A semi-truck accident can upend your life. It can leave you with catastrophic injuries that you may never recover from, dealing you lingering pain and an inability to live your normal life, all at a time when you’re unable to work to make enough money to pay for your recovery-related expenses. On top of all that, the emotional turmoil associated with it all can be completely overwhelming. The good news, though, is that you may be able to find accountability and recover compensation for the harm caused to you by pursuing a truck accident personal injury claim.
As you work to build your truck accident case, you’ll need to be aware of what evidence will most likely position you for success. One way to look at it is what trucking errors are most likely to lead to injury or death. Let’s look here so that you can actively work to avoid those risk factors or, if it’s too late, look at them so that you know what kind of evidence you can use to build a compelling personal injury case.
Top three trucking violations that lead to injury or death
There are countless errors that can be made when operating a big rig. Some, though, are more dangerous than others. Here are some of the riskiest mistakes that could put you or someone you love in harm’s way:
- Trucker fatigue: Although they’re subject to hours-of-service regulations, truckers often push themselves too hard to meet deadlines and rack up miles to increase their pay. Of course, then they don’t get enough sleep or take enough breaks to regain their mental focus. As a result, they may struggle to recognize changing traffic conditions, keep their eyes on the road or even keep their eyes open. This can dramatically increase the amount of time and distance they need to stop their rig, and they may fail to yield at stop signs or traffic signals. Any of these fatigue-related issues can cause them to slam their rig into you at a high rate of speed, increasing the chances that serious injury or death will occur.
- Speeding: All too often, truckers blow past the speed limit. Considering that the speed with which a semi strikes your vehicle can affect a wreck’s severity, a speeding truck can act like a missile rocketing right toward you. And given how quickly they can move, you may not even realize they’re headed your way until it’s too late.
- Distracted driving: While distracted driving is a safety issue for all drivers, it can be especially problematic for truckers. These individuals spend hours a day behind the wheel, where they can quickly become bored or hypnotized by the road. Looking at a cell phone, eating, reading billboards and zoning out can all prevent a trucker from adequately seeing the road in front of them. Again, this can cause them to slam into another vehicle without hardly slowing down, thus enhancing the risk of serious injury or death.
Don’t let a negligent trucker get away with harming you
You deserve to be safe out on the road. When an errant trucker causes you harm, you need to work to find accountability and to recover the compensation necessary to offset your losses. If you’d like to learn more about how to do that, then please continue to read up on the legal process and the evidence needed to build a compelling personal injury claim.