Automobile Accidents in NJ—Trucks, Buses, and Motorcycles

Often the types of personal injuries you experience from motor vehicle accidents are potentially similar in nature. However, the reality is that differences in the classes and types of vehicles that you drive or that others drive can make a big difference in the kinds of accidents that occur, the severity of the injuries, or likelihood of fatality.

Sharing the road safely with other motor vehicles begins by respecting the inherent hazards associated with different types of vehicles. Consider these examples.

Motorcycles

Motorcycles are often the smallest and most lightweight vehicles on the road. Consequently, they present less likelihood of injury to others (as evidenced by their extremely low liability insurance rates, compared to other vehicles).  However, motorcyclists are at the greatest risk of serious injury or fatality in an accident, given their lack of physical protection.  All other forms of motor vehicles provide a kind of safety cage from their large steel frames and their intelligently designed crumple zones—intentional buffer areas between an impact and the passenger compartment. Motorcyclists have no such protection and often suffer the most serious of injuries.

Cars

Cars are relatively safe compared to motorcycles. While most motorcycles weigh well under one ton, a standard car weighs between one and three tons. This extra weight provides extra safety to the car's passengers in an accident. However, the extra weight also increases the automobile driver's responsibility for safety. The size and weight of their vehicle can cause extreme damage or injury to motorcyclists and pedestrians in automobile accidents in NJ.

Buses

Bus drivers have a unique and high level of responsibility.  Not only are the much-larger vehicles capable of inflicting significantly more damage on other vehicles than would a motorcycle or car in a similar circumstance, but buses are also often carrying a high number of passengers.  A serious car accident usually results in a handful of injury victims.  However, one serious accident involving a bus can result in scores of injuries.  Since most of today's buses do not have seat belts, bus passengers have an added risk of being thrown about the bus or thrown from the bus in an accident, increasing the possibility of death or serious injury.

Trucks

While buses and trucks are somewhat similar in size, they are far different in mass and weight.  A fully loaded 18-wheeler is often ten to 30 tons heavier than a fully loaded bus, and can be 20 to 60 tons heavier than the other vehicles on the road.  The damage a big rig inflicts on other vehicles is often substantially greater.  Trucks in motion possess the force and power to completely crush other vehicles in their path.  Their two-part design adds extra accident risks from the possibility of a jackknife incident in which the weight of the trailer shoves ahead of a braking cab, flipping the cab into a reverse direction and removing all hope of control.  To make matters worse, the load carried by a truck often presents extreme hazards, either from its weight when the load slips or from its toxic or explosive nature.

Automobile accident attorney in NJ

The Corradino & Papa, LLC automobile accident attorneys in NJ are experienced in representing victims of motor vehicle crashes throughout the state of New Jersey, whether the accident involved mopeds, motorcycles, bicycles, cars, buses, trucks, or trains. For qualified legal help with your automobile accident in NJ, contact us today.