Trucking Accident Lawyers Provide Important Answers Regarding Tractor-Trailer Accidents
Tractor-trailer or commercial trucking accidents are unique among traffic collisions because of the degree of carnage caused and the complexity involved in trucking accident claims. Victims of trucking collisions sometimes assume that these claims, which involve a large vehicle, are more or less akin to any other motor vehicle claim. This mistaken assumption can adversely impact a trucking accident claim. The choice of Georgia trucking accident lawyers is not a decision to be taken lightly particularly because these collisions often result in debilitating life-altering injuries. In this two-part blog, we discuss answers to important questions regarding tractor-trailer crashes and trucking injury claims.
Are trucking accidents more dangerous than other types of motor vehicle accidents?
A fully loaded tractor-trailer combination can weigh twenty to thirty times more than the typical passenger vehicle. The increased weight associated with tractor-trailers means that the force of impact in a collision is likely to be far more intense. Tractor-trailer accidents account for almost eleven percent of all motor vehicle accident fatalities. The danger to those who share the roads with tractor-trailers is reflected by the fact that 97 percent of the time the person who dies in a fatal trucking collision involving two vehicles is the occupant of the other vehicle.
What are the most common causes of tractor-trailer accidents?
There are many causes of trucking accidents, but driver error is the most common factor. When trucking companies fail to conduct proper screening when hiring a driver, or they do not provide adequate training or supervision of commercial drivers, the risk of serious trucking collisions is extremely high. Trucking accidents can also be caused by poorly maintained trucks, trucks with defective components, or roads that are not properly designed or maintained. Some common causes of trucking accidents in Georgia include the following, among others:
• Fatigued drivers who violate hours of service (HOS) rules
• Drug or alcohol-impaired truck drivers
• Truck drivers who travel at an unsafe speed
• Failure of truck drivers to properly check “no zones” (i.e. large blind spots on tractor-trailers)
• Lack of inspections and maintenance
What factors other than unsafe driving contribute to trucking accidents?
Although unsafe commercial drivers cause many trucking accidents, other types of factors that cause big-rig crashes include, among others:
• Failure to conduct adequate maintenance
• Negligent hiring, training, or retention of employees
• Defective tractor-trailers and components
• Inadequate route planning
• Excessive, unbalanced, or improperly secured loads
• Lack of performance of safety inspections
Put Our Law Firm’s Over 39 Years of Legal Experience to Work For You! These are a few of the answers tractor-trailer accident victims should know.
