West Chester Truck Accident Attorneys

West Chester has a 2024 population of 20,393. With a significant population, there is usually heavy traffic ranging from passenger vehicles to heavy trucks. 

Pennsylvania has approximately 120,000 miles of byways and highways; with 33 percent, or 39,714 miles designated as state highways cared for by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The remaining 81,189 miles represent 67 percent of the roads maintained by municipalities and other entities. 

Any collisions on state roads are reported and investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and approximately 1,100 local municipal police departments.

Pennsylvania Truck Accident Statistics 

Every West Chester truck accident is comprised of 3 elements: the vehicle, the driver, and the roadway. Nationally 85-90 percent of all traffic crashes involve driver error contributing to the accident.

In 2020, there were 6,344 collisions involving heavy trucks in Pennsylvania, with 2,523 wrecks involving physical injuries and 110 fatal crashes. In 2022, Pennsylvania reported 115,938 collisions that claimed the lives of 1,179 and injured 67,012 people.

On average, in 2022, in Pennsylvania, there were 318 wrecks every day, which represents roughly 13 crashes every hour. Additionally, every day, three people are killed in crashes, which means one death every 7 hours. Every day, another 184 people were hurt in crashes, about approximately 8 injuries every hour. Further statistics indicate that in 2022, with a population base of 12,972,008, one out of 51 individuals got into a traffic accident. 

One out of every 11,003 people was killed in a wreck, and one out of every 194 individuals was hurt in a collision. Deaths in the wake of heavy truck accidents were 122 in 2020, 156 in 2021, and 164 in 2022.

Causes of West Chester Truck Accidents

Truck accidents can happen at any time, and any place, such as on rural roads, highways, inner-city streets, on freeways, and in construction zones. They cannot stop on a dime due to their size and any vehicle in their way is often crushed.

Some of the common causes for truck crashes in Pennsylvania include:

• Trucker Errors – Such as not checking their blind spot when changing lanes, abruptly changing lanes or braking, not obeying traffic laws, not driving according to the road and weather conditions, texting or using a cell phone while driving, and driving while drowsy.
• Speeding – Truckers speed to get their load to its destination on time. There are rewards for promptly delivering. Speeding and congested roads, road repair work, or bad weather usually lead to crashes.
• Exhaustion/Fatigue – This is common among truckers, as they drive long hours to meet tight deadlines. Fatigue slows response time.
• Distracted Drivers – On long hauls drivers can be distracted by using a cell phone, sending texts, listening to music, drinking, or eating. Any distraction while driving a mammoth big rig can result in a deadly accident. Distracted driving is dangerous for any driver on the road.
• DWI/DWI-D – Driving while impaired, either by alcohol or street and/or prescription drugs makes driving a big rig very dangerous and deadly. Drugs and alcohol profoundly affect the brain and impair the ability to concentrate. 
• Unstable Loads – Failing to properly secure a load by ensuring it is evenly distributed across the truck can result in the vehicle becoming unbalanced and toppling over when suddenly stopping or turning sharp corners. An improperly secured load can land on the road and cause horrendous accidents. Truckers who haul water, oil, or kerosene sometimes carry a half load. This is dangerous due to the liquid in the container shifting from side to side, causing the truck to sway. If a trucker needs to stop quickly, the shifting load can propel the truck forward into other vehicles.
• Slow Cautious Drivers – Truckers do tailgate slow car drivers. If the driver hits the brakes, the truck cannot stop, and a rear-end collision occurs. When a ten-ton truck hits a smaller vehicle, the result is usually a crushed vehicle, with the passengers and driver sustaining serious injuries or death.
• Lack Of Training for Big Rig Drivers – The trucking industry is always looking for drivers, but not all those who want to drive have the experience to do so. Additionally, not all of those who do apply get proper or adequate training. When a rookie trucker hits the road, the chances of an accident are much higher.
• Brake Failure – Many big rig crashes are the result of brake failure, whether due to overheating, moisture condensation, or improper or no maintenance. 
• Worn Tire Treads – Truckers spend long hours on the road and are in a time crunch to get loads delivered. They may not have time or even fail to notice the condition of their vehicle’s tires. Worn treads create a high risk of sliding or bursting when the brakes are applied.
• Road Conditions – Construction, poor placement of warning and directional signs, and the weather or oil spills can cause dangerous conditions for truckers and result in a crash.
• Inattentive Drivers – If a passenger vehicle driver is not paying attention to the traffic around them or is speeding and drowsy, they can end up running into the back of, and sliding under the truck’s rear end or the side of the truck. While many trucks these days do have side ride bars and Mansfield bars, also called underride bars, not all of them do. The outcome of such a crash is usually fatal. In 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) upgraded the underride system and increased the strength of the bars. The bars are intended to reduce potential injuries and property damage if a passenger car hits an underride bar at 35 mph. 

Types of Injuries Sustained in West Chester Truck Accidents

Numerous serious injuries can be sustained in a West Chester truck accident. They may include the following:

• Fractured bones
• Damaged, bleeding, bruised internal organs
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Concussions
• Burns
• Spinal cord injuries
• Amputations
• Internal injuries
• Whiplash
• Neck injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Dislocations
• Lacerations
• Soft tissue damage
• Back injuries
• Hemorrhages
• Contusions
• Facial trauma
• Ankle, knee, hip problems
• Crush injuries
• Eye injuries
• Emotional and psychological issues
• Death

What To Do After a West Chester Truck Accident

Truck accidents often involve very severe injuries and often deaths. Many survivors cannot walk away from the accident as first responders are needed to assist them out of the wreckage. If you or a passenger can do the following, it can help to preserve the evidence needed to file a lawsuit seeking compensation for your losses, wrongful death, and/or injuries.

If you can, call 911 and get medical treatment as soon as possible. You may need to wait for first responders to accomplish that. Even if you do not feel too bad, always get checked over by a doctor, as some injuries do not manifest themselves until later. 

Try to obtain and preserve all of the evidence of the crash that you can. Take pictures or a video of the accident scene as soon as you can. Try to get witness statements, and if you cannot, your MyPhillyLawyer truck accident attorney can facilitate this for you. Try to get copies of all accident and police reports and get copies of your medical records. Your MyPhillyLawyer can also obtain the onboard black box in the truck to access the data to find out what caused the crash. 

If you cannot call your insurance company, have someone in the family call them and tell them about the crash. You are not obliged to agree to or make any recorded statement to the truck company’s insurance provider. Insurance agents or adjusters for the trucking company often try to get a statement from an injured survivor, which is often used against them to try and lowball a settlement offer. 

How Much Time Do I Have To File a Truck Accident Claim in PA?

In Pennsylvania, injured plaintiffs must file a lawsuit within two years of a truck accident. This time limitation to file also applies to a wrongful death lawsuit that may arise out of a truck crash. A plaintiff may recover compensation at trial in line with the defendant’s degree of fault, so long as the plaintiff is not more than fifty percent at fault for causing their injuries.

Never, never sign any documents handed to you by an insurance company after a West Chester truck accident. Ensure you seek legal representation as quickly as possible and contact us at MyphillyLawyer for assistance. Since truck accidents typically involve multiple insurance companies, it is best to let the West Chester truck accident attorneys handle the stress and settlement negotiations for you.

West Chester truck accidents are devastating and catastrophic, with horrific injuries, lives turned upside down, and a long road to recovery for survivors. Our West Chester truck accident attorneys at MyPhillyLawyer understand what you are going through and are here to help you recover and seek compensation for your injuries. In the event of a fatality, we can assist you in seeking recovery by filing a wrongful death lawsuit. We do not back down. 

Recovering Damages in a West Chester Truck Accident Lawsuit

The first thing to be aware of if you have been injured in a West Chester truck accident is that there are multiple parties to your personal injury lawsuit. This also applies in instances of wrongful death as a result of a truck crash. 

The multiple parties involved in West Chester truck accidents may be the truck driver, its owner or lessee, the owner or lessee of the trailer, the trucking company, and its various insurance companies and lawyers. Also, truck accident lawsuits become complicated when jurisdiction becomes an issue. 

At MyPhillyLawyer we strongly encourage those who have been injured in a truck crash, or if a family member was killed in a wreck, to contact us as soon as possible. We have extensive experience handling these cases and our reputation for winning is well known. 

To recover compensation in the aftermath of a West Chester truck accident, the plaintiff must show the following:

• That the driver and/or the trucking company owed a duty of care to the deceased or badly injured survivor.
• That the driver and/or the trucking company contravened its duty of care.
• That the driver’s actions and/or the employer’s conduct was the direct cause of the plaintiff’s death or serious injuries.
• That the driver’s actions and/or the employer’s conduct was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s death or serious injuries. Proximate, meaning no other act caused the death or injuries, and death or injuries were foreseeable.
• That the plaintiff sustained damages such as physical injuries or died and suffered economic damage.

Contact Dedicated West Chester Truck Accident Law Firm MyPhillyLawyer

If you or a loved one has been injured in a West Chester truck accident, you may be entitled to significant compensation. 

At MyPhillyLawyer, we represent those who have been seriously injured in all types of motor vehicle collisions, including semi-truck accidents. Our skilled team of Philadelphia trial attorneys is comfortable both at the negotiation table and in court. 

We aggressively pursue favorable settlement offers when possible but do not hesitate to take a case to trial if the other side is unwilling to engage in fair negotiations. 

To learn more about how we help you recover compensation for the injuries you have sustained, call 215-227-2727 or toll-free (866) 352-4572. Calling is free, and we will not bill you for our services unless we can help you recover from your injuries.