Many large commercial trucks travel through Vacaville daily to transport produce and other freight from Sacramento to San Francisco. The several thousand commercial trucks, often big rigs, share the road with many other commuters. As such, accidents involving these large trucks and other vehicles are a common occurrence. Because of the size of the trucks involved, these accidents often cause severe or even life-threatening injuries.

The trucking industry is massive, with thousands of small and large companies transporting an estimated 10.49 billion tons of freight annually. The logistics of this massive operation mean that safety precautions are frequently overlooked. Consequently, despite extensive industry regulation, truck driver and truck company negligence often cause devastating accidents involving trucks.

A Vacaville truck accident lawyer has detailed knowledge of the issues specific to trucking litigation. This massive industry is known for distorting and hiding evidence critical to proving driver negligence. Additionally, the trucking industry is governed by a complicated web of state and federal regulations that an attorney must know how to navigate.

Accidents involving big rigs are often especially devastating because of the significant difference between commercial trucks and many vehicles. Commercial trucks weigh anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 pounds, while most vehicles on the road weigh only 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. Therefore, when a big rig strikes another vehicle, the force is often significant enough to total the opposing car, threatening people’s lives within the vehicle.

Common injuries in these accidents include the following:

• Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and other head trauma
• Extremity injuries, including large-scale leg fractures and even traumatic amputation
• Extensive abdominal and chest injuries, with potential for severe organ damage
• Second and third-degree burns
• Facial trauma and scarring

These severe injuries often lead to long-term hospitalization and prolonged rehabilitation after the accident. This prevents those injured from returning to work and burdens family members who care for the injured victims. Pursuing a personal injury lawsuit can help victims and their families relieve some of this burden.

The video below discusses the types of injuries in a truck accident:

While the injuries described above are devastating, many victims in semi-truck accidents also tragically lose their lives. In fact, semi-trucks are responsible for more than 3,000 fatalities in car accidents every year. These fatal significant rig accidents forever change families. Pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit may help reduce costs faced by the family while ensuring those who caused the accident is held responsible.

Most trucks transporting freight throughout the US do not get into accidents. The accidents that happen, though, are often due to either driver or truck company negligence.

In accidents caused by driver negligence, the circumstances can be highly diverse. These circumstances are described below.

• Distracted driving: Distracted driving is one of the most common forms of negligence that causes truck accidents. This includes drivers eating while driving, using their cell phones, and examining maps or GPS. Anything that takes a driver’s eyes from the road is considered distracted driving and negligence.
• Aggressive driving: Road rage is a common driving problem but especially dangerous with drivers of semi-trucks.
• Excessive speed: Time is money in the trucking industry, pushing many drivers to exceed the legal speed limits. This extreme speed can cause, especially horrific accidents.
• Improperly secured cargo: Failing to secure or overload the load can cause accidents as the weight shifts may remove a vehicle from a driver’s control.
• Improperly maintained vehicle: A driver is responsible for ensuring a truck works appropriately to ensure brake failure, or other mechanical malfunction does not cause an accident. Failure to do so may result in a severe accident.
• Driving while intoxicated: Drug and alcohol use can cause accidents, especially if they drive for longer hours.
• Fatigued driving: Many drivers violate federal and state hours-of-service regulations and drive well over the 10 to 11-hour maximum defined in the law. Many accidents are then caused by these drivers falling asleep while driving.
• Violations of state and federal regulations: The hours-of-service rules above are the most common violations that cause accidents, but other violations may also cause accidents.

Truck company actions can also cause accidents, although typically, it combines a truck company and driver negligence. Here are some common forms of commercial truck company negligence:

• Improperly trained drivers: Truck companies are legally obligated to employ trained drivers with commercial driver’s licenses. Failure to do so can cause serious accidents.
• Poorly maintained vehicles: Truck companies, like truck drivers, are responsible for ensuring their fleet of cars is in proper working condition.
• Dangerous scheduling: A truck company loses money every minute a driver or truck is not on the road. This drives many drivers to exceed their federally mandated hours of service and endanger lives while driving fatigued.
• Violations of State and Federal Regulations: Just as drivers violate state and federal regulations governing the trucking industry, so, too, do truck companies. This can include ordering drivers into dangerous weather, authorizing hazardous cargo, and employing drivers without a commercial license.

The negligence described above certainly causes many accidents, but proving negligence in court can be challenging due to certain trucking industry practices. Because time is money, many trucks involved in accidents are rapidly repaired, destroying critical evidence of negligence. Additionally, a truck’s return to service may overwrite the onboard data recorder that holds vital evidence for proving negligence. An attorney experienced in truck driving accidents can help you navigate these issues to ensure those responsible are held accountable.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), truck accidents result in more than $100 billion in damages yearly. Much of this $100 billion burden falls on trucking accident victims, and victims can relieve this burden by pursuing legal action.

If you or someone you love has been severely injured or died in a trucking collision, please call our skilled Vacaville truck accident lawyers today at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice.

We are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

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^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 7.28.23] Photo by Jairph on Unsplash kw/bw [cs 1101]}