Trucking is a high-risk job involving constant attention for long stretches of time. Even one second of looking way or daydreaming could be fatal. Nowadays commercial trucks are everywhere, and unfortunately, about 10% of all traffic accidents include commercial vehicles. The main institute for Safety on the Highway reported that over 3,000 died in accidents including semi-trucks. There’s a high cost to both the driver and trucking company when these incidents occur, sadly including loss of life, damage, delays, lost business and insurance costs. One fatal crash is estimated to potentially cost over $3 million.
A better understanding of these accidents helps prevent them. According to the Department of Transportation, the top causes of trucking accidents and why you may need to contact a personal injury attorney include:
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Fatigue from driving.
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Accidentally driving off the road.
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Shifting cargo.
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Loss of control.
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Lane drifting.
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Debris on highway.
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Speeding.
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Poor conditions due to maintenance or bad weather.
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Mechanical failure.
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Poor maintenance.
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Weather and animal life.
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Road construction.
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Accelerating and stopping too quickly can be dangerous and hard for regular cars to maneuver around. It’s also hard for the driver to sometimes react in time.
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Creating impossible expectations and schedules of transportation companies encourage drivers to speed and hurry.
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Businesses that encourage faster speeds and more hours of driving consecutively and base it on compensation.
Another big contributor to trucking accidents is actually caused by primarily cars. Getting too close to a truck or not adequately leaving space when changing lanes is be very dangerous. A lot of times cars can misjudge the distance of a semi or multiple semis, especially at night. It’s important too for semis to keep in mind defensive driving techniques. Since they have the advantage of a better view, it’s important that they keep a look out for everyone driving.
Driving is one of the most dangerous things we do every day and something none of should take for granted. Getting into the car needs to take a lot of awareness because it can all happen so fast and you can lose so much. It’s crucial to understand who is responsible for these situations and what to do when you find yourself in the midst of dealing with a crash and your strategy going forward.
When presenting a claim, an auto accident lawyer can convey the need for compensation for damages, such as loss of income or ability to work, medical costs, pain and suffering, and severity and permanence of injury incurred. If the accident resulted in death, pain, and suffering due to loss of a loved one and funeral expenses are also viable damages incurred. If you or someone you know was in a trucking accident, contact a personal injury lawyer quickly to assist you with your claim process.