Causes of Truck Accidents

Truck accidents most commonly occur due to negligent driving/hiring, overloaded trucks, fatigued drivers, and the use of alcohol. Brown Chiari LLP has over 30 years of experience in personal injury litigation, therefore, you can rest assured that you have experience on your side when choosing a Brown Chiari LLP Buffalo truck accident attorney. Contact us for a free case evaluation.

The most common causes of truck accidents are:

• Negligent driving and negligent hiring.  A trucking company may be liable, not only for the unsafe operation of the truck by its driver, but also for the failure to hire safe drivers.
• Overloaded trucks and unsecured loads.  Fatal and serious injuries can occur when commercial trucks are overloaded or the loads are improperly secured, pursuant to state, federal, and industry standards.
• Truck driver fatigue.  Driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of truck accidents.  See Driver Logs.
• Alcohol related truck driving accidents.  There are numerous strict state and federal regulations regarding the use, transportation, and consumption of alcohol.  Some examples of prohibited conduct are as follows: consuming alcohol while performing safety related activities; possessing alcohol anywhere in or on the truck (unless it is part of the shipment), including any medication that contains alcohol, even over-the-counter medications such as cold medications and cough syrup; consuming alcohol within eight hours before an accident; refusing to submit to a DOT mandated alcohol and/or drug test; and reporting for duty with a blood alcohol level of .02 or greater.  A one year study conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board and the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that of 168 truck driver fatalities, 67% of fatally injured drivers had one or more drugs in their blood system and 33% of the drivers were found to have detectable blood concentrations of psychoactive drugs or alcohol.
• Defective truck equipment.  The trucking companies must properly maintain, inspect, and service vehicles to ensure their safety for travel on all roadways.  Many accidents are caused by the failure to properly maintain a vehicle.