Truck Accident

Truck accidents involving large commercial trucks and 18-wheeler trailers are quite common in the state of Texas, unfortunately, and more often than not, it’s the other party in the accident that ends up getting severely injured or worse due to the bulky build of commercial vehicles.

It’s true that at times, the truck driver, truck manufacturer, the cargo company or even the concerned transport company is not at fault in such accidents, but in a majority of the situations, one or more of the three are found to be guilty to a varying extent though. Stay with us as we explore some of the most common reasons behind the far too frequent truck accident reports in Texas.

Truckdriver Fatigue and Willful Negligence

If a truck driver is overworked, whether of his own volition or due to unfair/illegal workhour expectations from the employing company, they are liable to fall asleep on the wheel, drive in a distracted manner or may run a red light unknowingly.

On the flip side, the driver could be held directly responsible for willful negligence if he causes the accident due to speeding, willfully ignoring traffic signals/other traffic rules, driving under the influence, driving while texting/talking on the phone, etc.

Improper Cargo Loading

If the company whose cargo the truck was carrying loaded their cargo onto the truck without following all essential safety measures or overloaded it beyond the safety thresholds, that would sometimes cause the driver to lose control of the large vehicle or may result in the cargo coming loose and causing an accident.

Manufacturing Defect

Manufacturing defect as a cause for accidents is not as uncommon as it should be, and sometimes, such defects are found to be design flaws plaguing an entire line of trucks manufactured.

Illegal Hiring

There are set standards for hiring a truck driver, which varies in accordance with the transportation company’s requirements, as well as the vehicles those drivers will have to handle as part of the job.

If inadequately trained drivers are hired by the transportation company or a truck driver is forced to handle duties beyond what he is trained to handle, the trucking company itself can be held as both the reason for the accident as well as the guilty party in the ensuing lawsuit.

Legal Counsel is Essential to Determine Both the Cause and the Guilty Party

Those that have been in a truck accident or happen to be the surviving members of a fatality caused due to such an accident should first seek out counsel from a Houston truck accident lawyer, preferably one with an excellent record of winning their cases.

The lawyer will be able to help the potential claimant determine the cause behind the accident, as well as identifying the guilty party, for maximum chances of winning the biggest possible compensation amount. Given that well-reputed truck accident lawyers do not charge their clients until they win the case, it’s a financially safe way to determine the cause and the guilty party after a truck accident.

For numerous years now, Texas has been sitting atop the list of states with the highest commercial truck accidents, as well as fatalities related to those accidents. As that is not a record to be proud of, the reasons specified here should serve as a reminder for truck drivers, transport companies, and even truck accident victims in regard to what their respective duties, obligations, and options are, to avoid and/or manage such unfortunate incidents, as best they can.