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Truck accidents and your rights as an accident victim

On Behalf of | Aug 6, 2017 | Car Accidents/MVA |

Large trucks are crucial to the American economy because they transport various goods back and forth across the country. With their important role, however, comes a higher risk of inflicting serious injuries in an accident. Due to their heavier weight and larger size, a semitrailer truck has the ability to cause serious damage to smaller vehicles, even in a low speed crash. 

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, people in passenger vehicles are more likely to die when involved in an accident with a semitrailer. One of the main reasons for this is the heavier weight, often 20 to 30 times more than smaller vehicles, as well as the higher clearance, which can lead to a large truck overriding a smaller vehicle.

What causes truck accidents?

Truck accidents happen for many reasons. Sadly, many of these are preventable and unnecessary. One of the most prominent of these reasons is fatigued driving, and it may be more prominent than you think:

  • While truckers are limited in the number of hours they may drive, these regulations are often broken.
  • Federal regulations currently prohibit truck drivers from driving more than 11 hours consecutively.
  • Drivers logs, including new electronic ones, can verify if a trucker was behind the wheel longer than permitted.

Fatigued driving is just one of the many reasons that truck accidents happen. Distraction, reckless driving and simple human errors can also lead to serious truck accidents. If you believe that you suffered injuries in a Kentucky accident caused by a negligent or reckless truck driver, you have legal options available to you.

Braking capability and truck accidents

One factor that plays a significant role in many truck accidents is braking capability. Trucks take longer to brake and come to a complete stop, and following too closely, inattentiveness and speeding can have detrimental consequences. Trucks also have more difficulty braking when the roads are slippery, wet or in poor condition. 

Your rights as a truck accident victim

A truck accident is serious, and yours may have left a permanent impact on your life. You do not have to suffer from the actions of a negligent or reckless trucker on your own, but you may have grounds to move forward with a personal injury claim in order to pursue financial compensation. Holding liable parties responsible is important, but you may benefit from first seeking a complete explanation of your legal options.

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