Grapevine Failure to Yield Accident Lawyer
Trucks are vital to the Texas economy. As cities like Grapevine expand, there are more trucks on the road than ever before. Large trucks like 18-wheelers transport important cargo, raw materials, and a wide variety of consumer goods. Small trucks help with local deliveries, moving furniture, hauling scrap, and more.
While most trucks help society, a smaller percentage cause harm. Accidents involving large trucks are less common than accidents involving normal cars. However, when truck accidents occur, they are often much more severe. They may result in property damage and serious injuries. Many truck accidents are fatal.
The worst truck accidents often occur when a driver fails to yield. This is known as a “failure to yield” accident. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), failure to yield accidents caused over 3,500 deaths in 2018 alone. This accounted for 7% of all car and truck accident fatalities that year.
If you’re involved in a failure to yield accident with a truck, seek legal assistance right away. Call (469) 998-4069 to schedule a no-cost consultation with a Grapevine truck accident lawyer. Our attorneys can answer your questions about failure to yield accidents and help you determine your next steps.
Failure to Yield Truck Accident Dangers
A tractor-trailer with a full cargo can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. On average, these vehicles are 72 feet long, 8.5 feet wide, and 13.5 feet tall. However, some large trucks can exceed this. These vehicles require special permitting. They are known as “oversized load” or “wide-load” vehicles.
Due to their massive size, a failure to yield accident involving a truck can be catastrophic. Large trucks inflict much greater damage than cars. To understand the danger to you and your family, consider impact force. Multiple a vehicle’s mass (weight) by its acceleration (speed) to calculate impact force.
For example, let’s say you’re involved in an accident with a normal car weighing an average of 2,800 pounds. The car is traveling 45 mph when it hits you. In this scenario, the impact force is 2800 pounds x 45 mph — a total of 126,000 Newtons (units of force).
Now compare this to a failure to yield accident involving a large truck weighing 80,000 pounds at the same speed. This crash delivers a 3,600,000 Newton impact. That’s over 28 times more powerful than the collision involving a normal car.
In addition to their size, large trucks can cause serious damage in a failure to yield accident because they require long stopping distances. If you fail to yield and cut in front of a truck driver, they can’t stop immediately. It takes a tractor-trailer traveling at highway speeds the distance of two football fields to come to a complete stop.
Large trucks are also unable to swerve quickly. When someone refuses to yield to a truck, it often causes an accident because the truck driver cannot steer around them. The truck may cause an accident and hit other drivers.
Failure to Yield Truck Accident Injuries
Failure to yield truck accidents frequently lead to injuries. Depending on the accident, these injuries may be relatively mild or require expensive medical treatments. Accident victims may become temporarily or permanently disabled. Some victims are unable to work or live normal lives after a failure to yield accident involving a truck.
Common injuries from failure to yield accidents include:
- Head injuries, including concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
- Neck injuries, including whiplash
- Spinal cord injuries, which can lead to nerve damage and paralysis
- Cuts, burns, and broken bones
- Internal bleeding and damage to internal organs
Additionally, many truck accident victims experience mental health problems like PTSD. Victims may also suffer anxiety and depression if their injuries prevent them from leading a normal life. Along with surgery, physical therapy, and rehabilitation, victims may need mental health treatments such as therapy.
Many of these injuries result in financial hardship for victims. In addition to their medical bills, victims may be unable to work and provide for their families while they recover from a failure to yield accident involving a truck. If you are struggling financially because of a truck accident, consider your legal actions for seeking compensation.
Causes of Failure to Yield Truck Accidents
A failure to yield accident happens when one vehicle refuses to yield to another. These accidents are most common in intersections. They may occur because a driver is distracted, unaware of the right-of-way laws, or driving recklessly. A truck driver may also fail to yield if they are fatigued, driving under the influence, or experiencing mechanical problems such as brake failure.
Unfortunately, you can’t prevent another driver from failing to yield. However, you can do your part to avoid causing a failure to yield accident with a truck. Here are some safety tips to reduce your failure to yield accident risk:
Avoid Distractions
Keep your eyes on the road at all and do your best to minimize distractions. Never text or use apps on your phone while you drive. If you become distracted, you may fail to notice important traffic signs such as Yield signs.
Follow Texas Right-of-Way Laws
When you come to a four-way stop, make sure you follow right-of-way laws. In Texas, you must always yield to the vehicle on your right. Allow them to proceed through the intersection first. You must also yield to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Check Your Blind Spots
Always check your blind spots. Do this before you leave a driveway, change lanes, or drive through an intersection. If your car includes a blind-spot warning system, make sure it’s turned on at all times. This can help you avoid a collision with a truck or another vehicle that may have failed to yield to you.
Get a Free Consultation with a Failure to Yield Accident Lawyer
Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine liability after a failure to yield accident involving a truck. If you’re in a failure to yield accident with a truck of any size, seek help from a lawyer. Call us today at (469) 998-4069 or use our online contact form for a 100% free consultation.
