Truck Accident Lawyer
With longer stopping distances, heavier weight, and taller profiles, it’s no wonder that commercial trucks pose a deadly risk while sharing the road with others. Many of these trucks travel on freeways and highways that allow for greater speeds, which means that such a hefty vehicle moving at a rapid pace poses a serious risk in the event of a collision.
The disparity in weight alone can make it dangerous for a standard car, SUV, van, or pickup to get into an accident with a commercial truck or other large vehicle. Considering the speed that the trucker may have been driving makes the situation particularly dangerous, and possibly deadly, if an accident were to unfold. In fact, commercial truck accidents tend to cause the most injury to those in the other vehicle, simply due to the fact that there is such a weight and size difference.
Big rigs tend to haul heavy loads and cargo, which means they require a longer stopping distance. If someone were to cut in front of a commercial truck or the trucker failed to notice a stop ahead, it’s possible that the trucker would not be able to halt in enough time to prevent a crash. Furthermore, a commercial truck usually has bigger tires, more of them, and a smaller cabin compared to a standard car. If you were to get into a head-on crash with a semi, the center of gravity and force from the truck may demolish the other vehicle, risking the lives of those inside.
Additionally, commercial vehicles have greater blind spots. Most don’t have a rearview mirror, and truckers have to depend on side mirrors to see cars behind them or on either side. The newer models may have a camera that allows them to see behind the truck, but this may not be installed into every vehicle. If you are driving in the blind spot of a commercial truck, it can hide your entire car and essentially make you invisible to truckers.
Driver fatigue is a leading cause of many truck-related accidents. The trucker may have been driving all night, during normal sleeping hours, or feeling unwell because they haven’t gotten the rest and meal breaks that they need. Not having sufficient sleep, poor diet, and stress from deadlines may pressure a trucker to operate their vehicle for a longer period of time than what is safe in one sitting. There are regulations that govern how many hours a trucker is permitted to drive in one day and total weekly. Due to the nature of the job, truckers may feel pressure from their employer to get to a destination as soon as possible, and may violate these regulations, potentially putting the lives of the general public at risk.
As a truck accident lawyer from Cohen Injury Law Group, P.C. has seen before, those who have been injured in a commercial or semi truck accident are likely to have sustained severe injury and other financial loss. It’s worth considering speaking with a legal team so that the trucker or other at-fault parties are held accountable for the tragedy they caused.