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When a person gets a commercial driver’s license (CDL), they should be particularly cognizant of the significant blind spots on commercial vehicles known as “no-zones.” No-zone awareness is crucial for both the truck driver and the drivers of smaller vehicles nearby, otherwise, severe or catastrophic injury accidents could result.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), one-third of all crashes involving large trucks and cars occur in no-zones. If you suffered catastrophic injuries or your loved one was killed in a commercial truck accident in a no-zone in South Carolina, you are going to want to be sure that you have an experienced lawyer on your side.

Make sure that you contact Hammack Law Firm right away. We have more than two decades of experience handling trucking accident claims from both the insurance company and the plaintiff’s side. This makes us uniquely knowledgeable about how these cases are handled and how to be successful if you’ve been hurt.

Our firm understands the complexity of no-zone accident claims and can handle your case with the meticulous attention to detail that these claims require. Call one of our South Carolina truck accident lawyers at (864) 326-3333(864) 326-3333 or contact us online to take advantage of a free consultation.

Do I Need A No-Zone Accident Lawyer?

If you’ve been hurt in a no-zone accident, you’ll want to hire an attorney to provide knowledgeable counsel and representation during this challenging time. Chances are very good that you are going to be contacted by an insurance company for the truck driver or trucking company involved in your accident. If they request a recorded statement or if they ask you to sign anything, politely refuse and call an experienced truck accident lawyer right away.

When you hire an attorney, the first thing they will do is conduct their own independent investigation into your accident so they can determine the cause of the crash and secure all of the evidence related to the case. Most importantly in a truck accident case, they can determine all liable parties, since multiple entities could potentially be liable.

A lawyer can also help you get all of the care that you need after your accident and can help you work through any issues with the affordability of medical treatment. They can negotiate a fair and full settlement to your case that covers all of your past, present, and future expenses or they can file a lawsuit to take the case to trial.

Why Choose Hammack Law Firm To Handle My No-Zone Accident Case?

Hammack Law Firm is a Greenville-based law firm serving all of South Carolina and Georgia. Our firm has a Client Bill of Rights that provides a 30-day unconditional satisfaction guarantee.

Paul Hammack received the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, denoting the highest level of professional excellence. He is a member of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys and the American Association of Justice (AAJ) Trucking Litigation Group. He’s a former member of the Trucking Industry Defense Association and has worked with the South Carolina Trucking Association.

Jamie Ackermann has over 30 years of litigation experience. He has served on the Board of the Greenville Literacy Association.

Also know that it will not cost you anything up front to work with Hammack Law Firm. You only pay us when you recover a financial award.

Types of No-Zone Accident Cases We Handle

All four sides of a commercial truck are essentially no-zones. The actual sizes of these zones are as follows:

  • Front No-Zone — Drivers cannot see the area directly in front of their vehicles because their cabs are often several feet higher, and this height difference means that vehicles which go directly in front of trucks may be unseen by drivers. You want to provide a car length or two between the rear end of your own vehicles and the front of a commercial truck.
  • Driver’s Side No-Zone — The no-zone on the left side of a truck extends from the driver’s side mirror to the front of the trailer and is one to two car lengths. Traveling in the driver’s side no-zone can risk collisions during lane changes or left turns.
  • Passenger Side No-Zone — A passenger side no-zone is far larger than the driver’s side, about four to five car lengths. The no-zone begins at the passenger side mirror and goes all the way to the rear of the trailer.
  • Rear No-Zone — The area directly behind a trailer can be a blind spot for a truck driver, so all other drivers should make an effort to avoid any tailgating. Higher-speed collisions in ear no-zones could result in override crashes.

All four no-zones are a concern whenever an 18-wheeler is performing a right turn. Blind spot crashes can often result in devastating injuries.

Many people will be hospitalized for long terms that can be weeks, months, or even years, and there can also be several rounds of follow-up care that can be very costly. On top of this, many victims are also unable to return to work for extended periods, and some people are permanently incapable of working again.

No-zone crash injuries can vary in severity, depending on multiple factors. Some of the most common kinds of injuries in 18-wheeler accidents include, but are not limited to:

  • Amputation
  • Internal organ damage
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • Nerve damage
  • Muscle strains
  • Burn injuries
  • Sprains
  • Neck injuries
  • Fractures
  • Back injuries
  • Lacerations
  • Head injuries
  • Paralysis
  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
  • Spinal cord injuries

There are also many no-zone accidents that end up proving to be fatal. When a person is killed in a no-zone accident, the family can often file a wrongful death lawsuit.

No-Zone Accident Statistics

The Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2017 from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported that fatal large truck crashes included all of the following:

  • 1,119 front-to-rear collisions (24.0 percent)
  • 1,337 angle collisions (28.7 percent)
  • 669 front-to-front collisions (14.4 percent)
  • 165 same direction sideswipe collisions (3.5 percent)
  • 134 opposite direction sideswipe collisions (2.9 percent)
  • 23 rear-to-side collisions (0.5 percent)

There were 48 fatal large truck crashes (1.0 percent) classified as other and 25 crashes (0.5 percent) classified as unknown.

As far as injury crashes, FMCSA reported:

  • 36,000 front-to-rear injury collisions (33.5 percent)
  • 23,000 angle injury collisions (21.8 percent)
  • 19,000 same direction sideswipe injury collisions (17.5 percent)
  • 3,000 front-to-front injury collisions (3.1 percent)
  • 4,000 opposite direction sideswipe collisions (3.5 percent)
  • 1,000 rear-to-side collisions (0.8 percent)

Another 1,000 or 1.2 percent were classified as other and 1,000 or 0.7 percent were classified as unknown.

According to FMCSA, 202 accidents (5.4 percent) were caused by speeding truck drivers in multiple-vehicle crashes while 192 accidents (5.1 percent) were caused by distraction or inattention, and 164 accidents (4.4 percent) were caused by failure to yield the right of way. There were also 121 accidents (3.2 percent) caused by careless driving, 92 accidents (2.5 percent) caused by impairment, and 98 accidents (2.6 percent) caused by failure to keep in the proper lane.

In terms of fatal crashes, FMCSA reported:

  • Large truck striking passenger vehicle — 855 accidents (37.9 percent)
  • Passenger vehicle crossing center median (head-on) — 380 accidents (16.9 percent)
  • Passenger vehicle rear-ending large truck — 375 accidents (16.6 percent)
  • Passenger vehicle striking large truck — 373 accidents (16.5 percent)
  • Large truck rear-ending passenger vehicle — 94 accidents (4.2 percent)
  • Large truck crossing center median (head-on) — 36 accidents (1.6 percent)

There were 18,000 large truck striking passenger vehicle injury crashes (32.5 percent), 14,000 passenger vehicle striking large truck injury crashes (25.1 percent), 9,000 large truck rear-ending passenger vehicle injury crashes (16.5 percent), 8,000 passenger vehicle rear-ending large truck injury crashes (14.4 percent), and 1,000 passenger vehicle crossing center median (head-on) injury crashes (1.1 percent).

Contact a No-Zone Accidents Attorney in South Carolina

Did you sustain serious injuries or was your loved one killed in a no-zone commercial truck accident in South Carolina? Our truck accident attorneys are ready to put our experience to work for you. We know that you and your family need fair compensation, and we’ll work diligently to seek it for you.

Hammack Law Firm is a bilingual firm capable of conversing with clients in English and Spanish. We are available any time you need us, day or night, so call us at (864) 326-3333(864) 326-3333 or contact us online to set up a free consultation.

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