I recently spoke with a client who had been injured when a utility trailer being towed by a large, luxury RV came loose on a highway and smashed into his vehicle. After a little research, I found an interesting website that documents these sorts of accidents, which it turns out, are quite common.
The website, called Dangerous Trailers, allows you to search by state, where you will find documentation on 100 accidents in the state of Georgia that were caused by utility trailers. According to the website’s owner, there are close to 3,000 accidents that have been written about in Georgia newspapers that involved utility trailers. If you look nationwide, there are more than 500,000 people who have been injured by runaway trailers since 1988.
These trailers are used by commercial businesses of all sorts (from carpet layers to construction companies). They are used for recreational purposes to carry motorcycles or ATVs, and they are used often behind motorhomes and luxury buses to transport items like bicycles, gas grills, porch swings, or other “camping gear.”
The sheer number of accidents that indicate trailers “got loose” and became fast moving and even deadly objects needs to be addressed. Manufacturers claim that it is human error that causes most of the runaway trailers. Drivers fail to secure the trailer with a safety chain. They say, relying solely on the hitch. And yet the weight of the trailers, when combined with a bumpy road, poor weather conditions, high winds, or high speeds, can easily cause the trailer to come loose from the hitch, becoming an unmanned projectile that can veer in any direction, causing dreadful accidents, destruction, and even death.
If there is a moral to the story, it is that, if you are injured in an accident that involves a runaway trailer, there may be more at fault than simply the driver. With more than 500,000 people nationwide injured since 1988 by loose utility trailers, there is a problem that the manufacturers are well aware of but seem unwilling to address.
Contact A Truck Injury Attorney In Atlanta
When you’re on the road, steer clear of vehicles pulling utility trailers, particularly in high winds, poor road conditions, or heavy traffic. If you need a personal injury attorney, contact David Van Sant. He is an Atlanta truck accident attorney who will represent your best interests.
Hurt in a car wreck? Click here to learn about our legal solutions!