Though large commercial trucks and passenger vehicles are expected to share the road safely, serious collisions often occur. When they happen, it’s usually the passenger vehicle driver and occupants who bear the brunt of injuries and damages.
That’s because smaller vehicles are grossly outmatched by massive big rigs, 18-wheelers, semis, tractor-trailers, and other large trucks, which can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded with cargo.
When you are injured in an accident with a semi-truck or commercial vehicle, the defendant is not as easily picked out of the crowd. There are numerous parties involved in a trucking accident case, and while you might suspect the driver, do not forget you have other options for defendants as well.
When you are in an accident with a semi-truck, the injuries are often more catastrophic, and the damages can quickly double compared to a crash with an ordinary passenger vehicle.
Sadly, insurance policy limits do apply in commercial truck cases too. The only difference is that you may have alternatives when that company’s policy runs out, while in a passenger vehicle case your options are limited.
Each year the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) releases their Most Wanted List. The list goes over their top priorities for increasing awareness, reducing accidents, and making changes in legislation that protect anyone traveling in the United States by road, sea, or air.
The 2017-2018 Most Wanted List has been released, and the priorities for the upcoming year are crucial for motorists just as much as employers, vehicle manufacturers, and law enforcement.
Due to their sheer size and weight, they pose a significant threat to other vehicles on the road. When an accident occurs with a dump truck, it is significantly different compared to that of a regular passenger vehicle incident.
When you consider the sheer size and weight of a semi-truck and other commercial vehicles, it is easy to understand how an accident with such an object would lead to catastrophic injuries. Even at slow speeds, large trucks are extremely dangerous.
A collision with a truck that weighs 10,000 pounds or more and a passenger vehicle that averages 2,000 pounds means the passenger car would absorb the weight of that semi-truck. Therefore, the individuals in the passenger car are more likely to suffer serious, if not fatal, injuries compared to that of the truck’s operator.
Trucking Trial Lawyers Top 10 is a list of the most superior attorneys who represent victims of trucking accidents. The Top 10 is based on invitation-only; therefore, not just any attorney can join. Instead, the professional organization is limited to the Top 10 attorneys from each state or area that serve families and individuals who need representation in a trucking accident claim.
To be invited into the Top 10, a member of the Trucking Trial Lawyers Association must highlight superior qualifications, excellent leadership among staff, a valued reputation among peers, and must be influential in his or her specialty.
Even with technological advancements, it is unlikely that semi-truck accidents will ever stop in the United States. Therefore, it is important as a potential victim (or recent victim) that you know what to do immediately after an accident occurs.
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a commercial truck accident, it is critical that you speak with an experienced attorney about protecting your legal rights. If the trucker, the trucking company, or someone else is to blame for what happened, you could have a claim for significant financial compensation.
Large truck crashes are responsible for approximately 4,000 fatalities and 100,000 injuries per year. In 2012, 333,000 large trucks were involved in traffic accidents. Several factors are largely responsible for truck accidents, including driver training (or lack thereof), driver negligence, trucking company negligence, inadequate maintenance, and parts malfunctions. One example of driver error is fatigue as a result of long hours on the road. This can sometimes be the fault of the trucking company as well. Companies and drivers have a responsibility to uphold public safety by adhering to regulations and utilizing safe driving practices.
A truck is technically considered “large” if its gross vehicle weight is over 10,000 pounds. With the responsibility of controlling a vehicle that large, a driver should have knowledge regarding the physics involved. However, according to the Federal Highway Administration, only a third of large truck drivers receive proper training upon obtaining their commercial driver’s license (CDL), or upon their hire. To receive a CDL, drivers need only to pass standard tests with minimal skills. No requirements, including prior training on how to drive the commercial vehicle, is necessary. A document called The Proposed Minimum Standards for Training Tractor-Trailer Drivers was written by the Department of Transportation back in the 1980’s. However, there has been no follow-through since then to make these standards mandatory. Because of this, only a small percentage of trucking companies offer adequate and updated training for their drivers.
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