Truck Accidents

Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida

Tractor-trailers deliver goods all over the country every day of the week . The drivers of these trucks often work long hours, travel great distances, have tight deadlines, and sometimes carry hazardous cargo. These factors lead to stress and fatigue, and the chances of them becoming involved in an accident with others on the road increases.

Tractor-trailers, also known as semis or 18-wheelers, can weigh up to 40 tons and reach lengths of 75 feet. Because of their massive size and weight, accidents involving large trucks involve multiple vehicles, and are often horrific in nature. While the truck driver may come out of these accidents unscathed, occupants of smaller vehicles are often injured or killed. Twelve percent of traffic fatalities are caused by accidents with large trucks, and 98% of the time, it was the driver or occupant of the smaller vehicle who died.

Reasons for Truck Accidents

• Overloading of cargo
• Driver exhaustion
• Driver stress and inattention
• Driver speeding to meet a deadline
• Mechanical failure or defective parts
• Blind spots on trucks are large making it hard to see smaller vehicles
• Not enough space is left between the truck and vehicles around it

Although training to become a truck driver is rigorous, there have been cases where that training was lax or incomplete, or the driver should not have been driving a truck of that size in the first place. However, because commercial trucking is a competitive business, and there are so many deadlines that must be met to remain competitive, many inexperienced truck drivers are driving on our highways and roads. To add to this, one of the agreements in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has made it easier for Mexican truck drivers to enter this country. Mexican truck driver training is not as intensive as it is in this country, thus it is not only American truckers who drivers must deal with on the roads.

Though the reasons or causes for accidents are numerous, the chances of being seriously injured when involved in a truck accident are much higher than if you were involved with another smaller vehicle. Another difference is that the cargo a truck is carrying may be toxic. If you are involved in an accident with a truck carrying hazardous material, you may be exposed to chemicals that are extremely dangerous. This may also be the case even if you were not directly involved in the accident due to the material becoming airborne.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident in the Mobile, Alabama or Pensacola, Florida area, please contact the experienced truck injury lawyers at Taylor Martino for an initial consultation.

This Truck Accidents Information Center is intended to provide general information only. It is not specific to your case. For answers to your questions about your own situation, contact a semi truck accident lawyer at Taylor ◊ Martino.

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