On April 9, 2025, a semi-truck carrying 7,000 gallons of septic waste overturned in a collision that seriously injured two people.
The truck driver was seriously injured in the crash, the West Milford Fire Marshal’s Office said. Emergency crews contained a spill of septic waste along with oil and other vehicle fluids that leaked from the wreckage.
Multiple fire companies and hazardous materials teams responded to the scene, where crews worked for hours to offload the damaged tanker and safely secure the scene.
Immediate Trauma Injuries in Truck Crashes
Between 2010 and 2021, the number of large truck crashes increased a staggering 51 percent. Not coincidentally, during that decade-plus, large trucks got bigger than ever, and large truck drivers became more inexperienced than ever.
Consumer good consumption increased significantly during the 2010s. Almost every item on almost every shelf in America, from tiny Kleenex boxes to large SUVs, spends some time on a large truck. Semi-truck traffic is especially high in New Jersey and other regional transportation hubs.
At the same time, the truck driver shortage grew from a minor annoyance to crisis proportions. Driverless trucks may someday fill in the gap. But for now, men and women with little experience behind the wheel now drive semi-trucks that are bigger, faster, and heavier than ever.
The high number of large truck crashes in New Jersey has caused a high number of serious truck crash trauma injuries, such as:
- Head Injuries: The force of a wreck, as opposed to a trauma impact, often causes head injuries in truck crash cases. Upon impact, the victim’s head snaps back and forth, causing the brain to slam against the insides of the skull. The resulting brain injuries are usually permanent. Dead brain cells don’t regenerate.
- Serious Burns: Most large trucks carry hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel, a chemical that burns at almost the same temperature as jet fuel. Even brief contact with such hot flames usually causes serious burns. Since many victims are pinned underneath flaming trucks, their burns are often catastrophic.
- Broken Bones: Normally, broken bones are not life threatening. But they’re always life altering and usually permanent. Since doctors typically use metal parts to reconstruct shattered bones, physical therapy is much longer, more difficult, and more expensive. Furthermore, broken bones normally permanently impair mobility and increase the likelihood of future injuries.
New Jersey has one of the highest per diem hospital costs in the nation, and the average burn injury stay exceeds thirty days. So, many truck crash victims are saddled with medical bills they cannot possibly pay.
A New Jersey personal injury lawyer specializing in truck accidents normally refers truck crash victims to doctors who focus on these catastrophic injuries. In other words, when truck crash victims partner with doctors, they get the treatment they need, not the treatment they can afford of the treatment an insurance adjuster is willing to pay for.
Long-Term Diseases in Truck Crashes
While immediate trauma is the most common result of truck crashes, it’s not the only serious health risk. These accidents can also cause long-term diseases due to hazardous materials released during the collision.
Many large trucks transport septic waste, chemicals, and other toxic substances. When a tank ruptures or even cracks in a truck crash, these materials can leak into the environment. Toxic fumes then spread through the air, posing significant health dangers to everyone nearby.
Respiratory problems are a common consequence. Toxic fumes burn through the narrow airways in the lungs—some barely wider than a pencil tip. Scar tissue forms in these passages, making it difficult for victims to breathe even while resting.
Emergency responders usually wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks during cleanup. However, bystanders, reporters, and others often remain unprotected. And because many toxic particles are only slightly heavier than air, they can stay suspended for hours and settle in places like playgrounds—posing a risk long after the truck crash.
Latent Diseases and Legal Challenges
The long-term effects of toxic exposure create major legal challenges in truck crash injury cases. One of the biggest issues is latency—many diseases take years or even decades to develop.
By the time symptoms appear and a diagnosis is made, the standard two-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases may already be expired.
However, the discovery rule helps protect victims in these cases. Under this rule, the legal deadline begins when the illness is discovered—not the date of the truck accident. Additionally, courts may extend this timeline if a victim could not have reasonably connected their condition to the crash.
For these complex cases, a New Jersey truck injury lawyer plays a vital role in helping victims seek the compensation they deserve.
Challenges in Proving Truck Crash Liability
Proving fault in large truck crashes can be difficult. Like the crash in the story above, most truck wrecks happen so quickly that eyewitnesses are either unavailable or unreliable—often due to bias or limited visibility.
To receive compensation, victims of truck accidents must prove that the truck driver or another party was negligent. This requires showing, by a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not), that someone failed to use reasonable care. Fortunately, there’s a key difference between a case with no evidence and one with no apparent evidence.
How Electronic Evidence Strengthens a Case
Modern trucks are equipped with Event Data Recorders (EDRs), which are similar to black boxes used in airplanes. About 95% of passenger vehicles also include these devices. A New Jersey personal injury lawyer can use EDR data—such as speed, brake use, and steering input—to reconstruct the moments before a crash.
These EDRs are highly durable and built to withstand catastrophic impacts. Because of their complexity, a New Jersey personal injury lawyer will need specialized tools and expertise to extract and analyze the data properly.
Other useful electronic evidence includes:
- Surveillance camera footage, which captures unbiased video of the accident
- Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), which track drivers’ hours of service and can expose fatigue-related negligence
Truck drivers often face extreme pressure to stay on the road for long hours. After 18 hours without rest, their impairment is similar to having a .05% blood alcohol concentration—which is over the legal limit for commercial drivers in New Jersey.
These technologies help lawyers uncover the truth in complex truck crash cases and hold negligent parties accountable.
Reach Out to a Thorough Jersey City, NJ County Lawyer
Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to an truck accident in New Jersey? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled injury attorneys at CourtLaw NJ Personal Injury Lawyers represent clients injured in accidents in Perth Amboy, Jersey City, New Brunswick, Roselle, East Orange, and throughout New Jersey. Call 732-442-5900 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 163 Market Street, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861 as well as offices in Jersey City, New Brunswick, Roselle, and East Orange.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.