The immense size and weight of commercial trucks create extreme force during a crash, often resulting in devastating injuries. Many victims face long hospital stays, months of rehabilitation, costly medical bills, and significant emotional distress.
The experienced truck accident lawyers at David Blackwell Law fight to help victims rebuild their lives after these catastrophic events. In this article, we explore some of the most common truck accident injuries we see in South Carolina personal injury cases, along with some advice on how we can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call our office today for a free, no-obligation case review.
Internal Injuries
Internal injuries often pose the greatest threat to truck accident victims, because symptoms don’t always appear immediately. The violent impact of a truck collision can cause organs to rupture or internal bleeding to develop. Victims might feel only mild discomfort at first, but that hidden bleeding can become life-threatening.
Common internal injuries include the following:
- Liver, spleen, or kidney damage
- Collapsed lungs from broken ribs or chest trauma
- Internal bleeding
Doctors can often diagnose internal injuries through imaging tests like CT scans or MRIs, and sometimes through blood tests. Prompt medical attention can catch these injuries early and help protect your health after a truck accident. Our law firm collaborates with medical professionals who document these injuries to establish a direct connection between them and the crash.
Broken Bones
The sheer force from a semi-truck or tractor-trailer can easily shatter bones in a collision, making these some of the most common injuries after trucking accidents. Victims often suffer the following:
- Compound fractures where bones pierce the skin
- Multiple fractures, requiring extensive surgery and hardware
- Crushed bones, leading to permanent deformities or mobility loss
Many truck accident victims need months of physical therapy after breaking bones in a collision. They may never regain full strength or flexibility. When these common truck accident injuries prevent you from working or performing daily tasks, our team can calculate their impact on your life and fight for fair compensation.
Burns
Fuel tanks can rupture, electric systems can spark, or flammable cargo can ignite after impact, resulting in major vehicle fires that can cause severe burns. These truck accident injuries can not only cause lasting pain, but also lifelong scarring and disfigurement.
Common examples include the following:
- Thermal burns from fire or explosion
- Chemical burns from leaked cargo
- Friction burns from contact with pavement after ejection
Severe burns often require skin grafts and long-term rehabilitation. Beyond physical damage, many victims also struggle with anxiety and depression due to visible scars. Compensation for these injuries can account for both the physical and financial harm the at-fault party caused, and the emotional distress you’ve suffered as a result.
Head and Traumatic Brain Injuries
A crash involving an 80,000-pound truck can violently impact occupants of smaller vehicles, causing their heads to collide with dashboards or airbags. Even when they wear a seatbelt, the force can cause severe brain trauma.
Common injuries include the following:
- Concussions, which can cause memory problems or concentration issues
- Contusions or brain bleeding that require surgery
- Diffuse axonal injuries, which can disrupt brain function permanently
Traumatic brain injuries often affect every aspect of a person’s life, from their ability to earn a living to their relationships with family and friends. Our law practice works with neurologists and life-care planners to demonstrate these life-altering impacts and calculate the full value of your claim.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord damage is one of the most common injuries after trucking accidents. Its impacts can permanently alter the victim’s life. Common examples include the following:
- Herniated or ruptured discs, leading to chronic pain or numbness
- Vertebrae fractures, which can require spinal fusion surgery
- Partial or complete paralysis, depending on where the injury occurs
Rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries can require adaptive equipment and home modifications, and permanent injuries can require lifelong medical assistance. Victims often face significant mental health struggles, dealing with lasting pain or adapting to new physical limitations. Our law firm fights to hold the at-fault parties accountable after these devastating truck accident injuries.
Amputations
Few injuries devastate victims more than the loss of a limb. Crushing forces during a truck crash can sever limbs on impact or cause enough damage that amputation is required to save the victim’s life. At David Blackwell Law, we can pursue the compensation you need to rebuild your life after a negligent truck driver permanently alters it.
Seeking Compensation for Truck Accident Injuries in South Carolina
Truck accident claims not only involve severe injuries, but also multiple potentially liable parties, unique evidence, and complex insurance policies. Working with a skilled truck accident injury attorney, you may be able to recover compensation for the following:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Permanent injuries and disfigurement
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Property damage
Truck accident attorney David Blackwell can help you recover this compensation by doing the following:
- Reviewing your case for free
- Investigating the accident and identifying all liable parties
- Obtaining black box data and driver logs to identify FMCSA violations
- Working with accident reconstruction specialists to prove fault
- Calculating the full value of your claim
- Handling all insurance company communications
- Negotiating aggressively for the settlement you deserve
- Representing you in court, if necessary
These cases are often complicated and challenging. By acting promptly and consulting an experienced truck accident attorney, you can establish a strong case for the compensation you deserve.
Call Our Lancaster Truck Accident Lawyer for Help with Your Case
If you’ve suffered injuries in a truck accident caused by someone else’s negligence, the team at David Blackwell Law can help. We have over 26 years of experience protecting the rights of injured South Carolina residents, and we’ve recovered millions in settlements and verdicts on their behalf.
Many of our clients have shared kind words about the quality of legal services we provide, such as the following:
“Getting into an accident is always an unfortunate event but having a great team like this on your side will make a huge difference. I could have never received what I did alone.”— John Coy
Attorney David Blackwell is ready to fight for the accountability and compensation you deserve while you focus on recovery. Contact us today for your free, no-obligation consultation.