Truck Accident Attorney - Why Crashes Happen

If you regularly drive on American roads, you doubtlessly see many of the nation's hard working semi drivers on a daily basis. Without these workers and their transportation, big business would grind to a halt, and life as we know it would literally be unable to continue. That said, their importance to the economy does not put these workers and their companies above the law, nor does it erase the fact that these enormous vehicles are, in and of themselves, very dangerous presences on the highway. Getting into a crash with one often results in serious and permanent injuries, if not death. These crashes happen for many different reasons, and a truck accident attorney has seen most of them walk through the door.

Overwork

One of the most common reasons for serious crashes involving a semi is an overworked and overly tired driver. There are laws in place that "prevent" a driver from spending too much time out on the road in any one stretch. These laws are relatively new, but they were put in place because so many crashes were occurring for that very reason. Unfortunately, the laws are very difficult to enforce. They are mostly tracked through logbooks, which depend on self-reporting. If a driver knows his job depends on his getting to a certain destination in a certain period of time, do you think he will think twice about falsifying those records? Definitely not. This represents a clear and present danger, and it can result in tragedy.

Poor Maintenance

Even the best semi driver can only exercise his or her skills to their optimum abilities if the rig is in good working order. If a company sends out drivers without performing the appropriate maintenance on the semi, it puts everyone in danger. Many incidents occur each year because of equipment failure. This is negligence on the part of the company, and it is incumbent on a truck accident attorney to prove that this negligence led directly to the crash. If it can be proven, then compensation should follow.

Overload

There are strict regulations when it comes to how much weight a semi can have on board. Weigh stations are all over the place to prevent drivers from carrying too much weight, which can lead to disaster. Even with these regulations, however, there are still a number of crashes each year directly resulting from semis that have been overloaded. A good truck accident attorney will make sure that this evidence plays a role in getting a settlement.

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