How Do Truck Accidents Happen
Truck accidents can occur for many reasons. They often result in wide-turn, sideswipe, jackknife, T-bone, rear-end, and head-on collisions. Worst of all, sometimes, they cause rollovers, which can cause devastating damage. The most common reasons they happen include the following:
Poor Road Conditions And Bad Weather
In many cases, a truck driver may be dealing with some unfortunate circumstances on the road. Poor road conditions, such as one riddled with potholes, could be the reason a truck crashes. When there is heavy rain, wind, fog, and other poor weather conditions, this can also increase the chance of a truck accident. When wild animals enter the roadway or there are obstacles on the road, these can serve as additional distractions, forcing a truck to lose control.
Aggressive Driving
Truck drivers may act recklessly and begin driving aggressively due to an emotional outburst or impatience. They can cut off drivers, drive in lanes not designated for them, swerve out of their lane, and carry out other careless behaviors. Reckless driving is unpredictable and makes it difficult for drivers to avoid being in a truck accident.
Distracted Driving
Many commercial truck accidents are caused by distracted driving. Truck drivers are on the road for a long time and can start multi-tasking while driving. For example, they might eat a meal while driving, send emails, text, play games on their phone, and more. Truck drivers can get distracted while trying to use the radio, map their destination, or talk on their phones. These can take a truck driver’s eyes off the road, a long enough distraction to cause a semi-truck accident.
Intoxicated Driving
Although truck drivers are regularly tested by their trucking company, they may have been intoxicated in your Brookhaven truck accident case. The truck driver could have been abusing drugs or alcohol behind the wheel, causing a catastrophic truck accident. This is because drugs and alcohol can incapacitate them, making it difficult for them to process information. Poor decision-making on the road is often the result.
Fatigued Driving
Semi-truck accidents sometimes are caused by tired drivers. Because truck drivers travel long distances, they can become fatigued after a long shift. The FMCSA requires all commercial truck drivers to rest at regularly scheduled breaks. Not following this law is a violation of the FMCSA policies. When fatigued, drivers can fall asleep while driving, be too mentally fatigued to avoid other vehicles or obstacles, or make mistakes due to sheer exhaustion.
Blind Spots
Cars, motorcycles, and other auto vehicles in the blind spots around trucks can be the cause of a truck accident as well. Truck drivers have to be extra vigilant to check their mirrors regularly before changing lanes. It is difficult to see what is surrounding the truck because it is such a long vehicle. For this reason, car drivers in a truck driver’s blind spot may be collided into with no warning.
Speeding
Truck drivers traveling faster than their required speed limit can put lives in danger. Commercial trucks must drive slower than other vehicles because they weigh 20,000 to 80,000 pounds. This massive carriage takes longer to slow down than an ordinary vehicle, which means they cannot stop on short notice. Also, the length of space a truck needs to slow down can double or triple based on how fast they are going. This is why they must go slower to prevent them from crashing into a slower or stopping car ahead of them.
Improper Cargo Loading
Although not the truck driver’s fault, the cargo loading team at the warehouse may have improperly loaded the truck. The straps holding the cargo may have been loose or defective, the carriage may have had too much cargo, or the cargo could be unevenly distributed. There are many other ways cargo can be loaded incorrectly. This error can cause a semi-truck accident because it affects the balance of the truck. The truck can move uncontrollably, resulting in a scary truck accident.
Poor Vehicle Maintenance
Trucking companies have to regularly inspect their commercial vehicles to ensure they are performing to quality standards. The truck driver must also ensure they have their vehicle inspected periodically. When they fail to do this, the truck can malfunction and cause a terrible accident with no warning.
Manufacturer’s Defect
Truck manufacturers sometimes make errors in their engineering, which are later discovered as a design flaw. Manufacturer defects can unexpectedly cause a truck accident when an internal malfunction forces the truck to break down in the middle of the road.
