Trucking Accidents

While trucking companies and legislators have addressed roadway safety issues in recent years, the facts are clear: Time and time again, these oversized carriers are involved in major accidents that have proven to be deadly.

Sadly, passengers in automobiles, vans, and SUVs who share the road with these vehicles are paying the ultimate price with their lives.

Trucking-related fatalities have been known to occur for a variety of reasons, including:

• Driver intoxication, fatigue, or error
• Excessively large and/or unstable loads
• Equipment failure
• Careless driving
• Disregard in adhering to inspection standards
• Traffic violations and/or speeding
• Dangerous or hazardous cargo
• Unreasonable delivery deadlines

If they survive, victims of trucking accidents often suffer extensive property damage, as well as serious back, brain, neck and/or spinal cord injuries that often have lifelong consequences.

Statistics You Should Know:

• Every 16 minutes, an individual is killed or injured in a trucking accident.
• Transportation experts report that trucks are involved in one out of every nine accidents on the road.
• In more than 40 percent of all fatal crashes involving tractor trailers, roadway violations, exceeding the speed limit, and driver fatigue were found to be responsible for the collision.
• According to The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, people traveling in passenger vehicles account for 98 percent of all fatalities in crashes involving tractor trailers.
• According to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, driver fatigue is at fault in 20 to 40 percent of all truck accidents.

Understanding the Law

Individuals involved in trucking accidents in which the driver was at fault may be entitled to receive monetary damages for physical injuries, emotional suffering, and financial losses.

One of the key strategies in this kind of case is to name all potential defendants. Drivers, employers, trucking companies, contractors, insurance companies and/or the manufacturer or shipper of hazardous materials may all be held accountable for sustained injuries and fair compensation.

As in most legal cases, there are statutes of limitations that exist with predetermined deadlines that define the time period in which victims can file a trucking accident claim. These laws may vary from state to state.

Have You Been Involved in a Trucking Accident?

There are six important steps that you must take if you have been involved in a trucking accident:

1. Obtain contact and insurance information from the other driver(s) and passenger(s) and call the police.
2. Obtain the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all witnesses.
3. If possible, take photographs at the scene of the accident.
4. Obtain a copy of the police report.
5. Seek immediate medical attention, if necessary. Keep a comprehensive file of all medical bills and health records.
6. Contact an attorney with experience in litigating trucking accidents.

Why You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer

Trucking accidents have proven to be very complicated legal issues. Cases need to be strategically evaluated, developed, and litigated to ensure that the rights of the victim and his or her family are protected and that they are awarded adequate compensation.

A skilled attorney with experience in handling these difficult cases must prove that the defendant was negligent in exercising “reasonable care” on the road and that the injuries and suffering experienced by the victim and/or his family were caused by this negligence.    

To find a professional personal injury attorney in your community who has expertly handled trucking accident-related cases, please enter your city name in the grey search box at the top of this page.