Trucking Accidents - How They Happen And How An Attorney Can Help

Unlike a car accident, when a truck collides with another vehicle the injured party is more than likely to come from the vehicle that the truck has impacted with. As a result a team of experienced Riverside accident attorneys explain that one of the main causes of truck related accidents is to do with negligence. This is in fact a big problem in trucking accidents and according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) out of over 385,000 accidents that involved either tractor trailers, semi trucks and eighteen wheelers over 220,000 were cited with negligence being a causing factor.

Fatigue /Drowsiness

Falling asleep at the wheel is obviously very dangerous and one that could result in catastrophic consequences. For this reason the FMCSA requires transport companies to fully comply with the laws surrounding driving hours. The laws state that a driver must not...

• Drive for longer than11 hours with less than 10 consecutive hours off duty
• Drive 14 hours and above after 10 consecutive off duty hours
• Drive for longer than sixty hours over a period of 7 consecutive days or seventy hours over a period of 8 consecutive days.
• Attempt to begin a seven or eight day driving period without having been off for at least 34 consecutive hours.

Other driver related negligence that may cause an accident can include...

• Aggressive driving
• Speeding
• Lack of experience
• Inattention (talking on cell phone, changing radio channel, texting etc)
• Improperly stacked load, or badly overloaded cargo
• Illness
• Lack of familiarity with the roads

Aside of negligence on the part of the driver, negligence can also be an issue for the vehicle itself. It goes without saying that transport companies need to keep their vehicles in top condition and that means maintenance. This can indeed be a costly and timely business, but a necessary one nonetheless. In some cases bosses may decide to cut corners and let trucks out onto the roads that may not be 100% road worthy. If this is found to be the case, then the transport owner can be held accountable should an accident occur. A Riverside accident lawyer explains that there have been many lawsuits filed because of badly maintained vehicles, and the malfunction of key components such as accelerator pedals brakes, fuel lines, wheels and steering mechanisms are all accidents waiting to happen.

Bad road conditions

As well as negligence from the driver or the truck company/maintenance department, there may well be another cause for negligence and that is when it comes to road design and defects. Badly maintained roads can be a big problem for trucks and issues such as potholed or pitted roads can make vehicles unstable and start to sway. Vegetation or debris on the roads may also cause an accident, as can a build up of surface water due to blocked or insufficient drainage. If bad road conditions are found to be the main cause of an accident then it is possible to file a claim against the appropriate governmental departments. In some cases it may be Caltrans (California Transportation) but the representing team of accident lawyers Riverside do need to know. The reason for this is that there are more than one governmental department that deal with roads, so it's important to ascertain what road belongs to which governmental department.

So how can a skilled Riverside accident lawyer help?

Firstly the right team of attorneys will be very adept in dealing with such issues and as a result will have a proven track record in dealing with just such a case. They will also have the financial backing behind them to be able to call upon a whole host of independent experts who can investigate the incident. From their findings the lawyer should then be able to construct a case based on the evidence from the independent experts.

As you can see, although truck related accidents can result in serious injuries, it is important to know that there is a highly skilled team of Riverside accident attorneys who are able to represent you.