COVINGTON TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYER

Motor carriers are responsible for putting safe drivers and vehicles on the roads. They are also required to comply with federal trucking regulations. When they fail to do those things — or when their policies or scheduling results in risky driving, dangerous vehicles, and wrecks — trucking companies can be at least partly at fault for those tractor-trailer accidents. With motor carrier negligence and 18-wheeler accidents, it’s important to note that:

• About 13,000 truck crashes a year (9%) involve truckers who say they were under some type of work-related pressure at the time of the accident.
• About 5,000 wrecks a year (3%) involve truckers who say they felt pressured to drive even though they were fatigued.
• Uncovering motor carrier negligence usually demands deeper investigations into records, policy documents, and a lot more.

When big rigs experience mechanical failures, drivers may lose control of the truck, resulting in wrecks. Every year in the U.S., about 6% of all fatal 18-wheeler accidents are caused by defective and malfunctioning vehicle equipment. In fact:

• Faulty equipment causes about twice as many truck crashes as car accidents.
• Tires and brakes are the most common types of trucking equipment to fail and end up causing deadly big rig wrecks.

Equipment failures, like motor carrier negligence, are not always obvious factors that leave behind clear evidence at the scene of a crash. Additionally, with faulty equipment, various parties may be liable, including (but not limited to) the:

• Manufacturers who make and distribute trucking equipment that is innately dangerous or faulty
• Motor carriers who fail to properly maintain their 18-wheelers
• Truck drivers who fail to properly inspect and/or maintain the big rigs they’re responsible for
• Technicians who fail to properly fix or maintain trucking equipment.

Shifting cargo on trucks causes about 4% of all 18-wheeler accidents a year. Cargo securement failures are involved in about 3% of these wrecks. That may not sound like a lot, but it all adds up to a total of about 10,000 tractor-trailer wrecks each year. One of the reasons that unsecure and shifting cargo is so dangerous is that it can destabilize 18-wheelers, increasing the risks of jackknife and rollover truck wrecks. Cargo problems can also lead to other serious disasters, like the spillage of hazardous materials. More than 50% of all hazardous materials spills caused by truck accidents involve the release of volatile or flammable materials. Loading dock workers, truck drivers, motor carriers, and/or others can be liable for tractor-trailer accidents caused by cargo issues.

Weather is a factor in more than 14% of the big rig crashes that happen each year on America’s roads. More than 1 in 4 of these crashes happen during cloudy, foggy, raining, or hailing conditions. While adverse weather can be dangerous by itself, it can also leave behind unsafe road conditions. In fact, nearly 16% of all deadly truck accidents a year occur on wet, icy, or snowy roads.

Beyond weather, traffic conditions can also make the roads dangerous:

• About 28% of 18-wheeler accidents occur when there’s congestion or right after a previous crash.
• At least one tractor-trailer is involved in about 30 of all fatal work zone crashes. For injury-only work zone wrecks, at least one big rig is involved about 10% of the time.
• Various parties can be liable for unsafe roads, depending on the specific factors involved in a crash.