike in passenger cars where drivers can simply swing their heads to look behind them through the rear window, semi truck operators in a separate cab cannot see what is in back due to the trailer behind them. Cars traveling up to 30 feet in back of the trailer could be impossible for a truck driver to see.
Truck drivers cannot simply turn their heads to the right to see the cars next to them. Although they have partial visibility and might be able to see another large truck or bus traveling next to them, a truck driver would most likely not be able to see any small passenger cars traveling right next to them or even up to one lane from the driver’s side.
The right side of the truck’s cab is often the most dangerous place to be in. For the entire length of the truck’s cab and trailer, the truck driver cannot see up to multiple lanes to their left.
Our West Virginia attorneys thoroughly understand where a truck’s blind spots are, so we know how to build strong claims for accident liability.
West Virginia truck drivers should take reasonable precautions to check in their blind spots to avoid causing accidents. Unfortunately, truck drivers sometimes fail to thoroughly check around them before merging, turning, changing lanes, or passing other vehicles for several reasons. An inexperienced truck driver can cause a blind-spot collision due to lack of training on how to handle a large commercial truck. Overly fatigued drivers might be too tired to look around them. Truckers who are distracted by their cellphones, GPS, or anything else could also overlook their blind spots. Unfortunately, many truck drivers are also overly reliant on technology, such as blind spot sensors, that are not perfect.
Our skilled local legal team can carefully investigate what happened to determine what went wrong and who bears potential legal responsibility.
Although they should be trained on these shortcomings, some drivers may not take these blind-spots seriously. Blind-spot truck accidents in West Virginia can have life-threatening and even fatal consequences to other drivers. Call our experienced personal injury attorneys and let us assist you in a claim for compensation.
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Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law
