North Carolina Squeeze Play Accidents Attorney

Driving a tractor-trailer requires particular skill and practice, since trucks are taller, wider, and heavier than passenger vehicles. A “squeeze play accident” takes place when a large truck is in the process of turning and “squeezes” a vehicle between the truck and the curb. Much like a side-impact collision, these accidents involve a large vehicle and may lead to devastating harm to other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Victims of a squeeze play accident can enlist Raleigh truck accident lawyer Carl Nagle and the team at Nagle & Associates to represent them in a claim for compensation from the at-fault driver and potentially the trucking company.

Truck accident victims who file a personal injury lawsuit after a collision will be required to show the liability or legal fault of the driver or trucking company. At Nagle & Associates, attorney Carl Nagle is skilled in representing accident victims, including people who may face the challenging allegation that they contributed to causing a collision. Truck company insurers often attempt to overcome a victim’s claims against a driver or company by asserting that the victim caused the accident. Since Carl Nagle formerly worked in the insurance industry as an insurance defense attorney, he anticipates and understands how to battle insurance defense strategies. As a result, the team at Nagle & Associates has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of accident victims throughout North Carolina, including people in Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Asheville, and Wilmington.

Assert Your Legal Rights Following a Squeeze Play Accident

A squeeze play situation often results when commercial drivers fail to drive carefully, taking into consideration their surroundings and the presence of other motorists. When a victim of a truck accident has been “squeezed” by the semi-trailer and the curb, they may suffer serious, life-threatening injuries. Holding the truck driver and possibly the trucking company legally at fault is the first step in a personal injury claim.

Liability requires showing that the driver or company did not exercise due care. All drivers must obey traffic signals and rules of the road, including checking their surroundings before executing a turn. Semi-truck drivers have been educated in how to safely maneuver their vehicles to turn. Before turning right, trucks generally swing left in order to gain momentum and the radius to execute the turn. Motorists following a truck may find themselves anticipating, based on the angle of the truck, that it is turning left instead of right. As they pass on the right, the turning vehicle or its trailer may strike them.

Whether navigating residential streets or exiting a highway, a large truck making a turn may lead to significant injuries, including brain damage, broken bones, and spinal cord injuries. The trucking company has the responsibility of ensuring that it has hired safe, capable drivers. Following an accident, a victim may bring a claim for negligent hiring, for example, if the company failed to conduct a proper background check or hired a driver with a history of reckless driving conduct. Additionally, if the company failed to adequately train the driver, the victim may hold the company liable.

It is important that the victim carefully set forward evidence showing the collision was the fault of the driver or company. If the insurance company for the truck driver proves that the victim’s conduct also caused the accident, North Carolina’s pure contributory negligence law will not allow the victim to recover compensation. Assessing the circumstances and sometimes retaining an accident reconstruction expert may help set forth a strong case for recovery.

Injured truck crash victims who have demonstrated liability may be awarded costs for the harm caused by the accident. Medical bills and ongoing costs of treatment will likely be covered, as will property damage to their vehicle and any lost wages from missed work. Setting forth evidence of the emotional suffering following an accident, as well as a decreased quality of life, is also important. Victims may expect to be compensated for their physical and emotional suffering, even though the latter may be hard to quantify following a devastating accident.

Contact a Truck Crash Attorney in Raleigh or Surrounding Areas

Following a squeeze play accident, it is important for victims to understand that by filing a personal injury claim, they can hold the responsible party accountable for their harm. If a truck driver was careless and caused an accident while making a turn, the injured victim can potentially recover the costs of hospital bills, ongoing medical care, and other expenses related to the accident. By retaining skilled Raleigh attorney Carl Nagle, accident victims will receive experienced guidance from someone who only advocates on behalf of people injured in motor vehicle collisions. We can be reached at (800) 411-1583 or online to schedule a free consultation with an NC motor vehicle collision lawyer. Victims and families throughout the state have benefited from our legal assistance, including people in Wilmington, Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Hickory, Charlotte, Asheville, and other cities in Forsyth, Wake, Brunswick, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Cumberland, New Hanover, and Catawba Counties.