Truck Driver Negligence
Nevada Truck Accidents
Truck accidents differ from car accidents in that their size makes trucks capable of doing greater damage. Truck collisions with much smaller passenger cars, pedestrians, or bicyclists can be catastrophic. Another difference is that large commercial trucks, such as courier delivery trucks and 18-wheel semi trucks, are subject to their own set of state and federal laws pertaining to maintenance, inspection, weight, driver training, hours drivers are allowed on the road, and the amount of insurance they must carry.
Truck Injury and Death Statistics
In 2010, semi truck, tractor trailer, and commercial vehicle accidents in the U.S. killed 5000 people and injured more than 100,000, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The number of fatalities was up dramatically from the previous year when 3200 people died in large truck crashes.
Because trucks are subject to a whole different set of regulations, a person who has been injured or the family of someone who has been killed in an accident caused by a truck should hire a personal injury lawyer with experience in truck accident cases and the resources to launch an immediate investigation and to obtain important records along with the truck’s black box recorder, if there is one. Your lawyer will also need to look into the driver’s record for prior traffic violations or DUI, and will determine if the truck was properly maintained, loaded, and inspected, and if the driver was properly trained and licensed for the class of vehicle being driven.
Types and Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck drivers are often expected to make strict delivery quotas or adhere to tight and unrealistic schedules on long hauls. This not only creates stress and exhaustion, it often causes drivers to cut corners where safety is concerned and predisposes them to using drugs that help them stay awake for longer hours than the law allows them to drive. Although federal and state law regulate the number of hours a driver can drive in a given day and week, these are often circumvented, creating a fertile ground for truck driver negligence. Although other factors may contribute to causing truck accidents, driver negligence is the single most common cause. Types of truck accidents include jackknifes, rollovers, tire blowouts, oil and hazardous material spills, and fires caused by inflammable cargo, and others.
Some of the causes of large truck accidents include
- Exhaustion from too many hours on the road
- Stress
- Distracted driving
- Use of drugs or alcohol
- Driving with an unsecured or unbalanced load
- Exceeding maximum legal load weight
- Unbalanced loads
- Improper inspection and maintenance
- Partially filled tanks containing liquids
- Passing without checking blind spots
- Speeding, especially around curves
- Disregard of traffic regulations
Las Vegas Truck Accident Lawyer with 30 Years Experience
In Las Vegas, your go-to attorney for experienced representation for truck accident injuries or wrongful death is Eric Woods. Eric has been a personal injury attorney pursuing justice on behalf of accident victims for more than 30 years. He has the fine-tuned knowledge of Nevada and federal law pertaining to trucks; he also has the ability, honed through his many years of experience, to negotiate substantial settlements and bring in impressive jury verdicts for his clients.
If you or someone close to you has been injured by a truck, avoid making a statement or signing releases for the insurance adjuster. Call Eric Woods for a free consultation as soon after the accident as possible. Time limits apply, and Eric will start an investigation without delay. You pay nothing until he wins money for you.
