What Are the Most Common Truck Accident Injuries?

Because of the sheer size and weight of commercial trucks, the injuries sustained in an accident tend to range from moderate to severe.

These can include:

If you have suffered an injury or your loved one has tragically died in a semi-truck accident, our truck accident and injury lawyers in Texas can help you receive compensation so that you can begin to move forward.

What Are the Common Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents?

Semi-truck accidents can occur for numerous reasons. However, in almost all cases, semi-truck accidents are entirely preventable. Some of the most common causes of these accidents include:

Speeding

Truck drivers are often under tight deadlines to reach their destinations, and it can lead to drivers going faster than is appropriate — or even legal.

Distracted Driving and Fatigue

Speeding isn’t the only danger of semi-truck drivers being under pressure to meet their deadlines. Despite regulations in place to prevent truck drivers from driving to the point of exhaustion, many drivers are on the road longer than they should be.

Distractions are also a leading cause of trucking accidents. It only takes a moment for a driver to take their eyes off the road to read a text, grab a drink, or turn on the radio for an accident to happen.

Improperly Loaded Cargo

In Texas, commercial truck drivers must meet state regulations on truck weight, height, and speed. If cargo is loaded incorrectly, it could tip the truck or compromise a driver’s control of the vehicle.

Driving under the Influence

Driving under the influence is more common in truck drivers than you might think. Studies show that amphetamine consumption is particularly prevalent in truck drivers to help them stay awake and alert during long drives. Prescription and over-the-counter medication also pose a risk, reducing reaction times and causing drowsiness.

Inadequate Inspections and Maintenance

Trucking companies are required to inspect and maintain vehicles to ensure they’re safe on the road. But for truck companies, maintaining a fleet can get expensive and lead to delivery delays if a truck isn’t road-worthy. If a trucking company cuts corners and a defect causes a crash, they can be liable.

Lack of Training and Safety Programs

Truck drivers must go through a rigorous qualification process to operate commercial trucks. If an individual is driving a truck they aren’t licensed to, evades critical training, or doesn’t adhere to safety regulations, their employer can be held liable after a truck accident.

Bad Weather Conditions

There’s little a truck driver can do about high winds, snowstorms, and heavy rain impacting visibility and making roads tricky to navigate. However, experienced truck drivers should take precautions when driving in inclement weather, such as going slower to prevent skidding and hydroplaning. If they don’t, and their reckless behavior causes a crash, they might be responsible.

Truck Defects

Trucking companies aren’t the only party responsible for ensuring their fleets don’t pose a danger to drivers and pedestrians. Parts manufacturers also have a duty of care. Unfortunately, many drivers won’t know they have a defective truck part until it’s too late. Any number of truck parts could be faulty, including:

• Parking brakes
• Steering mechanisms
• Lighting devices and reflectors
• Tires
• Horns
• Windshield wipers
• Rear vision mirrors
• Coupling devices
• Wheels and rims
• Emergency equipment.

What Compensation Can a Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Help You Get?

A semi-truck accident can leave you with injuries that require significant time off work or a lengthy, painful recovery, but you don’t have to struggle alone. A personal injury claim can allow you to receive a monetary award to cover your medical expenses and lost earnings and compensate you for pain and suffering.

Our Texas truck accident lawyers can help you file for compensation if you’ve been injured in an accident.

Want to find out how much compensation you could be entitled to? Try our quick and easy personal injury calculator.

Who Is Liable for a Semi-Truck Accident?

In most motor vehicle accidents, the driver who caused the accident is typically liable. However, in semi-truck accidents, multiple parties might be responsible for the accident.

The Semi-Truck Driver

If a truck driver was negligent and caused the crash, you can claim compensation for your injuries. Driver error is the most common cause of truck accidents, and negligence or recklessness can comprise many different behaviors, from driving while intoxicated or distracted to falling asleep at the wheel.

The Trucking Company

A trucking company may also be responsible if they fail to conduct proper checks on their trucks before allowing them out on the road or if they hire unqualified drivers or drivers with a history of driving problems. They can also be held liable if they encourage drivers to be on the road longer than is permitted by law.

The Manufacturer

If a defective tire blows, a poorly designed brake malfunctions, or any other truck part doesn’t work as intended due to a manufacturing flaw; the manufacturer can be held liable for any resulting crash.

The Cargo Company

In the United States, loaded semi-trucks must not exceed a weight of 80,000 pounds. If too much cargo is loaded onto a truck — or if the cargo isn’t properly secured — and it causes a vehicle to tip or a driver to lose control, they can be held liable in a compensation claim.