Trucking accidents are often caused by dangerous actions, that can be considered negligent. Understanding how these contributing factors affect your personal injury law suit is imperative, if you are to receive the financial damages to deserve.
Contributing Factors in Trucking Accidents
Car accidents involving tractor trailers can be deadly. Those seriously injured, and the families of those killed, are often shocked to learn factors leading the the truck accident were hardly an accident.
One of the contributing factors to truck accidents is driver fatigue, due to long hours behind the wheel. Surprising as it may seem, many victims are surprised to know there are laws limiting the amount of time a driver can drive. Legal drive time for truck drivers requires a 10 hours break after driving 14 hours, no matter how many miles driven. There is a limit of 70 hours in an 8 day period. After 34 hours off duty, drivers can reset the 70 hours to regain a full 70 hours for the new week.
This may sound like solid safety laws, but remember drivers are paid by the mile. A driver can make anywhere from .19 cents a mile to around .44 cents a mile. So while they are waiting at weight stations or at docks, they get paid nothing, but still counts against their time. This results in drivers having to violate laws in order to make a living, making tired and nervous truck drivers.
Another contributing factor can be payload. Tractor trailers are designed to carry specific weights, but in order to increase profits, companies may demand drivers carry more then the limit. This impares the trucks handling and places the driver at risks of fines. Grocery companies and others can leverage the benefits and pensions to motivate drivers to be complicate. Independent drivers do not get get the benefits of working for a company, so the corporate drivers don't want to lose the perks.
Truck service, or lack there of, are factors in accidents with independent truck drivers. As making a living becomes increasingly more difficult, the drivers are forced to forego regular service to afford other mandatory expenses.
There are mechanical failures too, but these are actions that can be considered negligent. Personal injury and wrongful death law suits from trucking accidents can be complicated and expensive. If you've been injured or if you lost a loved one in a tractor trailer accidents, consult an experienced attorney to ensure you right are protected.
