Causes of Truck Accidents
Provided by the Truck Accident Injury Law Firm of Messa & Associates, serving clients through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
If you have been involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle
it is important to determine who is at fault and the cause of the
accident through legal counsel. Often times the driver in the passenger
vehicle can be considered at fault for the accident. Unsafe acts performed
by car drivers can result in accidents with truck drivers. The most
common driving habits to avoid are:
- Staying in truck drivers “No-Zone” or “blind
spots” – driving behind or beside a commercial truck
is where the truck drive has limited or zero visibility. For your
safety the left rear quarter, the right rear quarter, and directly
behind the truck at a short distance must be avoided.
- Abrupt change of lanes in front of trucks – if a truck
is cut off by a car while on a downhill grade a rear collision
can occur. The combination of the weight of the truck and speed
from going downhill can make slowing down difficult for a driver
and an accident be unavoidable.
- Right turns – if a car maneuvers abruptly to right hand
lane while a truck is turning right an accident can occur by being
in their blind spot.
- Tailgating a truck, especially in the "No-Zone".
- Intersection or Left Turns – if a care misjudges an approaching
truck's speed at an intersection, and makes a left turn in front
of the truck the results can be deadly and at no fault to the
truck driver.
- Improper merging into traffic – cutting a truck off by
maneuvering in their lane can cause a truck to maneuver or brake
quickly and lose control.
- Not allowing a truck to change lanes – if you fail to
slow down or speed up when a truck begins to change lanes or merge
a collision can occur
- Driving too slowly after pulling in from roadside – if
you are not going fast enough when you pull into traffic in front
of a truck a deadly rear side collision could occur
- Negligence of your car – if you abandon your vehicle
in a travel lane, or fail to get a disabled vehicle completely
off the highway and onto the shoulder a truck maybe unable to
stop in time to miss your car.
If a passenger car driver is at fault in commercial vehicle accidents,
the most common factor is the passenger car driver’s ignorance
of a truck's capabilities; and the truck’s performance limitations
associated with acceleration, braking, and visibility. However commercial
Truck Drivers can easily be at fault for trucking accidents for a
number of reasons as well:
- Falling asleep at the wheel
- Driving under the influence of alcohol, prescriptive medicine,
or illegal drugs
- Reckless driving – cutting cars off while merging in
lanes, failure to allow cars to pass them by
- Truck Equipment Failure – brakes do not work, other mechanical
failures
- Freight being carried is loose – items falling off of
the truck onto the road and land in other driving lanes
If you feel that you are not at fault for the trucking accident that
occurred contact Messa and Associates for a free consultation. Messa
and Associates can assist in the process of filing a lawsuit and gathering
all the necessary information to understand your situation. It’s
important to be aware of the fact that the process of filing a lawsuit
against large entities that own commercial vehicles can be an arduous.
Messa and Associates can help you understand the necessary steps to
file a lawsuit and receive your compensation for the pain and injury
suffered. |
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