Ontario Truck Accident Lawyers
Serious accidents involving commercial motor vehicles are on the rise in Ontario. In the first half of 2021 alone, the province saw nearly 3000 truck accidents, marking a 9% year over year increase in commercial motor vehicle collisions on the province’s roads and highways.
Collisions involving large commercial trucks often have fatal consequences. Trucks far outweigh regular passenger vehicles and are significantly larger in stature. Because of this, if a truck collides with a car, the person hired to drive it may be able to walk away without any injuries at all, while the car’s occupants might never walk again. The lives of unsuspecting, everyday commuters and car passengers could be cut short in an accident caused by a negligent truck driver.
All motor vehicle operators in Ontario are required to abide by the rules outlined in the Highway Traffic Act. In accordance with this provincial legislation, all drivers are legally obligated to provide other road-users with a duty of care. Truck drivers are not exempt from this legal requirement and, therefore, must exercise a reasonable degree of caution behind the wheel at all times.
When truck drivers violate the rules of the road and shirk the duty of care they are legally required to provide to other road-users, the occupants of other vehicles could lose their lives in a collision, or sustain severe, often disabling injuries. Injuries that frequently occur during an accident caused by a negligent commercial truck operator include:
- Broken or fractured bones
- Cuts and lacerations
- Strains and sprains
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Facial and dental injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Neck and back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Amputations
- And more
Due to the differences in size and weight between large commercial trucks and regularly-sized passenger vehicles, the injuries sustained by truck accident victims are often severe, and can impact all areas of an accident survivor’s life. Injured truck accident victims may sustain permanent physical injuries, develop debilitating mental health issues, and incur substantial financial losses. Oftentimes, these losses are related to:
- Medical expenses
- Ambulance bills
- Medical equipment
- Prescriptions
- Mobility aids
- Physiotherapy
- Chiropractic sessions
- Massage therapy
- Strength-training exercise programs
- Psychological counselling
- Home modifications to accommodate acquired disabilities
- Mileage expenses for trips to and from medical appointments
- And possibly more
If you were injured in a collision caused by a truck driver’s negligence, our Ontario truck accident lawyers may be able to help you pursue a civil claim in order to recover compensation for damages you have incurred. To learn more about options for financial recovery that might be available to you, contact us today and receive a free initial consultation with our truck accident lawyers serving all of Ontario.
Common Causes of Ontario Truck Accidents
Truck drivers connect communities nationwide, carrying essential products, supplies, goods, and other items to and from various regions across the country and over international borders. But in order to perform this essential service, truck drivers are often required to carry out the duties of their job in uncomfortable and, occasionally, unsafe circumstances.
Despite the fact that truck drivers in the province are subject to strict commercial vehicle safety requirements, some individuals may feel the need to cut corners in certain aspects of their job. They may feel pressured to do so in order to meet their industry’s rigorous demands.
To fulfill tight delivery schedules, truck drivers often need to spend hours on the road, often sacrificing sleep or driving past the point of physical exhaustion to reach their destination on time. To stay awake and alert for hours on end, truck drivers may rely on stimulants, amphetamines, or other illicit substances. Doing so could put the lives of other road-users at risk.
Furthermore, truck drivers racing towards their destinations could feel the need to speed excessively, ignore traffic signs or signals, change lanes improperly, or engage in other forms of recklessness behind the wheel. On top of that, burdened with long periods of solitude, truck drivers may indulge in a variety of distractions behind the wheel, such as texting and driving, eating while the car is in motion, or any other activity that steals their attention from the road.
When truck drivers fail to carry out their jobs in a safe, professional manner, they endanger the lives of countless road-users. If a truck driver’s negligence on the road caused a collision in which you sustained compensable injuries, call 1-800-JUSTICE today and speak with our Ontario truck accident lawyers.
Who is Responsible for Ontario Truck Accidents?
The rules of the road apply to all motor vehicle operators, including the operators of large commercial trucks. When a truck driver violates traffic laws and engages in dangerous behaviour behind the wheel, they should be held responsible for the injurious consequences of their wrongful actions.
With assistance from our truck accident lawyers serving all of Ontario, you might be able to pursue a civil claim against the at-fault truck driver whose negligence caused your injurious accident to occur. By doing so, you may be able to recover compensation for financial losses you have incurred because of your injuries, as well as losses you will incur in the future. Depending on the circumstances of your accident, you might be able to pursue a claim against the negligent truck driver’s employer, as well.
That is because, in certain situations, a trucking company might also be considered negligent. If the wrongful actions of its leadership contributed to the conditions that caused a collision to occur, they may be considered liable for injured accident victims’ damages. For example, if a trucking company’s administrators were aware that their driver had a history of unsafe behaviour on the road but continued to keep deploying them for duty, they may be responsible for financially compensating the injured accident victims of accidents caused by their negligent employee.
Book Your Free Initial Consultation with Our Ontario Truck Accident Lawyers
Our truck accident lawyers serving all of Ontario provide all prospective clients with a free initial consultation. If you have been injured in an accident, do not hesitate to schedule your cost-free, no-obligation first meeting with Preszler Injury Lawyers today.
To discuss the details of your collision with our Ontario truck accident lawyers and learn about courses of legal action that may be available to you, take advantage of your free initial consultation by calling us today.
