Fighting For Your Right To Compensation After A Truck Crash
Texas has a bustling economy and thousands of commercial semi-trucks pass through the state transporting goods. Unfortunately, this means that there is always risk of innocent drivers suffering injuries in a truck accident. Clement + Speer Law Firm in Dallas has vast experience and knowledge gained from handling complex trucking cases.
“Truckers — The Bullies of the Road,” “Technical Trucking,” “New Commercial Motor Vehicle Technology” and “Driving While Fatigued” are the titles of speeches that one of our attorneys, Todd Clement, has given to thousands of lawyers all over Texas to help them effectively prosecute trucking and other commercial vehicle cases. When a trucking case is entrusted to us, we put that knowledge to work to discover why you or your loved ones were needlessly injured. We will fight tirelessly to help you win the compensation you deserve.
Truck Accidents Can Have Catastrophic Consequences
Federal law has safety regulations that truck drivers and companies must follow to prevent accidents from occurring. When a driver or company fails to follow the rules or act in a reasonable manner, they may put the safety of others on the line. Due to the size difference between large trucks and regular passenger vehicles, the results of an accident can have devastating consequences leading to lifelong injuries.
Common injuries resulting from truck crashes can include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones
- Amputations
- Internal organ damage
- Fatalities
Because of the number of parties involved in a truck accident claim, your best chance at a favorable outcome is to work with an experienced personal injury attorney. We will take over communications with insurance companies, evaluate your case and help you determine who the at-fault party is. In a trucking accident case, you can recover damages for your medical expenses, lost wages, lost future income and any other costs associated with the accident.
Why Truck Accidents Happen
Just like with regular car accidents, truck accidents can happen due to a multitude of reasons, from distracted driving to improper training. Trucking companies negligently hire drivers with two or more past DWI’s, an excessive history of tickets and many prior at-fault collisions. Before hiring a driver, trucking companies are required by law to obtain the trucker’s driving record and contact their past employers. All too often, trucking companies break the law and put dangerous drivers behind the wheel. While industry standards require firing drivers with over three tickets in three years and require the companies to obtain driving records and conduct a comprehensive review of their safety record every year, trucking companies often neglect to do so — keeping bad drivers on the road.
Trucking companies are required to train drivers to safely drive their trucks; yet training is often neglected because training is expensive and does not make them money. In one recent case, the trucking company failed to provide any training whatsoever before putting a 19 year old driver with a questionable foreign driver’s license behind the wheel. Within weeks, he made an improper turn that broke an elderly client’s neck. In another case, the trucking company failed to re-train a driver after his improper turn caused a collision, so he did the same exact maneuver six months later causing a severe collision injuring a young college student.
Because of their truck’s vast potential for harm, truckers must drive defensively, yet there is good reasons why truckers are often called “the bullies of the road.” By law, truckers must keep a proper lookout, watch their blindspots, drive at a safe speed, reduce their speed when conditions like rain, fog and ice require it and anticipate upcoming dangerous roadway conditions. Yet, those laws are broken daily by unsafe truckers. The law also requires trucking companies to properly maintain their vehicles and requires truckers to conduct daily vehicle inspections before starting their work day. However, many trucking companies and truckers neglect inspections and put off needed repairs and maintenance to squeeze a few more miles out of defective equipment to save money — turning the truck into a ticking time bomb.
Accidents Can Be Caused By Driver Fatigue And Distraction
Another cause of truck accidents is distracted driving, through fatigue and cell phone use. Despite the fact that it is prohibited by federal law, many truckers drive while talking on their cell phones, texting and emailing, eventually causing accidents. The Federal Government has passed laws (the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations) that prevent truckers from driving too many hours. Since time is money to truckers and their bosses, these laws are often violated causing terrible collisions and injuries.
Even if the trucker is complying with the law, excessive hours can still result in fatigue. In a recent case, an in-town trucker’s routine legal practice of working 12+ hours per day resulted in fatigue that contributed to a dockworker being crushed. Fatigue has also played a major factor in cases where truckers fell asleep at the wheel and crossed over to the opposite lane with devastating consequences.
Federal law prohibits the operation of a commercial motor vehicle under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Both pre-employment and random testing is required and often neglected. In a recent case, co-employees and supervisors reported a trucker’s drinking on-the-job to the trucking company, but nothing was done because of its need for drivers. The trucker subsequently caused a catastrophic collision when he ran a red light with a blood alcohol content of .30%.
Discuss Your Truck Crash Claim Today
Our firm has the knowledge and resources to recognize these and many other causes of trucking accidents and to hold those responsible for these causes accountable for the harm they have done. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact us today at 888-844-2056 or online.