Fatal truck crashes are tragic and often avoidable. If you or a loved one are in a car semi
accident, the process after it can be overwhelming. This is magnified after someone is killed in a preventable accident. There will likely be lawsuits and difficulties with insurance companies on top of the emotional damage of the event. Even if you don’t plan on pressing charges for any reason, you might still need to hire a truck accident attorney. These lawyers specialize in these kinds of cases and can help you get through everything smoothly. They can deal with the insurance companies and other parties involved, allowing you and your family space to heal and grieve.
When a car crash semi truck happens, you should consider your lawyer carefully. A big truck wreck lawyer might take some time to find, but will be a major asset. They can be objective when dealing with issues that are emotional to others involved. They can also get results with other parties where someone with less clout might be ignored. So take the time to find and hire an attorney.
If you run a trucking company, you no doubt realize how common trucking accidents are in the United States. According to Science Daily, semi accidents cause 4,500 deaths per year in the States. Further, despite accounting for only 8% of all traffic in the country, truck accidents account for 11% of all fatal road crashes, not to mention a disproportionate amount of lost productivity and property damage.
On your end, accidents among your drivers lead to a laundry list of problems. Before you know it, you’ll have truck accident attorneys breathing down your neck and expenses to answer for in a car accident injury claim. When taken together, those auto accident injury claims will quickly add up to more legal and financial trouble than anybody wants — or can deal with. However, by learning about the most common causes of trucking accidents, you can help avoid the damage to your drivers and others on the road, while reducing your chances of having to deal with truck accident injury lawyers.
Three of the Most Common Causes of Semi Truck Accidents
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- Reckless Driving by Commuters
According to FindLaw.com, one of the most common causes of trucking accidents is the reckless driving habits of commuters. Unfortunately, you can’t do much to improve the driving ability of others, but you can encourage and train your drivers to be more aware of their surroundings when they’re hauling freight. Luckily, if an accident does occur because of another driver, you will be able to defend yourself with the help of truck accident attorneys.
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- Exhausted Drivers
As of 2013, new hours-of-service laws at the federal level strictly regulate how often your drivers can be on the road per week. As written by USA Today, the upshot of the new laws is that truckers cannot drive more than 70 hours per week, and they have to be away from their vehicles from the hours of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. for two consecutive nights per week. All of this is, of course, in the name of improved road safety. As you well know, not every driver follows these rules. Do yourself a favor to avoid truck accident attorneys coming after your company for negligence: do whatever you can to strictly enforce these laws.
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- Inadequate Training
As NOLO.com points out, inadequate training is a huge cause of trucking accidents in the U.S. Without appropriate training, your drivers will be unable to judge the distance between their trailers and cars when backing out of a parking lot, let alone when they’re trying to move between other drivers on the thruway. That being said, if it is discovered that you didn’t offer adequate training or check to ensure that your drivers have the proper licensing to drive freight, you may be found liable in the case of an accident.
Now that you know about the most common causes of trucking accidents, you can take steps to help prevent them. While accidents will happen and you may have to deal with truck accident attorneys at some point, taking preventative steps now can protect your company, not to mention your drivers, in the future. Find out more at this site.
