The Main Causes for Accidents Involving Large Trucks and 18-Wheelers

Truck drivers must be trained in order to operate large vehicles. Nevertheless, accidents still happen.

According to the Department of Transportation in 2005, there were:

• 4,932 Large Trucks Involved in Fatal Crashes
• 5,212 Fatalities in Crashes Involving Large Trucks
• 139,772 Large Trucks Involved in Non-Fatal Crashes
• 60,617 Large Trucks Involved in Injury Crashes

Accidents involving 18 wheelers are among the most dangerous and most deadly in the nation. In 2005, Texas alone had a combined 15,589 fatal and non-fatal crashes. If you have been injured by an 18-wheeler or any other type of commercial truck, it is essential that you contact an experienced 18 wheeler accident attorney to start working for you. Houston 18 wheeler accident attorneys can advocate for your rights and help you get the compensation you deserve. Whether there is construction on a major highway or any other road these large semi-trucks are on, there will always be significant risks posed by these conditions. Handling these cases requires a working knowledge of the framework of trucking regulations, and this goes above and beyond the legal knowledge required for a more typical personal injury case.

Reasons for Crashes

Truck drivers repeatedly break federal laws by:

• Failing to stay in their proper lane
• Failing to yield to others
• Driving too fast
• Not paying attention to the road while using their cellular phone
• Disobeying traffic laws
• Overloading their trucks

Obtaining Legal Representation

The truth of the matter is that those involved in a trucking accident often suffer serious physical harm or death as a result of the negligent party. The complexity of these cases means that you should consult an experienced attorney and should NOT rely on the trucking company’s insurance adjuster to look out for your interests. Whether it’s the trucking company pushing their drivers to have their goods delivered on time or the greedy driver, himself, trying to drive more than the allowable time, these companies and truck drivers owe a duty to the public and should operate their semi-trucks in a safe manner. To protect your legal rights, it is important to contact an 18-wheeler accident lawyer as soon as possible after the accident.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the top three causes of accidents involving 18-wheelers and tractor-trailer trucks are:

1. The truck leaves travel lane, which can be into another lane or off the road (32%)

2. The driver loses control of the truck (29%), often due to

a. traveling too fast for conditions

b. a shift in the distribution of cargo

c. general vehicle systems failure

d. poor road conditions, or other reasons

3. Rear-end collision with the back of another vehicle in the truck’s travels lane (22%).

When a tractor-trailer is in an accident for one of the above reasons, the driver is the primary cause of the crash, nearly 87% of the time. Ten percent of accidents involving big rig trucks are directly caused by the truck, and three percent by the environment. 

At Zehl & Associates trucking accident attorneys know that negligence comes in many forms, not just driver impairment. We thoroughly investigate every case, bringing in accident reconstruction experts when needed.