Automotive insurance can be very difficult to understand. Drivers, who are required by law to carry a minimum amount of insurance, frequently get confused by the various kinds of insurance available and the different amounts of insurance available and are unsure what they need to have or how much they need to have. In Michigan, where no-fault insurance laws are different than anywhere else in the country, it gets even more confusing.

What happens when trucking companies can’t find enough drivers to haul the billions of dollars in freight shipped by commercial trucks each year? They push existing drivers harder and become less picky about the qualifications of new drivers they hire. The result is higher numbers of tired and unsafe drivers behind the wheel of big rigs and an increasing threat to motorists everywhere.

Few things present as great a danger on the highway as an overly tired truck driver falling asleep at the wheel of his 18-wheeler. Forty tons of steel and cargo weaving back and forth across the road at 55 miles per hour and suddenly losing control as the sleepy driver finally dozes off is a deadly threat to all who share that stretch of road. Fortunately, a provision passed as part of the Transportation Reauthorization Bill, which was signed into law in July 2012, may help to reduce this growing threat in coming years.

Many people mistakenly believe that victims injured in a hit-and-run accident are stuck paying their own medical bills and have no recourse for the income they’ve lost during recovery or for the permanent changes to their lives, such as disabilities.

They may have been told that if the at-fault driver can’t be identified that there’s no insurance company to sue, or that it can’t be proved that the driver didn’t have insurance, therefore uninsured motorist coverage doesn’t apply. But the truth is that an accident victim can receive compensation for their injuries and associated losses regardless of whether the at-fault driver can be identified.

Catastrophic injuries are very serious physical injuries that have significant impact a person’s life for an extended period of time or permanently. Injuries that leave a person disfigured, disabled, debilitated or with a significantly reduced quality of life are often referred to as catastrophic injuries. Injuries that result in death are also considered catastrophic injuries.

Knowing what to do after an accident involving a commercial truck in Michigan can help greatly in preserving your case and your rights in the event that you need to file a lawsuit.

When a commercial truck is involved in an accident, injuries tend to be more numerous and more severe. However, trucking companies tend to protect themselves well and often have attorneys and investigators on the scene of an accident almost immediately, working to mitigate their liability and reduce injury victims’ opportunities to recover damages from their injuries.

However, by following the steps below, you can increase your chances of winning a lawsuit against a trucking company who is liable for your injuries.

Accidents with large, commercial trucks can turn tragic in an instant. The size and weight of a commercial truck (a fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh 80,000 pounds or more) and higher safety risks, such as the potential for cars to get stuck under a trailer and a truck’s wide turning radius, create a very dangerous situation. An accident that would be minor if between two cars can be deadly when a tractor-trailer or other commercial truck is involved.

Perhaps just as frightening as an accident with a commercial truck is finding out that holding a trucking company liable for one’s injuries and getting the compensation you need is often more difficult than doing so in an automobile-only accident. Despite the fact that commercial trucks, their drivers and the companies employing them are more highly regulated than passenger cars and required to carry more insurance, getting appropriate compensation for truck-accident injuries is challenging. This is largely due to the deceptive and dishonest practices that have become prevalent throughout the trucking industry in an effort to minimize their liability in accidents.

If you’ve been injured in an accident with a commercial truck or a family member has been killed in a truck accident, you need to know the following in regard to your case:

Late last year the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)issued a safety advisory to alert the public to a potentially dangerous situation involving counterfeit air bags. Shown to consistently malfunction under testing, these criminally distributed air bags have the potential to jeopardize the health and lives of drivers involved in even minor accidents due to failure to deploy or explode and propel shrapnel at those they are meant to protect.

According to the NHTSA, the counterfeit air bags look identical to the certified, original equipment air bags from the car’s manufacturer right down to having the insignia and branding of major automakers. The counterfeits are apparently distributed to non-dealer mechanics, possibly portrayed as discounted certified OEM parts, and to car owners via e-Bay and other non-certified sources.

Winter weather in Michigan provides numerous driving hazards that tend to slow traffic, cause accidents and keep drivers from reaching their destination on time. But smart drivers know how to plan ahead, how to identify safe routes with good-moving traffic, and how to keep an eye out for potential hazards so they know when to slow down or find a new route.

In this article, the personal injury attorneys at Sachs Waldman, P.C. share one of their favorite tools for checking out driving conditions before they head out on winter roads and some top tips for driving safely on those roads.

Car accidents become significantly worse when a commercial truck or tractor-trailer is involved. Their size and weight — a fully loaded semi can weigh over 80,000 pounds — generate forces many times that of cars when involved in a crash. Incapacitating injuries and deaths are common in truck accidents, often leaving families of victims without an important source of income while simultaneously burdening them with medical bills and depriving them of a loved one’s affection and involvement either permanently or temporarily.

For these reasons it’s important to know what damages can be recovered in an accident with a big truck. Victims and their families don’t need financial strains and worries on top of the stress of painful injuries or loss of a loved one. Insurance claims and personal injury suits can often alleviate financial strains and create a less stressful situation for healing or grieving.