Truck accidents are catastrophic events that can result in a chaotic scene riddled with injury and property damage. When a commercial truck strikes an average-sized passenger vehicle, it can cause it to crumple like paper. In fact, the fatality rate is so high that thousands of Americans succumb to their injuries each year due to a truck accident. So you may be wondering, what causes truck accidents anyway? There are so many factors that can contribute to a truck accident, some of which have been described in further detail below.
When people are talking about accidents with large trucks, they are usually referring to trucks such as dump trucks, garbage trucks, cement trucks, tow trucks, flatbed trucks, delivery trucks, tankers, and more. As a truck accident lawyer from the Law Office of Daniel E. Stuart, P.A. would inform clients, the truck drivers of these vehicles must be properly trained to handle such a hefty vehicle, and must abide by state and federal regulations when in route for a delivery.
Truck drivers who are not properly trained can easily cause a truck accident to unfold. And devastatingly, it is often those in the passenger vehicle who suffer the worst injuries, some even fatal. While it may be the fault of the trucker who wasn’t knowledgeable enough to drive the vehicle, the trucking company in itself may share responsibility as well, since it’s their duty to hire safe and experienced drivers. Other parties aside from the trucker who may be liable in the accident include:
- The trucking company who hired the driver
- The trucking team that loaded the cargo
- A government agency
- The manufacturer of a truck part that was defective
- A third-party driver in a multi-vehicle collision
The reasons for truck accidents are endless. The trucker may have been fatigued, intoxicated, engaging in reckless driving, driving distractedly, or otherwise being negligent while in operation of such a dangerous vehicle. The loading team may have overstocked the truck in an effort to get more product to a delivery destination, however, this can cause the truck to become more difficult to drive and can result in a turnover or inability to stop when needed.
Truck drivers may violate one or more of the state and federal regulations that oversee the trucking industry. Regardless of what kind of truck caused the accident, it is likely that victims don’t realize just how much their case is worth and all the parties who share liability in what happened. Victims of truck accidents are encouraged to advocate for their best interests and get help from a legal team for optimal restitution. A lawyer, like a team member from the Law Office of Daniel E. Stuart, P.A., is someone who can help victims with investigations and gathering proof so that they can maximize how much restitution they receive for injuries, damages, and losses.
