In an intense, action-packed movie, there may be various scenes involving high-speed chases, vehicles flipping over, and dramatic crashes. When these types of crashes happen in the real world, it can lead to devastating outcomes and can happen for a variety of reasons. Because of the large size of semi-trucks, which have a maximum weight of 80,000 pounds in the United States, an accident involving a semi-truck can take hours to clear up. When a semi-truck rolls over after striking an object such as another car, the collision of its wheels with the object may cause a specific force on the wheels that leads to the semi-truck to rollover. When a semi-truck driver loses control of a vehicle, it may cause the wheels to skid and the vehicle to flip over. This can be due to speed, improperly loading cargo, distracted driving, or other reasons.
According to a recent news report, a crash in Poland, Maine occurred that resulted in a semi-truck landing on top of a Ford pickup truck. The Sheriff’s Office believes that the Ford pickup truck pulled out in front of an oncoming FedEx semi-truck and that the semi-truck could not avoid the crash. The semi-truck ended up rolling on top of the Ford pickup, and a third vehicle was additionally involved. Miraculously, the driver of the Ford pickup was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Negligence and Truck Rollovers in Maine
Truck rollover accidents can happen for a variety of reasons as mentioned above, and sometimes those reasons can be because of the negligence of the truck drivers, although this is not always the case. Negligence is a legal concept in which a driver owes a duty of care to others, but fails to meet that standard of care. In order to have a successful negligence claim, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant owed them a duty to act (or not to act), that the defendant was in breach of that duty at the time of the accident, that the breach of duty caused the plaintiff’s injury, and that damages resulted (or in other words, that the plaintiff has suffered some sort of loss as a result of the accident, i.e. in medical bills). In the state of Maine, a modified comparative negligence system governs, which means that the judge (or jury) will reduce the damages paid to the claimant if the claimant was partially at fault for the accident. Because it may be tricky to assess what possible claims you may have and what possible compensation you may receive after a truck accident, it can be important to connect with an experienced attorney.
Have You Suffered Injuries in a Maine Truck Accident?
If you or someone you love has suffered injuries or death due to a truck accident in Maine, contact our skilled attorneys at Peter, Thompson, & Associates. We are ready to help you recover the damages you rightfully deserve, and are ready to help you navigate through the beginning, middle, and end of a lawsuit – we are here to walk you through every step of your claim. Our personal injury lawyers are compassionate, dedicated, and have the expertise needed to win complex cases. For a free, no-obligation consultation, give us a call today at 1-800-804-2004.