Four Common Causes Of Semi Truck Accidents
If you were involved in a crash with a semi-truck, then you really should contact a lawyer and find out if you have a strong personal injury case against the driver or the trucking company they work for. To build your case, you will need to show that the driver or their truck is to blame for the accident. In most cases, you and your lawyer will argue that one of the following causes contributed to the accident.
Texting or Electronic Use
Sometimes, the driver may have been texting, talking on the phone, or even watching movies when they collided with your vehicle. This should be easy to prove by searching their phone records and finding out whether data was being used at the time of the accident. Your lawyer can call the phone company and secure this evidence. If the driver has any history of tickets for texting and driving, this could be an additional piece of evidence.
Unsafe Speed
Was the truck driver speeding? There may be witnesses willing to attest to the fact that the truck sped by them while they were driving the speed limit. Most people don't forget seeing a tractor trailer accident on the side of the road, so if you print an ad in the paper asking anyone who saw the accident to come forward and testify, you'll probably get some responses.
Equipment Failure
If the truck itself malfunctioned, the driver or their company could be held responsible, depending on the circumstances. If they failed to maintain the truck properly or if they overlooked signs of an impending breakdown, it could be argued that they acted negligently and are therefore at-fault for your injuries.
Driver Fatigue
This is perhaps the most common semi truck accident cause of them all. Drivers often sit behind the wheel for hours on end, sometimes even skipping their mandatory breaks to get to their destination faster. If your lawyer can get a hold of records showing the driver's breaks -- and those records show that breaks were skipped or the driver failed to take mandatory time off -- the driver may be at-fault for the crash.
To explore these and other possible accident causes more deeply, speak to your truck accident attorney.