Truck accidents can be the scariest and deadliest of motor vehicle accidents. By virtue of the size and weight of trucks compared to other vehicles, when a truck is involved in a motor vehicle accident, you’ll be lucky if you can walk away. The best thing you can do on the road is to keep your distance from trucks and give them plenty of leeway.
Avoiding a truck accident, driving defensively and understanding the challenges that truck drivers face is the best practice. Unfortunately, you cannot always avoid an accident, in which case you will need an experienced attorney who knows how to handle the complexity of a truck accident case.
How Can You Avoid An Accident With a Truck?
Here is some practical information for motorists, provided by an attorney who has worked in this area for about thirty-eight years and has seen hundreds of truck accidents and understands the causes. “Avoiding a truck accident by defensive driving and knowing what challenges a trucker faces on the road is the best antidote to a truck accident,” Attorney Jack Giordano explains. “People think, the bigger the truck, the more experienced and the better the truck driver. People also think that these big rig and 18 wheeler drivers don’t make mistakes, follow all the rules and don’t get distracted or mess up. This is just not the case. Truck drivers make mistakes like the rest of us. Unfortunately, when a truck driver makes a mistake, the consequences are often catastrophic,” Jack Giordano explains.
The best way to learn how to avoid a truck accident is by learning from an accident attorney who sees these types of accidents every day. At Giordano Law Offices Personal Injury & Employment Lawyers we analyze these cases, have experts review the data and evidence and explain in engineering terms and the basic rules of physics what happened and why.
Pieces of Advice
From all the cases we have handled, here is some practical advice on avoiding a truck accident, which could save your life or protect you from a serious physical injury:
- Stay Out of the Truck Operator’s Blind Spots: This is the #1 Rule – Stay out of the blind spot. Trucks have relatively large areas where they cannot see approaching and passing motorists. These blind spots, also called “no-zones” are all around the truck, on all four sides, not just on the right side next to the truck, which is what many people believe. “When you are in the vicinity of a large truck, take a moment and pretend that you are behind the wheel of that truck, think about what you can and cannot see,” Jack Giordano suggests. “Every large truck has four no-zones.”
- Front blind spot. According to Giordano, “A truck driver may not see you if you are too close to the front of the truck, especially small cars, motorcycles and pedestrians. In New York City, if you are a pedestrian trying to beat the changing light, you would be well advised to wait rather than cross right in front of a big truck about to proceed through the intersection. That truck operator may not even know you are there. Maintain a safe distance when driving (and walking) in front of a truck.”
- Rear Blind Spot: You should know that a truck driver cannot see directly behind the truck. “A lot of people don’t understand just how far behind the truck a trucker may not be able to see.” The rear blind spot extends for a significant distance behind the truck. The bigger and longer the truck, the further back the rear no-zone extends. “Some people don’t stop to think that truck drivers have no rearview mirror, so they must rely exclusively on their side mirrors to see behind them. You can’t see behind your truck for a long way in the side views. Keep your distance and never tailgate a truck – if you follow too closely to the truck, you are asking for big trouble,” Giordano advises. Always avoid tailgating and driving too close to the back of a truck
- Left-side Blind Spot: The left-side or driver’s side blind spot is a pretty narrow area that runs from the truck’s front end to about the middle of the trailer. Even though the driver’s side blind spot is smaller than the one on the right side, it is still imperative to exercise extreme caution when driving or passing on the left side of a truck. “Never linger around a truck. If you are going to pass, pass on the truck driver’s side, never on the right passenger side. And, when you pass, do not hang out driving next to the truck. If you cannot pass completely because of traffic in front of you, then just wait,” Giordano explains.
- Right-side Blind Spot: The right-side or passenger side blind spot, you should know by now, is the largest and most dangerous blind spot for a trucker. A trucker’s passenger side blind spot extends from the truck’s front end all the way to the rear of the trailer and can even cover multiple lanes. On the trucker’s right side, you are only asking for trouble if you do not avoid as much as possible and exercise caution driving on a truck’s right side.
- Maintain a safe following distance: Please give trucks plenty of space and maintain a safe distance to allow enough time to react in case of sudden stops or turns.
- Pass Safely: Whenever you pass a big truck, make sure to signal before and as you make your move. Make sure you accelerate with caution and move quickly through the trucker’s blind spots. Again, do not linger, complete the pass as soon as possible. Never cut in too closely in front of the truck after you pass. “We see this a lot, where someone passes a truck in heavy traffic, cuts in too close and causes an accident. People act as though they are passing a car when they pass a truck sometimes. It’s just not the case – you need to proceed for a good distance ahead of the truck before you cut back into the lane,” Giordano warns.
- Exercise solid caution when merging onto a highway where there is truck traffic: When merging onto a highway off the ramp, if you see an oncoming truck, hauling down the right lane, make sure you give them plenty of space to accommodate their longer braking distances, slower deceleration and acceleration.
- Use and Respect Turn Signals: “Large trucks have a large turn radius and require much more space to make those turns, especially tricky right turns,” Giordano says. “If you see a truck signal a turn, get out of the way! Give them plenty of room to maneuver and never try to squeeze past or overtake them while they are turning. If you are a pedestrian near a turning truck, you better get the heck out of the way, give them plenty of room. Turning those big rigs on city streets is not easy. And, don’t assume the truck driver is a careful driver, not in a big hurry, distracted or something else.”
- Be Patient: “We are all in a hurry. We commute, we run late to pick up the kids, get to work, run errands or be with the people we love. You are more likely to accomplish these things and be there for your loved ones if you are a patient driver. It’s not easy sometimes, but all it takes is one trucker making a mistake when you are not on guard and your life could change.” Trucks take longer to accelerate, decelerate, climb hills and make appropriate maneuvers. Always remain patient and avoid aggressive driving.
- Stay alert and avoid distractions: It goes without saying, but you should always keep your focus on the road and be prepared for unexpected situations, including anticipating that the truck may swerve, may lose control, may turn suddenly, spill part of a load, etc. Stay off your phone, don’t eat a four-course meal while driving (maybe the trucker is eating his meal while behind the wheel because they are running behind). Avoid distractions.
- Adjust for weather conditions: You can’t drive like it’s sunny and clear when it’s raining, snowing and/or dark out. Always drive for the weather conditions. Bad weather will exacerbate the challenges of driving near trucks. Always be extra cautious in rain, snow, fog, or high winds, and maintain a greater following distance.
These are just some of the simple but effective ways to avoid a truck accident, which could save your life. Practice safe driving and if you do have the misfortune of being in a truck accident, contact a truck accident lawyer in New York.
We have been practicing in this area for decades and understand how to handle truck accident cases and how to get maximum compensation for your personal injuries. Giordano Law Offices Personal Injury & Employment Lawyers have competent truck lawyers and accident attorneys. We handle all aspects of accident claims including semi-truck accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, lift truck accidents, and all varieties of truck crash cases.
How do truck accident lawsuits work?
Lawsuits involving trucks can be more complicated and the stakes can be higher with more severe injuries. Therefore, it is imperative that you get the best, most experienced accident attorney you can find.
What to do after a semi-truck accident?
Get the police and state troopers involved immediately. Get medical attention immediately. Take photos, get witness names. And most importantly, do not delay in contacting a New York truck accident lawyer to help you and make sure things get done correctly.
Who is liable in a truck accident?
There can be multiple causes to an accident. Life is not black and white and in nice neat boxes. The law recognizes that there can be multiple contributing causes to an accident and everyone involved may be partially responsible. In motor vehicle accidents in New York, even if the trucker bears only a small percentage of the fault for the accident or if the truck driver holds any degree of negligence, the truck insurance may cover the full amount of damages if any other insurance coverage is insufficient to properly compensate the injured parties.
About the Lawyer
Jack Giordano has over 35 Jack Giordano has over 35 years of experience as an attorney, with an unparalleled breadth of knowledge about the law. Beginning his career as one of NYC’s top prosecutors, handling homicides, organized crime, and public corruption cases, he learned his way around the courtroom. “The jury trial is my comfort zone,” Jack likes to say. “I love the people, I love to talk about justice, I live to serve justice and help those who have been injured, deprived of their rights and mistreated by the wealthy and powerful.” Jack also understands the political process and the value of connecting with good people around the country and world. Having worked as a Legislative Counsel for the United States Senate, he understands how positive change occurs and how determination and patience are essential ingredients for success in any area, including the law. When it comes to personal injury law cases, Jack says: “For me, this is the most important area of the law. If you are seriously hurt, debilitated or you lose a loved one in a tragic accident, your life will change. Your journey will be interrupted in ways you cannot imagine. You will learn what pain is about. You may struggle to avoid addictive painkillers but still need to function and live with the chronic pain. Your relationships with the world, your friends and your loved ones will be affected. You won’t want to socialize like you used to. You won’t even realize it, but the things you used to love to do, you will start avoiding because they cause you pain or are too difficult, whether it be dancing, walking, hiking, traveling, even going out to a movie and going to the store. Your life will change. You may lose your job or see your career dreams go down the toilet. These are the people who need a lawyer and need justice if they are hurt due to someone’s negligence.” Experience, integrity and an incredibly broad knowledge of the law and litigation are what you get as a client of Giordano Law Offices Personal Injury & Employment Lawyers.
Carmen Jack Giordano has won millions of dollars’ worth of settlements for his clients & has been continually recognized by his clients and other organizations for his successes, dedication, and legal acumen. Mr. Giordano is recognized by the prestigious National Trial Lawyers as among the Top 100 Civil Trial Lawyers in New York, the most prestigious recognition for a trial attorney in the United States. Mr. Giordano was most recently selected to be a 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyer, one of the highest honors in the legal field (He also received the award each year from 2013-2022); fewer than 5% of New York Attorneys are awarded the Super Lawyer Award. Mr. Giordano is an active member of The National Action Network, The NYU Law Alumni Association, The National Lawyers Guild, The National Police Accountability Project, The New York Bar Association Tort Litigation Committee, The Brooklyn Bar Association Technology Committee, The Bronx Circle of Friends, The Harlem Business Alliance, and The American Bar Association. Mr. Giordano has been an Adjunct Professor at John Jay College in New York, NY and the Co-Founder of VideoExtract.com. Mr. Giordano has written numerous articles for law journals, including the New York Law Journal on numerous areas of the law.