Every motor vehicle has “blind spots” around it, in which the driver does not have a line-of-sight view from their position in the driver’s seat. Usually, these blind spots—directly beyond the front and rear bumpers and stretching back and along the vehicle’s sides—are only a few feet long and will only completely obscure small obstacles, but on a tractor-trailer, these spots are big enough to hide entire commuter cars from the driver’s view.
It is especially important for long-haul truckers to use their mirrors, electronic collision detection systems, and anything else at their disposal to carefully check their blind spots before turning, merging, or changing lanes. If you were hurt in a blind spot truck accident in New Haven caused by a trucker who failed to act responsibly, you have help available. An experienced truck accident attorney can help you pursue fair financial recovery for your crash-related losses.
In most situations, the person most directly to blame for a blind spot truck wreck in New Haven—or anywhere else in Connecticut, for that matter—is the commercial tractor trailer driver who irresponsibly made a dangerous driving maneuver without ensuring no one else was in their way first. Just like anyone else driving any other type of vehicle, truckers have a “duty of care” requiring them to obey traffic laws and pay close attention to their surroundings while driving. Since not checking blind spots qualifies as a “breach” of that duty, it can also serve as the foundation of a civil lawsuit if it directly leads to an injurious traffic accident.
That said, it is often possible—and sometimes extremely important—to name a negligent trucker’s employer as a defendant in a civil claim over this type of incident. This is possible thanks to a legal doctrine known as respondeat superior, which allows employers to be held “vicariously liable” for misconduct by their workers. Skilled attorneys understand the legal principles that apply to truck accident claims and can use them to pursue fair and prompt damages after a blind spot collision.
On that note, compensable losses in a claim built around a blind spot tractor trailer accident in New Haven can include, but are not strictly limited to:
However, any injured person found partially to blame for causing their accident—for instance, because they coasted in what they should have known was a truck’s blind spot for an unreasonably long time—may have their final damage award or settlement reduced in proportion to their share of total fault for their injuries. Under Connecticut General Statutes § 52-572h allows courts to bar recovery altogether for anyone found to hold more than 50 percent of the blame for their accident, regardless of whether someone else was also at fault. It is essential to work with an experienced attorney who can fight back against unfair accusations of fault and ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
In theory, proving a truck driver liable for a blind spot truck accident in New Haven should be as simple as proving that the truck driver did something specifically reckless behind the wheel, which led to them hitting you while you were in their blind spot. In reality, these kinds of civil claims tend to be extremely time-consuming and complicated, especially for people who try to pursue them alone.
Fortunately, you do not have to fight for the compensation you need by yourself. Our team at Berkowitz Hanna is here to help. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation with a skilled member of our team.
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