What are the dangers associated with 18-wheelers?

The American Association for Justice recently released the findings of a study of safety performance data that reveals more than 28,000 motor carrier companies have violated federal safety regulations, putting U.S. motorists on the roads with trucks that have such violations as defective brakes, bald tires, loads that dangerously exceed weight limits and drivers with little or no training, or drug and alcohol dependencies.

The safety data comes from the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS), maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The study indicates that while truck accidents occur for a variety of reasons, many are preventable, and often a direct result of trucking companies violating safety standards to cut corners and maximize profits.

Among the startling findings revealed in FMCSA data:

• More than 4,000 people die every year in collisions with trucks, and 80,000 more are seriously injured.

• Though trucks make up less than four percent of all passenger vehicles on U.S. Roads, they are involved in 12 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities.

• The vast majority of people killed in accidents with trucks are the drivers and passengers of the cars that get hit.

Making matters even worse, the AAJ report says not only do the trucking companies disregard safety laws, but the minimum insurance requirements for commercial trucks are completely inadequate to compensate those who have been seriously injured in a collision.

When negligence turns deadly

In July 2009, Beasley Allen represented the family of a man killed in Elmore County, Alabama, when the van he was driving was crushed between two log trucks. The evidence showed that the truck that struck the Plaintiff's vehicle was being operated at a high rate of speed, with inoperable and defective brakes, in violation of Alabama law. A Chilton County, Alabama, jury awarded the man's family a verdict of $3.5 million as a result of evidence presented at trial.

"I am grateful to see that folks in Chilton County value human life and will not accept unsafe trucks traveling on Alabama highways harming its citizens," said Beasley Allen attorney J. Cole Portis. "I know that this jury's verdict will make a difference in the log truck industry."

What can I do if I have been injured as the result of an 18-wheeler accident?

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury as the result of an 18-wheeler accident, you may be entitled to compensation. For a free legal consultation, contact us today!