Common Causes For Truck Accidents

A variety of factors can cause a truck accident, but the most common are:

• DUI / Drugs / Alcohol
• Driver Fatigue
• Improper Maintenance
• Hazardous Roads
• Aggressive Driving
• Overloaded Trucks or Trailers
• Loads that Shift Weight
• Faulty Brakes
• Tire Blowouts / Tread Burn
• Rear End / Head-on Collisions / Jackknives

Unique Dangers Posed By Large Trucks

As a large and potentially dangerous presence on roads and highways of the US that are occupied by smaller passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles such as eighteen-wheelers and other large freight carriers present dangers that are unique and sometimes deadly. When involved in a crash, large commercial trucks typically cause much greater damage and harm than do accidents between two cars. Not only are commercial trucks are many times the size and weight of most other vehicles on the road, but also seemingly small driving errors that often occur without consequence with smaller passenger vehicles, are many times magnified when a fully loaded eighteen-wheeler is involved resulting in catastrophic consequences.

 

Our Lawyers Bring Experience & In-depth Knowledge

At Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P., our semi truck accident attorneys bring experience and an in depth knowledge of the federal laws that govern the US trucking industry to every one of our truck accident clients’ cases. When you are the victim of a trucking accident, the questions of who is responsible and what actually caused the accident are often much more complicated than in a simple traffic accident. If you are injured in a truck accident, you need a thorough defense effort from an experienced truck accident lawyer who can properly represent you and maximize your compensation.

 

Factors That May Cause Truck Accidents

Some accidents between a passenger vehicle and a commercial truck may be caused in part by an unsafe action of the car driver due to his / her ignorance of a large commercial truck's performance capabilities, including it’s limits associated with acceleration, braking, and visibility.

However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has found that the most common cause of trucking accidents is due to truck driver error rather than other factors, such as weather, road conditions, and the vehicle’s performance. Driver error can include such factors as the use of prescription and / or over-the-counter drugs to help with fatigue, inattention and distractions, speeding due to unrealistic delivery deadlines, and unfamiliarity with the road.

But the most common causes of trucking accidents are usually due to driver fatigue and sleep deprivation. Although there are Federal laws and regulations that govern the trucking industry and simple care and attention to detail by a truck driver or a trucking company can prevent many accidents from happening, often times profit margins rule the decisions that lead to driver fatigue and sleep deprivation. With unrealistic schedules and expectations of trucking companies, some drivers simply push beyond their limits, despite the safety risks involved.

 

Many Players Involved in Accidents Between Trucks & Passenger Vehicles

When a disastrous truck accident occurs there may be many more players involved than just the truck driver and the occupants of a passenger vehicle: the owner of the truck or trailer, the person or company that leased the truck or trailer from the owner, the manufacturer of the vehicle, its tires, or other parts that may have contributed to the cause or severity of the accident, and even the shipper or loader of the truck's cargo where improper loading is involved. The truck accident attorneys of Gordon, Elias & Seely, L.L.P are well aware of the potential complexities of truck accidents.

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