Truck Driver Causes:

Truck driver fatigue is one of the causes most noted in relation to trucking accidents. Drivers who are tired after hours of driving get into crashes by falling asleep at the wheel or delayed reaction time. Federal regulations are in place to minimize trucker exhaustion, but it still remains a potential cause of accidents.

Prescription or non-prescription medication usage is another potential cause of truck accidents. Truck drivers who take a medication are subject to delayed reaction times and put others at risk.

Truckers driving over the allowed speed limits are putting others at risk. Delays during the trip such as traffic or construction and too little time for the drive result in truck drivers who are pressed for time. The result is speeding, which causes accidents.

Drivers who are unfamiliar with a road can get into accidents due to mistakes relating to the road. For example, if construction on a road requires the driver to take an unfamiliar route, he might turn the truck the wrong direction or miss signs such as stop signs or yield signs that result in an accident.

Car Driver Causes:

Drivers of passenger vehicles who drive in truck driver blind spots are a potential cause of accidents. Blind spots are some areas along the side of the truck and too close to the back of the truck.

Drivers who cut off a truck due to misjudging distances or timing can potentially cause an accident because the brakes on large trucks are not fast enough to prevent an accident.

Unsafe passing, whether because the space is insufficient or speeds are too slow, can cause accidents with trucks.

This article is provided as information only and not intended as legal advice in any means or manner whatsoever, Attorney Elan Wurtzel P.C. provides focused legal counsel within the area of Truck Accidents, and has provided this for informational purposes only.

About 500,000 truck accidents occur every year in the United States, with about 5,000 fatalities resulting from these crashes. Around 98 percent of the time, these fatalities are from passengers in other vehicles. One out of every eight traffic accidents involves a truck, and they are more likely to be involved in fatal multi-vehicle wrecks than passenger cars or motorcycles. However, only about one percent of all accidents involving trucks are due to one of the parties driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Trucking accidents are more likely to occur in rural areas. Sixty-eight percent of trucking accidents occur in rural areas, and 66 percent occur during the daytime. Additionally, 78 percent of trucking accidents occur on weekdays. For those truckers that have been involved in accidents, just over one-fourth of them have previous convictions for speeding.

When trucking accidents are examined on a state-by-state basis, the numbers can be revealing. Texas has the most fatal truck crashes per state, with 432 in 2003. In Oregon, 1,134 trucking accidents occurred in 2004 that resulted in vehicular damage, injuries or fatalities. Of these crashes, 621 were due to the truck, and 596 were due to negligence on the part of the truck driver. While around 400 people were injured in these crashes, only 6 of the truck drivers died as a result of those injuries. In three percent of these cases, the trucker was hauling hazardous materials.

While overall fatal vehicular crashes tend to decline each year, despite more cars and trucks being on the road, truck-related fatalities stay at around 5,000 each year. About half of these accidents occur on the front side of the truck, and 720 involved the rear end of the truck; the rest occurred on the left or right sides, usually while the truck was turning. In around 600 cases, the truck rolled over, leading to an accident.

These statistics show that more measures must be taken in order to ensure truck safety, including driver training and alertness, as well as keeping trucks well-maintained and operable.

This article is provided as information only and not intended as legal advice in any means or manner whatsoever, Attorneys Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart, and Shipley P.A. provide focused legal counsel and representation related to Truck Accidents, and has provided this for informational purposes only.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2001 there were 429,000 large trucks involved in traffic crashes in the United States. A large truck is defined as having a gross vehicle weight over 10,000 pounds. 4,793 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes, and a total of 5,082 people died and 131,000 people were injured in those crashes. When there is a truck accident involving a large truck, both the driver and the owner of the truck can face negligence claims.

Employer Negligence

Truck accidents are different than other motor vehicle accidents because the semi truck or tractor-trailer is generally operated by someone who is not the owner of the truck. Some truck accidents can be caused by employer negligence.

Some common forms of employer negligence include:

• Failure to maintain the vehicle
• Failure to train employees
• Lack of licensing or testing of operators
• Not performing background checks on employees
• Continuing to use operators that have a record of unsafe driving

There are federal laws in place that require truck companies to properly maintain their vehicles and to perform routine checks on the condition of the vehicle. There are also laws regarding the length of time a driver can remain behind the wheel, but some trucking companies push their drivers to ignore those laws by subjecting them to unreasonable delivery schedules.

Driver Negligence

Sometimes truck accidents are caused by the driver making a mistake or consciously breaking the law. When the accident is caused by driver negligence the driver can be held accountable for the injuries and property damage they have caused.

Some examples of driver negligence include:

• Driving without proper licenses or certification
• Speeding
• Concealing long hours by keeping duplicate log books
• Using drugs to overcome fatigue
• Not ensuring that the load they are hauling is properly secured

Determining who and what is at fault in a large truck accident is not an easy task. Additionally, trucking companies have been known to send representatives to the scene of an accident to speak to the people involved in the accident when they are most vulnerable and more likely to sign away their rights. There is a statute of limitations on how long you can wait to file a negligence claim against the driver and the trucking company.

This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Please contact a truck accident attorney in your local area for more information about truck accidents.