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Why do truck accidents happen? Your Big
Rig Accident Attorney Explains:
An Ohio Truck Accident Injury Lawyer Explains Why Big Rig Accidents
Happen – Call The Right Attorney - Cleveland, Ohio
At The Spitz Law Firm, we know that like,
passenger vehicle accidents, truck accidents happen for many
different reasons. However, several studies and investigative
research projects have revealed several reoccurring and common
causes:
1. The commercial
truck driver is tired due to driving for long periods and beyond the
time allowed by law. The United States National Transportation
Safety Board still blames driver fatigue as a probable factor in 20
to 40 percent of truck crashes. On January 4, 2004, Congress enacted
the new federal drivers’ hours-of-service for Interstate drivers of
commercial motor vehicles subject to Title 49, Code of Federal
Regulations (49 CFR) Part 395. Specifically, the law increased the
number of hours that truck drivers are allowed to operate in a
24-hour period. The law allows Interstate truck drivers to drive 11
hours in a work period, but prohibits driving after 14 hours since
coming on-duty, and requires at least 10 consecutive hours off-duty
to re-qualify for a new work period. Despite these regulations,
truckers and their employers regularly ignore them. Amazingly,
Kenneth Mead, U.S. Transportation Department Inspector General,
testified April 5, 2005 before the Senate Commerce Committee on
Transportation Safety Programs that they “have conducted criminal
investigations of egregious cases in which trucking company
officials have been prosecuted for systematically forcing their
drivers to drive well in excess of the limits.” Mead further
testified that logbook and hours rules need strengthening because
unscrupulous carriers and drivers view violations as “the cost of
doing business.” Moreover, without getting a big rig truck accident
attorney involved, these trucking companies can destroy the log
books after six months and severely limiting your ability to
recover.
2. Despite the clear
danger of driving intoxicated while operating even a passenger
automobile, some commercial drivers continued to drive their big rig
commercial trucks while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Over a period
of one year, The National Transportation Safety Board and The
National Institute on Drug Abuse in eight states conducted a study
of truck driver fatalities by performing comprehensive drug
screenings on blood specimens taken from 168 fatally injured
drivers. At least one type of drug was detected in 67 percent of
these fatally injured drivers; and detectable blood concentrations
of psychoactive drugs or alcohol were found in 33 percent of these
drivers. Incredibly, a study by the Insurance Institute for Traffic
Safety of interstate tractor-trailer drivers found that 15 percent
of all drivers had marijuana, 12 percent had non-prescription
stimulants, five percent had prescription stimulants, and two
percent had cocaine in their systems. Your big rig truck accident
attorney at The Spitz Law Firm will investigate all potential
impairments that may have lead to the accident.
Don't Wait. Call An Ohio
Big Rig Accident Lawyer Now At:
1-888-70-RIGHT or
(216) 291-4744
3. The truck driver
does not consider other vehicles in the truck’s blind spots.
“No-zones” or blind spots exist in the front, back and sides of a
big rig truck. Despite recognizing the danger of these “no-zones,”
the trucking industry has attempted to shift responsibility from
their drivers to the ordinary citizen by telling them it is up to
them to stay out of these areas. At The Spitz Law Firm, your truck
accident attorney was worked with top accident reconstruction
experts to place fault where it belongs.
4. The
truck driver does not leave enough space to stop the truck behind the
automobiles ahead of him. Unlike passenger vehicles, transport trucks
require up to 40 percent more space to stop. Without this added space, a
truck cannot safely stop due to an emergency and will end up crushing the
rear of the passenger vehicle in front of it. Again, our bank of
accident reconstruction experts at The Spitz Law Firm are crucial to address
this issue.
5. The
truck driver is rushing to meet a tight delivery deadline. Trucks have
reduced speed limits for a reason – they are much harder to bring to a stop.
When this problem is combined with not leaving enough room, the diver has
less time to slow truck and will ram and likely destroy the rear end, if not
more, of passenger vehicles. Nonetheless, some truck drivers are more
concerned about meeting delivery deadlines and getting deadline bonus than
the safety of those around them.
6. The shipper overloads the
truck in order to “maximize” its shipping ability. This ignores the fact
that the heavier the load, the harder it is to bring these trucks to a stop.
You can only imagine the devastating effect when overloaded vehicles are
traveling at excessive speeds and following to close to the vehicles in
front of them. When this occurs, your experienced truck accident attorney at
The Spitz Law Firm will immediately go to work identifying all potentially
liable parties.
Call An Ohio Truck Accident
Lawyer 24/7 At:
1-888-70-RIGHT or
(216) 291-4744
7.
Without warning, truck drivers often veer into the left lane and
then make a right hand turn. This is commonly referred to a “squeeze
play” in the trucking industry because, when a passenger vehicle is
caught between a large truck and the curb – they are caught in a
“squeeze” that can have serious consequences. Ignoring their
training, many truckers fail to follow the proper procedure of
waiting until the left lane is clear, then moving the tractor into
the left lane while leaving the trailer in the right line to block
traffic from coming along side it.
8. The
truck has not been properly maintained or suffers a mechanical failure.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, over 2 million
roadside inspections of trucks occur each year. Of those inspections, 23.2
percent of the vehicles were found to have serious violations. For example,
in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s March 2006 report to
Congress, it found that brake problems were coded for almost 30 percent of
the trucks, compared to only 5 percent of the passenger vehicles. Despite
these studies, defective and unsafe trucks continue to be a leading cause of
catastrophic accidents on the nation’s highways.
9. Large big-rig vehicles such
as eighteen-wheelers are prone to “jackknifing” under certain conditions,
especially during sudden braking and turning. The fact that a truck
jackknifes is not in itself proof of operator negligence, because many
accident situations present difficulties in which there is no practical way
to avoid jackknifing without risking some other form of catastrophe.
Your big rig truck accident attorney will evaluate and discuss the liability
issues with you as they apply to the facts of your specific case.
More Truck Accident
Questions? Get Answers By Calling:
1-888-70-RIGHT or
(216) 291-4744
10.
The unique danger posed by commercial truck accidents can be made
worse depending on the nature of the freight the truck is carrying.
For example, if hazardous or flammable materials are on board,
secondary injuries attributable to such dangerous cargo can result,
including burns and respiratory injuries. Revenue from hazardous
materials shipments has increased to $10 billion with more than
800,000 shipments every day. Each year about 200 hazmat trucks are
involved in fatal crashes and 5,000 in nonfatal crashes.
If you or someone you love has been in a truck accident as a result
of any of the above reasons – or any other reason – it is crucial
that you call the right truck accident attorney as soon as possible.
Call The Spitz Law Firm now.
Call Your Cleveland Truck Accident
Injury Attorney
24/7At:
1-888-70-RIGHT or (216) 291-4744
Email Your Ohio Big Rig Injury
Attorney At:
ImmediateResponse@CallTheRightAttorney.com
Not Only Is It Free To Have Your Initial
Consultation With A Big Rig Accident Injury Lawyer, But You Will
Pay Nothing Unless We Recover Money For You! There Is
NO Cost To Call.
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"Without getting a big rig truck accident attorney
involved, these trucking companies can destroy the log books after six
months and severely limiting your ability to recover."
More Truck Injury Info:
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