Flatbed truck crash
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Trucking Accident Attorney. Flatbed trucks are large vehicles used mainly for commercial reasons. Flatbed trucks have a minimum gross weight of about 10,000 pounds. This is less the weight of any cargo or passengers.
Flatbed trucks are different from a tractor-trailer truck. A flatbed is mounted directly onto the chassis of a truck. It cannot be removed. Flatbed trucks are different from a tanker truck, in that, the flatbed truck has an open flatbed. This as opposed to a covered or closed tanker. The flatbed is where cargo and commercial goods get stacked. After being loaded it gets transported.
The Various Types of Flatbed Trucking Accidents
Flatbeds trucks have been known to become involved in various types of accidents both on and off our roadways.
Watch Youtube Video: FLATBED TRUCK WRECKS, CRASHES, SEMI TRUCK ACCIDENTS. See for yourself how quickly a trucking accident can turn deadly. This is mainly due to the large size and heavy load being transported across our highways. Even flatbed trucks that are not in operation can still have accidents associated with the load that is being taken off or put on to the flatbed before or after transport.
Flatbed Truck Crash Accidents – On The Road
Many flatbed trucking accidents are caused because of the load being carried. Lumber of various types, are generally transported using these types of trucks. Many times, when a flatbed truck crash happens, logs on the flatbed truck are shifted forward on impact. They may come crashing right into the cab of the truck after the cab guards become crushed. The logs then hit the driver and/or passengers in the flatbed truck. This may result in serious injury. It may sometimes result in death. It is not just the truck accident that is dangerous. It is the load being carried as well.
Flatbeds trucks are used to haul many other types of loads as well. Some of these loads include cranes, motors, concrete beams, building materials, drywall, etc. These types of heavy loads must be tied down to the flatbed. They need to be thoroughly secured. Drivers of flatbed trucks are required to stop their trucks periodically. They are to check on their loads. They need to ensure that their cargo is properly secured. They check to see if there is any cause for concern with the load they are transporting. Even though flatbed truck drivers are for the most part careful, sometimes mistakes in securing a load adequately will lead to a trucking accident. Failure to regularly check a load while traveling on the road may lead to a serious flatbed truck crash.
Flatbed Truck Accidents – Off The Road
Not all flatbed trucking accidents occur on the road. Accidents happen while the flatbed truck is not in operation. Many times, during the loading process of cargo onto the flatbed truck, forklifts or other heavy machinery are being used to lift heavy loads onto the flatbed truck. Misjudgments while using these types of loading machinery have resulted in many flatbed trucking accidents. In these tragic cases, people have been crushed in between a forklift and the rear of a flatbed truck. Injuries and death also occur when someone becomes crushed by a falling load.
These kinds of injury accidents may be reduced through proper employee training in the following areas:
- Proper loading and unloading practices of heavy cargo.
- Proper operation and handling of forklifts or other heavy machinery.
Flatbed truck drivers should be trained in the importance of regular load checks on their flatbed trucks. In an effort to save time by not stopping to check a properly secured load, a flatbed truck driver might end up losing his or her life. Not to mention endangering lives of others.
Edward A Smith Law Offices
Ed Smith is an experienced Sacramento Trucking Accident Attorney. He has handled many injury accidents involving flatbed truck crashes. If you or someone you love has been involved in a trucking accident it is important to call a Sacramento Trucking Accident Attorney. Call us now at (916) 921-6400.
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Photo Attribution: By mattbuck via Wikimedia Commons Public Domain