When 18-wheelers hit things property gets wrecked, people get hurt, people die. That’s the harsh reality of life on United States roads and highways. Big rigs lose control on steep mountain inclines and smash into houses. Trucks brakes fail and destroy vehicles, destroy lives. With all the hours they are flying around on our roads, they suffer catastrophic mechanical failure; victims wind up in the hospital, injured parties lose work, lose vehicles and have to file lawsuits to try to reclaim their lives.
TRUCKS CAN DAMAGE PROPERTY, AND KILL
Due to the size, weight, the sheer speed at which they travel and the amount of time they spend on the road, commercial trucks – dump trucks, buses, 18-wheelers, panel trucks, delivery trucks etc. – are always at a higher risk of being in an accident. And, when commercial trucks are involved in collisions, the level of personal and property damage is most times exponentially more than a regular passenger vehicle.
WHEN BRAKES FAIL ON BIG RIGS, PEOPLE GET HURT
A recent trucking accident study reported that almost 30% of all big rig accidents involved brake failure of some sort. One of the biggest causes of trucking accidents is mechanical failure, tire failure and brake failure. The brakes they use are under constant stress. Imagine slowing a 60,000 pound truck on a steep hill. Now imagine doing that 10 times a day, every day of the year. That’s the stress that truck brakes are under. And the stress that the drivers are under is even greater – to travel as fast as they can from Point A to Point B. While most truck drivers and truck carrier companies go to great lengths to ensure that their drivers, their trucks and their loads are as safe as possible, there are some who don’t. Every time one of our lawyers works on a trucking injury lawsuit we find something new about how truck drivers and the companies that own them operate.
WHY EXPERIENCE MATTERS IN TRUCKING RELATED ACCIDENTS
Think about it – if a drunk driver hits you it it pretty cut and dry who is responsible and why they are liable for the accident, they were drunk. Same with most automobile or motorcycle accidents – negligence is fairly easy for law enforcement and legal experts to determine. In trucking related personal injury lawsuits the level of investigation required to determine fault – whether it negligence , carelessness or willful acts(s) – is a lot more sophisticated.
