Large truck crashes result in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries each year. Because of their size and weight (50,000 to 80,000 pounds with a load of freight), they introduce a disproportionate hazard to the occupants of other vehicles on the road.
Sue a Trucking Company for Putting Profits before Safety: Call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free)
A trucking company is putting profits before safety when it
- uses drivers who have a history of traffic violations, drug use, excessive alcohol consumption, untreated sleep apnea, or a medical condition that could result in unconsciousness;
- does not adequately train its drivers;
- uses drivers who are not qualified under state and federal laws;
- does not discourage violations of the federal Hours-of-Service regulations (meant to keep overly tired drivers off of the road);
- encourages speeding by unrealistic scheduling routes;
- has drivers communicate with the company while driving using a cell phone;
- allows a trailer to be overloaded;
- does not maintain the semi cab or trailer;
- has drivers use trucks that have recalled parts or any suspected defect.
Unqualified and Overtired Truck Driver
Our team of truck accident lawyers has won millions from trucking companies who put safety before profits, including a recent settlement for $5,150,000 on behalf of a motorcyclist who suffered an amputation injury when an unqualified and overtired delivery truck driver collided with him.
Distracted Driver
Our law firm is seeing more cases where distracted drivers cause severe injuries and wrongful death. In one of our cases, a trucker was talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone at the time of the crash, which resulted in the death of the driver that hit the truck from behind. The family hired our attorneys to prove their loved one was not at fault. We obtained cell phone records and interviewed both the tractor-trailer driver and his girlfriend. They also hired experts to prove that, at the time of the crash, the trucker had stopped for no apparent reason in the middle of the road. Both the big rig driver and the trucking company were legally responsible and their insurance companies paid the family.
Our attorneys have helped many families get compensation and justice with a wrongful death lawsuit against semi truck company.
Semi-Tractor and Trailer Defects Cause Crashes
On average, nearly 21% of large commercial trucks and 5.5% of drivers targeted for inspection had out-of-service defects noted (NTSB).
Before a tractor-trailer goes on the road, the driver and trucking company should conduct pre-trip inspections, checking for proper brake adjustment, ensuring maintenance on brake systems with automatic slack adjusters, checking trailer hitch mechanisms, etc.
One of our cases involved a tire coming off of a truck, falling from a bridge and flying through a windshield of a car, killing the driver. His wife hired our law firm to prove her husband was killed by truck company negligence.
When our truck accident lawyers conduct an independent investigation of a crash, they and their team of experts look for evidence of a defect, find out if there was a recall on any of the parts, and look at maintenance records. In a recent wrongful death lawsuit, their efforts uncovered evidence of sloppy maintenance, and they won multi-millions from the company that had serviced the vehicle prior to the accident.
For more information, see below.