Truck Accidents in Construction Zones

Construction zones may cause significant bottlenecks on East Tennessee roads. In addition to being inconvenient, these situations may be dangerous to everyone on the road, especially if a big rig or 18-wheeler is added to the risks associated with the construction. There are many reasons that the danger may worsen with the presence of a truck. Catastrophic injuries may result from a moment's inattention by a truck driver. At the Hartsoe Law Firm, Knoxville truck accident lawyer Mark Hartsoe is ready to represent you if you have been struck by a commercial driver in a construction zone. He has an accident reconstruction team on 24-hour standby that he can send out to an accident scene to determine the cause of a wreck.

One reason for the increased risk when a big rig is in a construction zone is that traffic may stop unexpectedly. A commercial truck may weigh 80,000 pounds and may require a great deal of effort to come to a sudden stop. In some cases, a truck driver may be trying to stay with the speed of traffic in a bottleneck and fail to leave enough space, rear-ending the vehicle in front of it. At other times, truck drivers are fatigued at the wheel, on drugs while driving, or distracted by their cell phones, which may slow their reflexes or cause poor judgment.

To establish truck driver liability, you will need to show their duty of care (to drive safely), a breach of duty (negligence), causation (injured by the wreck), and damages (such as medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and diminished quality of life). All drivers have a duty to use reasonable care, given the weather and traffic conditions.

A truck driver who is distracted or does not leave a safe distance while following when given adequate warnings by a construction crew may be found to have breached their duty to use reasonable care. If you successfully establish negligence, you likely can recover compensatory damages from the driver, and you may also be able to recover damages from their employer under a theory of vicarious liability or a theory of direct liability, such as negligent hiring, negligent supervision, or negligent training.

Sometimes a truck accident in a construction zone results from an error by a contractor, rather than a negligent driver. Although there are regulations for the warnings that construction companies must post to warn drivers, crew members may fail to put up sufficient notice, which may cause a driver to be surprised by a lane closing or suddenly stopped traffic.

A construction company may be held liable for its negligence in posting adequate warnings or for leaving construction equipment in the road, if that is the cause of a truck accident that results in injuries or death. In some cases, a federal, state, or local governmental entity that contracted for the construction work may have been negligent as well. When this happens, the case may be quite complicated, and it is especially important to retain a knowledgeable truck wreck attorney as soon as possible.

Knowledgeable Knoxville truck accident attorney Mark Hartsoe can vigorously fight for your right to compensation if you have been involved in a crash in a construction zone. Call the Hartsoe Law Firm at 865-804-1011 or contact us via our online form for a free consultation. Motor vehicle collision lawyer Mark Hartsoe assists injured people throughout East Tennessee, including in Knox, Blount, Monroe, Loudon, Jefferson, Grainger, Cocke, Campbell, Hamblen, Greene, Anderson, Cumberland, and Fentress Counties.