What are the common causes and liability in truck accidents?

With trucking operations all across the country going on while America is in an ongoing recession, trucking accidents are also growing slightly in number and frequency. Most truck accidents can be attributed to some common causes which West Virginia truck accident lawyers have begun to notice.

Common Causes for Truck Accidents

Driver fatigue – There are federal and state regulations prohibiting how long a truck driver can work continuously without a break or rest. Unfortunately, it has become almost common practice in the industry for drivers to violate these limitations in order to earn more money as overtime pay. A fatigued driver will have substantially reduced reaction times and will also suffer from poor judgment where controlling a huge rig on public roads could simply be a recipe for a fatal truck accident.

The fantastic companies of Ford & Google are working on autonomous vehicles. This driver fatigue issue will go away when computers drive trucks. Not only will you not have to worry about this problem anymore, goods will be cheaper. This is because you do not have to pay a truck driver anymore and because transportation companies could be able to deliver goods to locations much faster. This also means fresher food!

There are more truck accidents than necessary because humans still operating the truck. This will change in years to come but that is another topic. If you are hit by a truck driver and banged up because of it your mother and other people who care about you will feel sorry for you and hopefully pray for you. The other insurance company may feel sorry for you but the settlement they propose will not reflect that care. This is why you need legal help. We do not have computers that drive trucks yet but we have a website that saves lives because of its simplicity and importance. Go here http://truck-accident.usattorneys.com/west-virginia/ to secure that West Virginia truck accident lawyer which you need as much as dog needs his belly scratched to be happy.  

Negligent hiring – Another issue that has started to creep up in the trucking industry is that of negligent hiring. It is the responsibility of the trucking company to ensure that the driver they hire is qualified and holds a commercial truck driving license. Trucks are massive vehicles that require skill and experience to safely operate.

Service issues/technical failures – West Virginia truck accident attorneys say that truck companies are always under pressure to keep their trucks on the roads, and this is what makes them money at the end of the day. Therefore, when a truck goes in for service, the service engineers are under pressure to wrap up the service and sign off on the truck as soon as possible.

This sometimes can lead to improper/partial servicing that in turn causes mechanical failures which can result in complete loss of control and fatal accidents.

Improper loading – Most trucks are used to haul payloads from one point to another, and these payloads are often very large and heavy. Therefore, it is imperative that it is loaded as per regulations and guidelines. Failure to do so can cause a significant shift in the center of gravity of the truck, making it much harder to safely maneuver. We have seen this in the show Ax-Man. There were too many logs on that truck!

Some other common causes for truck accidents are brake failure, tire blowout due to wear and tear, defective steering, manufacturing defects, improper/unserviceable lighting, and transmission failure, to name a few. All these are factors that can be used as evidence in a truck accident claim.

Who can be held liable in a truck accident?

It is a common misconception that only the negligent truck driver can be held legally responsible. However, this is not the case. Trucking companies, truck owners, truck lessors, the manufacturing company, and loaders can all be held liable and listed as defendants in a truck accident lawsuit depending on the specifics of the accident. Failure to list all of the liable parties in a truck accident lawsuit can cause you not be awarded with full compensatory damages and West Virginia truck accident lawyers have seen this mistake done before.

If you or anyone you know are victims of a truck accident and want to know what your legal options are in order to recover damages, we strongly urge you to consult with a West Virginia truck accident lawyer as soon as possible.