Murfreesboro Blind Spot Truck Accident Lawyers
Every vehicle has blind spots, but the areas a commercial truck driver cannot easily see can be enormous. A tractor-trailer has limited visibility along both sides of the vehicle, directly behind the trailer, and immediately in front of the cab. When a truck driver changes lanes, merges, turns, or moves through traffic without making sure the path is clear, a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, bicyclist, or pedestrian can be placed in immediate danger.
Weir & Kestner Injury Lawyers represents people seriously injured in these crashes. Our Murfreesboro Blind Spot Truck Accident Lawyers work to secure compensation from negligent truck drivers, trucking companies, and their insurers when a preventable collision leaves someone facing medical expenses, lost income, pain, disability, or other life-changing losses.
Weir & Kestner brings an unusual perspective to these claims. Partners Joe Weir and Tony Kestner both began their careers in insurance defense. They know how insurers evaluate serious injury claims and protect the financial interests of the companies they insure. Today, they use that experience to help injured people obtain the compensation they deserve.
Tractor-Trailer Blind Spots Are Much Larger Than Those of Passenger Cars
A commercial truck driver’s view of surrounding traffic is fundamentally different from the view most motorists have from a passenger vehicle. The trailer itself can obstruct visibility. Although large side mirrors help drivers see traffic around them, mirrors cannot eliminate every area of limited visibility.
Particularly significant blind spots can exist along the sides of a tractor-trailer. The area on the passenger side can be especially large. Drivers can also have difficulty seeing vehicles immediately behind the trailer because commercial trucks generally do not have a conventional rearview mirror providing a view through the vehicle. Visibility directly in front of the cab may also be limited because of the height and design of some commercial trucks.
These limitations are inherent in operating a large truck. They are also entirely predictable. A professional truck driver is expected to understand the vehicle’s visibility limitations and drive accordingly. Blind spots are a reason to exercise additional care, not an excuse for hitting someone the driver failed to see.
Unsafe Lane Changes Can Trap Smaller Vehicles
One of the most common dangers associated with truck blind spots occurs when a tractor-trailer changes lanes. A truck driver who fails to recognize a car traveling alongside the trailer may begin moving directly into the car’s lane. The passenger vehicle can be sideswiped, pushed toward another lane, forced off the roadway, or trapped against a median or guardrail.
The driver of the smaller vehicle may have only seconds to react. Swerving away from the truck can create a second danger. A motorist trying to escape an encroaching tractor-trailer may collide with another vehicle, lose control, or leave the roadway even if the truck never physically strikes the car.
Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable. A motorcycle is much smaller than a passenger vehicle and provides little physical protection in a collision. A truck moving into a motorcyclist’s lane can cause catastrophic or fatal injuries.
The fact that another vehicle was traveling within an area difficult for the truck driver to see does not automatically make the crash that motorist’s fault. Truck drivers must account for their vehicles’ known visibility limitations before changing lanes.
Merging Creates Another Serious Blind Spot Hazard
Murfreesboro motorists regularly share major roads and interstate routes with commercial traffic. Merging situations can become particularly dangerous when a truck driver does not adequately account for vehicles alongside the trailer.
A tractor-trailer needs considerable space to maneuver. A truck driver entering a highway must be attentive to vehicles already occupying nearby lanes, while a driver moving toward an exit must make sure the lane is clear before crossing into it.
Congested traffic can make these situations more challenging, but it does not eliminate the obligation to drive safely. When a truck driver attempts a merge without sufficient clearance, a smaller vehicle can become caught alongside the truck or forced out of its lane. At highway speeds, the resulting collision can cause severe injuries.
Wide Turns Put Nearby Road Users at Risk
Blind spots can also contribute to accidents when trucks make turns. Large commercial vehicles often require considerably more room to turn than passenger cars. Depending on the intersection and the size of the vehicle, a truck may need to position itself differently or swing outward before completing a turn. That maneuver can create danger for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians near the truck.
A driver who fails to recognize someone beside the cab or trailer may turn across that person’s path. A passenger vehicle can be struck or squeezed between the trailer and the curb. A bicyclist or pedestrian may be at even greater risk because the truck driver’s elevated seating position and the vehicle’s dimensions can make nearby road users difficult to see. Professional truck drivers must account for these dangers before beginning a turn.
Blind Spot Accidents Can Cause Catastrophic Injuries
The size difference between a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle can make a sideswipe far more dangerous than the term suggests. A truck does not have to strike a car head-on to cause devastating harm. A trailer moving laterally into a passenger vehicle can force the vehicle beneath part of the truck, push it into another object, cause it to overturn, or send it off the roadway. Victims can suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, multiple fractures, internal injuries, amputations, and other forms of catastrophic harm.
Some injuries can affect a person’s ability to work for months. Others permanently change what that person can do. For someone with a disabling injury, the financial impact can extend far beyond the emergency room. Future medical treatment, rehabilitation, reduced earning capacity, mobility equipment, home modifications, and assistance with daily activities may all become part of life after the crash.
Weir & Kestner works to pursue compensation that accounts for these long-term consequences rather than treating the case as merely another insurance claim to be closed.
Securing Compensation for the Full Impact of the Crash
A blind spot truck accident claim may seek compensation for both financial and personal losses. Depending on the injuries, recoverable damages may include medical expenses, future medical care, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, reduced future earning capacity, pain and suffering, permanent impairment, and other losses caused by the collision.
The amount needed to fairly resolve a case can vary tremendously. Someone who suffers a fracture and returns to normal activities after several months has different needs from someone whose spinal cord injury prevents a return to work. A person with a traumatic brain injury may need years of therapy and support even though some of the injury’s most serious effects are not immediately visible. When a blind spot truck accident results in death, qualifying surviving family members may also be able to pursue compensation through a Tennessee wrongful death claim.
Weir & Kestner focuses on what the accident means for the individual client. The objective is to pursue a recovery that addresses the harm the person has actually suffered and the needs that may continue long after the case is over.
When the Insurance Company Tries to Blame the Injured Driver
Blind spot cases can lead to disputes over who was responsible for the collision. A trucking company or insurer may argue that the injured motorist should not have been driving alongside the truck or should have recognized that the truck driver might not see the vehicle.
Those arguments can matter because Tennessee follows a modified comparative fault system. If an injured person is assigned part of the responsibility for an accident, that finding can affect the compensation the person is able to recover. If the injured person is found 50% or more at fault, recovery can be barred. That makes it important to have an attorney prepared to challenge attempts to unfairly shift responsibility away from a negligent truck driver.
Blind spots are a known feature of commercial trucks. Truck drivers receive specialized training and are expected to account for the characteristics of the vehicles they operate. An insurer should not be allowed to transform a truck driver’s limited visibility into an automatic defense to negligent driving.
Former Insurance Defense Lawyers Working for Injury Victims
Joe Weir and Tony Kestner spent the early part of their legal careers representing insurance interests. That background gives them firsthand insight into how insurers approach claims, assess their potential financial exposure, and defend cases involving serious injuries. They understand the strategies insurance companies may use when responsibility is disputed or when significant compensation is at stake. At Weir & Kestner Injury Lawyers, that experience is now used exclusively for injured people.
The firm works to put clients in the strongest position possible to secure compensation, whether that means negotiating for an appropriate settlement or taking the case further when an insurer will not offer a fair resolution.
Personal Service From a Murfreesboro Injury Firm
A person recovering from a serious truck accident should not have to spend months wondering who is handling the case or whether anyone at the law firm knows what is happening. Weir & Kestner takes a client-centered approach to personal injury representation. Every case has a dedicated case manager who serves as a consistent point of contact throughout the process. Clients also have access to an attorney when they need legal guidance.
The firm is deeply rooted in the community it serves. Weir & Kestner is the only Rutherford County personal injury firm that was born here rather than moving into the county from another market. For our clients, that means combining the resources and experience necessary for serious truck accident litigation with the personal attention they should expect from a local law firm.
Frequently Asked Questions About Blind Spot Truck Accidents
Where are the largest blind spots around a tractor-trailer?
Large trucks can have areas of limited visibility covering one lane on the driver side and two full lanes on the passenger side, 30 to 200 feet immediately behind the trailer, and directly in front of the cab for about 20 feet. The exact areas a driver cannot see depend on the truck’s design, mirrors, equipment, and other circumstances.
Am I at fault if my car was in the truck’s blind spot at the time of the crash?
No. Being located in an area that was difficult for the truck driver to see does not make you responsible for a collision or excuse the truck driver. Commercial drivers are expected to understand their trucks’ visibility limitations and make sure a lane is clear before merging, changing lanes, or turning. The conduct of everyone involved must be considered when determining fault.
Can I have a claim if I swerved to avoid a merging truck but the truck never hit my car?
Potentially. Physical contact is not always necessary for a negligent driver to cause a crash. If a truck improperly moved into your lane and forced you off the road or into another vehicle, you may still have a claim even if the tractor-trailer never physically struck you.
Are trucking companies responsible for blind spot accidents caused by their drivers?
A motor carrier may be legally responsible for the negligence of a truck driver working for it, depending on the nature of the contractual relationship. Other forms of negligence by the trucking company may also be relevant in some cases, such as failure to equip the truck with adequate mirrors. An attorney can determine which parties may be responsible and pursue compensation from the appropriate defendants.
What if the trucking company’s insurer says I should have stayed out of the truck’s “no-zone”?
An insurer may make that argument in an effort to place some or all of the blame on you, but the existence of a blind spot does not relieve a truck driver of the duty to operate safely. Because Tennessee’s comparative fault rules can make disputes over responsibility important to the value of a case, you should consider speaking with an attorney before accepting an insurer’s characterization of what happened.
Contact Our Murfreesboro Blind Spot Truck Accident Lawyers
A truck driver’s inability to see part of the roadway should never become an excuse for seriously injuring someone who was lawfully using it. When a negligent lane change, merge, or turn causes a crash, Weir & Kestner Injury Lawyers works to hold the responsible parties accountable and secure the compensation the injured person needs.
Our attorneys bring insurance defense experience, deep Rutherford County roots, and a commitment to personal service to every case. You will have a dedicated case manager and access to a lawyer, while our team focuses on obtaining the financial recovery you deserve.
Contact Weir & Kestner today for a free consultation about a blind spot truck accident in Murfreesboro. You pay no legal fee unless we obtain a recovery for you.