The U.S. Department of Transportation states‚ that around 500‚000 trucking accidents (this means an accident that involves a truck or trailer of 10‚000 pounds or more) happen in the United States yearly. Around 5‚000, or 10% of these, are fatal accidents. The same study states that 68% of truck accidents resulting in fatalities occur in rural areas‚ and around 66% take place during daylight hours. An even greater majority of trucking accidents—about 78%—occur on weekends. If you’ve been in an accident involving a truck that resulted in injuries‚ contact the Law offices of www.needaninjuryattorneypennsylvania.com for a free consultation to learn how you can receive the maximum compensation that your case merits.
Sadly‚ when trucks are involved in collisions with cars and other smaller vehicles‚ often they cause grave injuries or even death to the parties involved. Of all deaths that happen due to trucking accidents‚ 98% of those deaths happen to drivers or passengers of the smaller vehicle. It may be extremely challenging to discern what caused the accident‚ and where the fault lies‚ if you don’t have the aid and expertise of a dedicated and experienced Pennsylvania truck accident attorney.
If you or someone close to you has recently been injured in a trucking accident in Pennsylvania‚ please contact the Law Offices of www.needaninjuryattorneypennsylvania.com. Our attorneys have the expert knowledge to make sure you receive the settlement you deserve.
Trucking Accidents Causes
Similar to car and motorcycle accidents‚ trucking accidents occur because of speeding‚ drivers who don’t obey traffic laws‚ drunk driving‚ and driving while distracted.
Yet‚ because of an increasing number of trucking accidents the news media has of late been focused on a disturbing occurrence—truckers who drive while fatigued.
Truckers frequently pull long shifts on monotonous sections of highway‚ all while their body is telling them they should be sleeping. Trucking companies have lower payroll expenses when the turnover in drivers is low‚ and drivers frequently want these long shifts so they can earn more money.
Presently‚ rules demand that truck drivers do not exceed 11 hours of driving during a 14-hour “on-duty” period. But there are no limits to how many hours a truck driver can drive without a break. Many safety advocacy groups, such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), want to to change the current rules so that there would be a limit on how many hours a truck driver can drive consecutively‚ and would only permit them to drive if it has been no more than 7 hours since their last thirty-minute break. Because these rules are not yet in place, there is a higher chance of being involved in a serious truck accident.
For more information about the rules that truck drivers and trucking companies must abide‚ and find out if the truck you were involved in an accident with was being operated in accordance with the law‚ contact one of the Pennsylvania truck accident attorneys at the Law Offices of www.needaninjuryattorneypennsylvania.com today.