Personal injury attorney Jacksonville Florida Edwards & Ragatz handle an array of cases. No matter where you go on American roadways, you’re bound to see commercial trucks on their way to pick up or drop off loads. On the most congested metropolitan areas, every fourth vehicle is a truck.
Why Trucks are Dangerous
Trucks are inherently dangerous to each other and to other vehicles on the road due to their size and operational factors in relation to other vehicles on the. As recently as 2016, 722 fatalities occurred that involved a medium or heavy truck. Truck drivers need more distance to stop, more berth to turn, and require more time to get up to adequate speed from a complete stop. Trucks take up more space in their lane than standard vehicles, both vertically and horizontally. To understand the reason for concern, it helps to look at the top causes for truck accidents and injuries in the U.S.
Driver Fatigue
Driver fatigue is common among commercial truck drivers. They are paid, not only to deliver goods, but to deliver those goods on time. Transportation logistics is dependent upon goods arriving at their destination within a reasonable timeframe. Without this, goods would not be available to consumers or might perish en route. As such, the pressure is high for a truck driver to keep driving even while tired. Truck drivers may have to cover many miles in a single haul, so pulling over for a nap could put them drastically behind their schedule. The risk is that a truck driver could lose their job if they don’t arrive on time. This is why truck drivers run the risk of driving while fatigued. Of course, driver fatigue can lead to many dangerous situations including falling asleep at the wheel, drifting into another lane, drifting off the road and onto the berm, and over-correction when the driver becomes alert again. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 846 deaths occurred from drowsy driving in 2014 alone.
Distracted Driving
It seems unfathomable that a driver pulling a large tractor trailer would take their eyes off the road to text. However, distracted driving is a phenomenon that affects commercial truck drivers as well as teen drivers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that distracted driving is one of the most common causes of commercial truck accidents and injury on American highways. Personal injury attorney Jacksonville Florida Edwards & Ragatz pursues distracted driving cases. Distractions may last for only a few seconds, but in a large truck, that’s apparently long enough to lead to a roadway accident.
Limited Visibility
Commercial trucks are larger than most other vehicles on the road. From the perspective of other drivers, trucks block views of important roadway signage and traffic lights, as well as exits. This may lead to passenger vehicles making sudden and/or reckless turns or lane crossovers in order to make it to their exit, stop at a red light or slow down in a construction zone. Commercial trucks also block upcoming hazards like potholes, disabled vehicles, pedestrians, and other potential hazards. This can lead to following vehicles succumbing to a dangerous pothole, or crashing into a parked vehicle on the berm.
Each year, drivers and bystanders fall victim to commercial truck accidents and injury. If you’ve been involved in such an incident, contact us today to find out what we can do for you.
If you or a loved one suffered from any form of a commercial truck accident or injury, allow a personal injury attorney Jacksonville Florida to provide a free consultation. An attorney can provide you with legal assistance to determine if you have a case and help you receive compensation for your injuries. Contact an esteemed personal Jacksonville medical malpractice attorney at Edwards & Ragatz for a free consultation: (904) 295-1050 or through our website www.edwardsragatz.com