Trucks are far larger, haul more weight and take up much more road space than the average passenger vehicle. When behind the wheel, especially on the highway, many drivers experience stress and anxiety when navigating the road with a large truck, as trucking accidents often occur without warning.
Highway accidents that involve a large truck can have devastating consequences. These collisions have a variety of causal factors, and these inputs are crucial when discovering the cause and establishing fault.
Common truck accidents
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, large truck accidents are most often due to more than one factor rather than a single circumstance alone. These causes include:
- Driver behavior, including distracted, drowsy, rushed or aggressive driving
- Unfamiliarity of roadways
- Brake problems
- Poor truck maintenance
- Mechanical failure
- Incorrectly loaded or stored cargo
- Highway conditions
Truck accidents may involve a single vehicle, motorcycle, bike or pedestrian, or they may involve two or more vehicles or parties.
These collisions can be catastrophic, as rollovers, rear-end accidents, head-on collisions, jackknife, blind-spot and t-bone accidents can result in significant property damage, major injuries and even fatalities.
Determining liability
A special set of regulations applies to truck drivers and their vehicles, which can make any truck accident a unique case. To determine fault in a trucking accident, an investigation will look at each driver’s behavior, roadway and weather conditions, vehicle conditions, local traffic regulations and the truck driver’s background and experience to assess liability.
If an investigation finds the truck driver, equipment manufacturer or trucking company liable for the crash, whether due to negligence, improper training or performance issues, those involved in the accident can seek adequate compensation for damages and personal injuries.
