Have you been involved in an accident with a delivery truck? Sadly, you are not alone. Many delivery drivers also have strict delivery quotas they need to meet, which could lead to less-than-stellar driving. That makes traffic accidents involving these large vehicles a far too common occurrence.
Unfortunately, these common accidents can also be severe. Delivery trucks are larger and much heavier than passenger vehicles, which also means they impart considerable force in the event of a collision with one of these smaller vehicles. This force is often enough to cause traumatic injuries with long-term consequences. Let’s explore this dynamic in detail.
Why Delivery Truck Accidents Are Especially Dangerous
Delivery truck accidents often result in severe long-term injuries primarily due to the substantial size and mass of these vehicles. The greater force of impact compared to a passenger vehicle can lead to more considerable damage and severe injuries.
Furthermore, the nature of delivery truck drivers’ jobs contributes to the risk of these accidents. Under tight schedules and facing the pressure to meet delivery deadlines, drivers may become fatigued or distracted, increasing the likelihood of negligence on the road. This job-induced stress not only heightens the chance of collisions but also complicates the aftermath, as determining liability.
Common Long-Term Injuries from Delivery Truck Accidents
Any car crash can cause severe, long-term injuries. However, serious injuries are more common because of the higher forces involved in delivery truck accidents. Some of these long-term injuries include:
- Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) – A high-impact crash can cause whiplash and spinal cord injuries that often have a lasting impact on a victim’s life. Depending on what part of the spine is injured, a victim may lose the use of their legs or become paralyzed from the neck down. In more severe cases, a patient with an SCI may need around-the-clock care.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) – A TBI occurs when there’s a hard impact to the head. In a crash with a delivery truck, this could be from the head striking the steering wheel, window, or frame of your car. The long-term effects of a TBI can include cognitive impairment that make living a normal life difficult or even impossible.
- Orthopedic Injuries – The extreme force unleashed by a delivery truck accident is enough to snap or even shatter bones. Some of these injuries can take years of surgeries, treatments, and physical therapy to heal – and even then, a patient’s mobility may never fully recover.
- Internal Injuries – The blunt force trauma from an impact with a truck is so extreme that it can damage organs and cause internal bleeding. Such injuries require immediate medical intervention to treat, and even then can have long-lasting consequences.
Psychological and Emotional Injuries
Tragically, the injuries caused by a severe truck accident are not only physical in nature. Many accident victims also suffer from psychological and emotional injuries that can last even after their physical injuries have healed.
Psychological injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are relatively common among those who experience severe injuries in accidents. PTSD can lead to flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and fight-or-flight reactions when confronted with a similar experience. Some delivery truck accident survivors find that they’re no longer able to drive a car without experiencing panic attacks over the memory of what happened.
Emotional injuries can also result from the impact that the physical injuries have on a person’s life. Significant scarring in visible places can cause accident victims to feel uncomfortable or even embarrassed about their appearance, while mobility issues can make it hard to live independently or take part in favorite activities. The emotional trauma of these injuries is no less serious than the physical limitations they cause.
Delivery Truck Accident Attorneys in Walnut Creek
Were you injured by a delivery truck in Walnut Creek, California? If so, contact Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook for a free consultation with one of our experienced truck accident attorneys. We’ll evaluate your case, answer your questions, and explain your legal options.