Truck accidents typically involve a motor vehicle crash with a “big rig,” semi-truck, tractor-trailer or some other commercial vehicle. There are many differences between truck accidents and car accidents. For instance, there are a lot more car accidents than truck accidents. More than 7.2 million car accidents occur in the U.S. every year, but less than 300,000 truck accidents occur yearly. To put that into perspective, that means hundreds of truck accidents take place every day in the U.S. While truck accidents occur less often than car accidents every year, they pack a larger punch. Commercial truck accidents account for 287,000 insurance property damage claims and result in more than 77,000 personal injuries and 4,300 deaths in the U.S. each year. This is probably because trucks are much bigger than cars and thus, make a bigger impact. While the average car weighs between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds, a tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Since trucks are so much larger and heavier than cars, truck accidents are much more likely to result in catastrophic injuries and death. If you have been involved in a truck accident, contact our Doylestown accident lawyer today to discuss your legal rights and options. Another factor that may contribute to the deadliness of truck accidents is that trucks are allowed to carry flammable and hazardous materials – a condition that would certainly make a potential collision more dangerous. Moreover, if cargo isn’t properly secured in a truck, it could break loose in traffic and […]
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Category: Truck Accidents
In Pennsylvania and throughout the country, rollover accidents are a serious problem that are particularly common in cases involving large trucks. According to data gathered and reported on by the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, nine percent of all large truck accidents involve rollovers. Rollover accidents can be avoided with the exercise of reasonable care. Drivers and others who fail to exercise reasonable care thus risk exposing others to the dangers of a rollover accident. If you have sustained injuries in a truck rollover accident, it’s likely that you are entitled to damages as compensation for your losses. How Improper Loading Can Cause a Rollover Accident Though rollover accidents have many causes (inadequate maintenance, suspension tuning issues, tire deterioration, and more), one of the chief negligence-related causes is improper cargo loading. When the cargo load has not been properly secured, or has been unevenly distributed, then that can result in weight and balance problems that are difficult — if not impossible — for the driver to correct during maneuvers. For example, if a commercial delivery truck has been loaded with cargo that is not properly secured, then the cargo may come loose and slide to one side of the truck during a particularly sharp corner turn, thus causing the truck to overturn. Different Parties May Be Negligent Rollover motor vehicle accidents (that were caused by improper cargo loading) may expose multiple different parties to liability, depending on the circumstances. For example, though it may initially seem as though […]
TURNING OUR CLOCKS BACK INCREASES THE RISKS OF DRIVING AT NIGHT– Here Are Ten Tips to Stay Alive
This Sunday morning, at 2 AM, Daylight Savings Time will end. We will move our clocks back one hour. While many will welcome the extra hour of sleep we gain, when Daylight Saving Time ends, many people will find themselves spending more time driving in the dark. According to the National Safety Council, traffic fatalities are 3 times greater at night than during the day. Fatigue, compromised night vision, and impaired drivers are some of the risks we face when driving at night. These risks become especially pronounced moving into the weekend, with fatal crashes peaking on Saturday nights, according to NSC analysis of NHTSA data. Depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision can be compromised in the dark and the glare of headlights from an oncoming vehicle can temporarily blind a driver. Even with high-beam headlights on, visibility is limited to about 500 feet (250 feet for normal headlights) creating less time to react, especially when driving at higher speeds. Ninety percent of your reaction time depends on your ability to see what’s around you. Since your depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision decrease after sundown, your chances for a car accident tend to increase. According to the American Optometric Association, as we age, we have greater difficulty seeing at night. A 50-year-old driver may need twice as much light to see as well as a 30-year-old. At age 60 and older, driving can become even more difficult due to compromised vision as a result of cataracts […]
Unique Injury Risks Posed by 18-Wheelers
Bethlehem Truck Accident Attorney If you’ve been harmed in a Pennsylvania truck accident due to another party’s fault — such as a trucker’s reckless driving — then you may have a right to bring a lawsuit against the defendant and secure significant compensation for your losses. Effective strategies for litigating a claim vary depending on the details of the case itself. In a case where the defendant’s vehicle was an 18-wheeler (otherwise known as a “big rig,” trailer truck, or semi-truck), there are a number of unique injury risks that may be useful to consider when moving forward with litigation. Drivers and trucking companies have a responsibility not to expose others to an unreasonable risk of harm, and in doing so, they must be considerate of the inherent injury risks posed by their fleet of 18-wheelers. Let’s take a closer look. Large Blind Spots 18-wheelers have significant blind spots, making it more difficult for their drivers to identify whether they are going to cause a collision with a simple lane change or another basic traffic maneuver. Many people understand that 18-wheelers (and other large trucks) suffer from blind spot issues and make efforts to either fall back to a reasonable distance or overtake the 18-wheeler truck so as to avoid remaining in the blind spot. Maneuverability Challenges 18-wheelers can weigh up to 40 tons, making it nearly 15 to 16 times the weight of the average motor vehicle. The significant weight of an 18-wheeler, in conjunction with its unique structural […]
Truckers and Unsecured Cargo
Trucks, and all other drivers, have a responsibility to secure all cargo being transported on public roadways. Debris becomes extremely dangerous when falling from a vehicle, especially when the vehicle is traveling at a high rate of speed. Why is Unsecured Cargo Such a Concern? According to a report published by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, debris falling from vehicles causes significant damage on our roadways each year. The report found that: Loads of sand, gravel, soil, and building debris were cited as leading causes of damage. Loads being carried on short trips were of concern. This is because the time and effort required to properly secure a load was deemed less necessary for short trips. Incorrect loading of heavy goods, such as steel girders and pipes, was found to be especially dangerous for vehicle occupants, as a shift could catapult a load forward onto the cabin. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report also found that unsecured cargo caused significant property damage, personal injury and even deaths every year. Contact us immediately if you or a loved one has been injured by unsecured debris that fell off a truck or other vehicle. We can assist you through the entire legal process to ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve. What Should I Do if I Have Been Injured By Unsecured Cargo or Debris? Seek immediate medical attention if you have been injured in a vehicle accident of any kind. A complete medical examination, conducted by a […]
Multi-ton commercial trucks are difficult to operate in the best of circumstances. Roadways are never the place to take unwarranted risks and this is especially true for commercial truck drivers. Commercial trucks take longer to stop, they do not have the responsiveness that most vehicles do, and they often carry hazardous materials. Contact us immediately if you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a commercial truck driver. What Drugs are Commercial Truck Drivers Tested For? Federal laws require commercial truck drivers to be tested for the following types of drugs: Marijuana, Cocaine, Opiates (opium and codeine derivatives), Amphetamines and methamphetamines, and Phencyclidine (PCP). Different drugs can impact truck drivers very differently. Some drugs cause users to become anxious, hyper-sensitive, irritable, aggressive and willing to take unnecessary risks. Other types of drugs may depress a user’s ability to react, inhibit concentration and or cause a lack of focus. Drivers should remain sober during the operation of their trucks. Contact Drake, Hileman & Davis, PC at 888-777-7098 today if you believe you were injured by a commercial truck driver who was operating his or her vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. What are the Consequences of a Failed Drug Test for Commercial Truck Drivers? According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, failing (or refusing) a drug test will have serious consequences for commercial truck drivers. Positive test results, or a refusal to submit to a test, requires the driver to be immediately removed from […]
On behalf of Peter Hileman of Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C. posted inTruck Accidents on Friday, September 16, 2016. Common sense will tell you that every person who takes to the road is at some risk of having a motor vehicle accident. However, there are the fender-benders we are all accustomed to and then there are crashes that result in serious injury or loss of life. Those who face off against large commercial vehicles typically lose the fight, and the consequences are often very severe. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a truck accident in Pennsylvania, you already know these things. Maybe you have even decided to take legal action against the driver and/or company that owns the truck. What you might not know is how important it is for you and your attorney to contribute equally in building an effective partnership. There are two factors that you and your lawyer have in common. You both stand to gain from a successful relationship and you both share a goal of making you whole again. As lawyers who serve Pennsylvania residents, we understand how crucial it is to work together, and we want you to understand that as well. If you have chosen the right attorney, he or she will be committed to you from the outset and will work hard on your behalf. Below are a few things you can do on your end to contribute to a successful partnership with your lawyer. As a […]
On behalf of Peter Hileman of Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C. posted in Truck Accidents on Thursday, July 23, 2015. On the morning of July 22, officials in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, reported a rather odd accident involving a commercial tractor-trailer and a house. According to Pennsylvania State Police and members of the Franklin County Emergency Services, a semi-truck traveling near the Foot of the Mountain restaurant somehow lost control and ended up crashing into a home in the 14500 block of Buchanan Trail West. At least one person received a minor injury in the 7:35 a.m. crash, prompting officials to speculate that the roadway would be temporarily closed for several hours. There are a few things you should know if you have been injured due to a preventable trucking accident. One of the most critical aspects of any large tractor-trailers is its ability to stop. Semi-trucks rely on air brakes as their principal means to decrease their speed. Although some drivers will claim that their brakes failed at a critical moment, these industrial air brakes are designed with multiple redundancies and rarely experience a complete loss of their braking power. More commonly, the trucking companies who own the vehicles are often at fault for overlooking or simply disregarding necessary periodic brake inspections and maintenance. One of the telltale indicators of this type of negligence is brake imbalance. In these types of cases, forensic truck crash experts can spot poor maintenance based on whether there are substantial differences in the brake force applied […]
On behalf of Peter Hileman of Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C. posted inTruck Accidents on Thursday, June 4, 2015. Like any other industry, the commercial tractor-trailer freight hauling business can often be very competitive. Many truck companies, both here in Pennsylvania and throughout the country, struggle to keep their costs down while also turning a profits. Unfortunately, time equals money in the freight hauling business. This is especially true for tractor-trailers that haul perishable goods over long distances. It’s not uncommon for many of these drivers to feel pressured to work long hours and drive fast in order to make speedy deliveries. The federal watchdog tasked with promulgating safety within the trucking industry is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The FMCSA has long known about the dangers of drivers becoming overly fatigued due to long hours. For that reason, federal regulations now exist that attempt to limit driver fatigue in several ways. Here are some of the more important aspects of those rules: — 14-hour day maximum when also driving. We often assume that a truck driver is only working when they are behind the wheel. Not so. For example, a freight hauler may need to re-secure their loads or perform other maintenance duties. However, the FMCSA puts a cap on a truck drivers total daily work hours at 14 consecutive hours. It’s important to know that this can only occur if the driver has previously been off-duty for at least 10 consecutive hours. — Rest breaks. Although there […]
On behalf of Peter Hileman of Drake, Hileman & Davis, P.C. posted in Truck Accidents on Friday, March 20, 2015. We’ve all heard the phrase “where the rubber meets the road” used to describe a crucial aspect of an endeavor. That phrase holds special significance when you consider that most commercial tractor-trailers operate with 18 tires as they travel along Pennsylvania roadways. Just like your personal vehicle, trucking company fleet managers and maintenance officials have to keep their vehicle’s tires rotated every so often in order to maintain proper alignment. Improperly aligned vehicles can produce uneven tread wear that can sometimes lead to potentially hazardous situations to other motorists. Your Pennsylvania trucking accident attorney will look for any sign of mechanical problems in a vehicle involved in your accident. Uneven tire wear can be an indicator that responsible parties may not have observed industry standards with regards to their vehicle and tire maintenance. For example, your attorney can often review vehicle maintenance logs and determine whether truck maintenance on suspension systems components such as leaf spring or shocks may have affected the tires’ tread wear. Your attorney can also determine whether the tires on the truck involved in your accident were unsuitable for the road’s surface. Truck tires with excessive tread wear patterns sometimes fail to provide sufficient traction for driving during adverse weather conditions. Trucks with excessive tread wear may also affect braking distance when tractor-trailers engage their brakes when traveling down steep inclines. If you have been injured by […]
