The loss of life and property as a result of accidents involving trucks can be significantly greater than those where only cars are involved. In a truck accident, the size and weight of the truck, along with the weight of its cargo can have more severe consequences for those involved or nearby.
There are many different reasons why trucks get involved in accidents.
The six most common causes of truck accidents in Tennessee are as follows:
1. Inadequately trained drivers – though a driver may possess a commercial driver’s license, he or she may not know enough defensive driving techniques to avoid a collision.
2. Problems with securing the cargo load – the weight of the load, and/or with the nature of the load itself can lead to braking problems, balance problems, and tip-overs.
3. Poor maintenance and inspection of the vehicle – this often results in some form of mechanical failure, like those caused by insufficient brakes, bald tires, or safety features that are not working properly.
4. Driver fatigue – most often the result of the financial pressure truckers feel to drive farther even when they have reached the limits of what they are physically able to do in a safe manner.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations govern the hours of service that truck drivers are allowed to drive. These regulations strictly limit the number hours truckers are allowed to drive each day. The problem is that the trucking companies don’t always enforce these rules and they often push their drivers to drive more than what the regulations allow, simply because it makes them more money.
So, while you may have a truck driver who falls asleep at the wheel because he is exhausted from driving so much, the real problem is corporate greed that pushes drivers to overdrive their logs, causing driver fatigue that results in truck accidents.
5. Speeding – Whether in excess of the speed limit or at a rate that is too fast for the particularly hazardous conditions, such as those caused by rain, sleet, snow, fog or smoke.
6. Drug or alcohol use by the truck driver.
Whether it be single-vehicle or multi-vehicle accident, and whether it be due to mechanical failure or an inexperienced, fatigued, or drunk truck driver, if you have experienced loss or serious injuries as result of a truck accident, be aware that the particular liability that rests with truck drivers and trucking companies, as result of state and federal regulations, may be a huge advantage to you in pursuing compensation for your losses.
Contact an Experienced Tennessee Truck Accident Attorney
Truck accidents are far too common and the resulting loss of life is deeply regrettable. For the survivors, however, depending on the circumstances, a range of options exist to mitigate the losses caused by truck accidents in particular.
Contact us to speak with an experienced Tennessee truck accident attorney who can help you recover the damages you deserve.