Commercial Vehicle Accidents Are Serious

Описание: Crashes involving trucks are more likely to cause serious injury or death for many reasons, including the size and weight of tractor-trailers as compared to smaller passenger cars. If you have been injured in a collision with a semi-truck or tractor trailer—or if your loved one lost his or her life—you should consult with a compassionate attorney to understand your legal rights during this difficult time.

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Commercial truck crash claims are significantly different than standard car accident cases. Trucks are likely to be owned by a company that employs the truck driver, which makes the trucking company liable for the accident. Because of the nature of the trucking industry, there may be multiple parties liable for your losses in an accident.

Our skilled and dedicated attorneys could:

1. Investigate the accident and identify all parties potentially liable
2. Fight to hold the trucking company accountable for the harm caused
3. Pursue the full compensation needed to recover from a devastating 18-wheeler accident.

A Kentucky truck accident lawyer at Becker Law Office can evaluate your case free of charge and discuss your rights to seek monetary compensation from the truck driver, trucking company and/or others responsible for your crash. We understand the devastation a truck collision can cause and our attorneys are committed to helping you seek justice.

Kentucky had 162,940 commercial trucks registered in the state as of 2015. Professional truck drivers are held to higher standards when it comes to road safety laws because of the potential harm a big rig can cause.

For example, drivers of commercial trucks, tractor-trailers and buses are required to have commercial drivers’ licenses (CDLs). And while most drivers can be charged with drunk driving if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or higher, truck drivers are considered to be breaking the law if their BAC is just .04% or greater.

Despite the fact that commercial truck drivers are expected to be skilled at piloting their large vehicles, truck wrecks happen every day. Tractor-trailer crashes have many different causes, including errors made by truck drivers, disregard for safety by a trucking company and defective truck components such as faulty brakes.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates truck drivers and trucking companies and has analyzed the causes of truck accidents. According to the latest data from the FMCSA, approximately 60 percent of all fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred on rural roads and 25 percent on rural or urban Interstate highways.

The FMCSA indicates that certain types of dangerous driver behavior are among the top causes of accidents. These include:

Driver inattention, the second most common contributing factor in truck collisions.

Kentucky keeps data on how truck crashes occur in the state. According to the state’s most recent Traffic Collision Facts, for the year counted:

Driver distraction was a contributing factor in 333 truck crashes, including four fatal crashes. Cell phone use was a factor in 41 accidents. Driver distraction can significantly increase the risk of an accident. Using a handheld cell phone — which is prohibited under FMCSA rules — increases a truck driver’s risk of a crash by four times. A person texting on a cell phone is 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident than someone paying full attention to the task of driving.

Speeding was a leading cause of many accidents. Drivers going too fast for road conditions (regardless of speed limit) were involved in 297 accidents, including nine fatal crashes. In 39 accidents, including five fatal collisions, drivers were exceeding the posted speed limit.

Failure to yield the right of way was a contributing factor in 855 truck crashes, including 13 fatal collisions.

Following too closely or tailgating was listed as a contributing cause of 416 accidents, including four fatalities.

Disregarding traffic signals was a driver-contributing factor in a total of 215 truck wrecks, including seven fatal wrecks.

Alcohol was involved in 100 truck collisions, five of which involved fatalities. Drug use, also illegal under Kentucky’s impaired driving laws, played a role in 51 truck collisions. “Medication” was blamed for six additional accidents. Truck drivers often overlook the effects certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can have on alertness.

Driver fatigue played a role in 60 accidents and one fatal wreck. Truck drivers fell asleep at the wheel in 112 accidents, including two fatal crashes. The FMCSA limits the number of hours that truckers can drive to try to prevent collisions involving fatigue and drowsy drivers. But studies show that truckers routinely violate these Hours of Service (HOS) limits and drive while dangerously fatigued.

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