Why Fresno Truck Accidents Happen – AutoAccident.com
I’m Ed Smith, a Fresno truck accident lawyer. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 11,203,184 large trucks registered in the United States in 2015. Of that number, almost half were interstate truck drivers who operate under a commercial driver’s license. Fifteen percent were commercial drivers who operated within a particular state. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that there were almost half a million registered commercial trucks operating in California alone, according to the most recent statistics compiled by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Higher Numbers Increase the Risk of Accidents
Californians know that big trucks are heavily used in California to transport produce and other materials because it is the most cost-effective way to do so. In fact, the California Department of Transportation reports that 78 percent of the communities in the state rely on big trucks to send and receive needed goods. However, the higher the number of vehicles, the higher the risk of accidents with other motor vehicles that share the roadway.
Causes of Accidents With Big Trucks
Most accidents between motor vehicles and big trucks are the fault of the driver of the motor vehicle. Common reasons motor vehicles are at fault in these collisions are:
- Tailgating
- Unfamiliarity with the blind spots surrounding a large truck
- Traffic infractions such as speeding, not signalling when changing lanes, etc.
- Misjudging distance between vehicles
- Misinterpreting the intended actions of the other driver
- Drinking or using drugs and driving
- Cutting off a large truck
- Not allowing sufficient distance between vehicles
Common reasons large trucks cause collisions:
- Speeding
- Fatigue
- Maintenance problems such as bad brakes or tires
- Driving while impaired
- Distracted driving
- Sudden change in traffic speed
- Unfamiliar road
- Poorly loaded or overloaded cargo
Truck Accident Injuries
Accidents with big trucks not only cause fatalities, sometimes caused by underride accidents, but result in severe injuries. These can include brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries and internal injuries with resulting high medical bills, extensive hospitalization and rehabilitation and lost time from work. A seasoned truck accident injury lawyer can help by reviewing the case, gathering evidence to support your claim such as police reports, interviewing witnesses, searching for physical evidence at the accident scene and using accident reconstruction and expert witness to prepare a strong case. In this way, compensation to cover those expenses caused by a negligent truck driver can be recovered for current and future expenses associated with the crash. In some instances, the company that employs the driver may also be held liable.
Fresno Truck Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Fresno truck accident lawyer. Collisions with large trucks can leave devastating injuries because of the much heavier weight and size of a commercial vehicle. If you or a family member has suffered an injury due to the negligence of a truck driver or trucking company, assistance from an experienced Fresno truck accident lawyer can help recover fair compensation for those injuries. Please phone me at (559) 377-7676 or at (800) 404-5400 for those calling long distance. I can offer you friendly and compassionate advice that is free of cost.
When choosing a lawyer to represent you, it can be helpful to see what other clients have had to say. Find comments about my practice at Yelp and at Google. The legal site Avvo includes comments both by clients and my peers. On settlements and verdicts at my website, autoaccident.com, you can read about some of our previous cases and their resolutions.
As a seasoned injury lawyer, I have helped those with personal injuries, particularly in cases of traumatic injury such as brain injury and amputation or the loss of a loved one through wrongful death since 1982. My work has been recognized by my membership in the Million Dollar Advocates, a site for trial lawyers with proven results of $1 million in case settlements and verdicts for prior clients.
Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/traffic-transport-jam-highway-auto-2251530/
:cd bw [cs 674] cv