You may benefit from consulting with a truck accident lawyer when you suffer an injury in a South Lake Tahoe truck accident. South Lake Tahoe is a popular resort area connected by U.S. Route 50 (Lake Tahoe Boulevard) and California State Route 89, known as the Emerald Bay Road. The area sees big rig traffic as truckers make deliveries and head to Sacramento and other points. The drive along Emerald Bay can be especially intimidating because of its steep drop-offs, lack of guardrails, and hairpin turns. As a result, an accident involving a tractor-trailer can be hazardous, resulting in severe injuries and fatalities.

An accident with a commercial truck can cause worse injuries than a crash with a passenger vehicle because of its large size, height, and weight. Our South Lake Tahoe, truck accident lawyers have successfully obtained maximum compensation for our clients since 1982. While we understand that there are many injury attorneys to choose from, we want you to understand that we have the legal talent and experience to resolve your claim successfully.

When a passenger vehicle collides with a big rig weighing up to 40 tons when fully loaded, serious injuries or fatalities are bound to happen. Commercial truck drivers are regulated by state and federal governments regarding driving hours and rest breaks. In addition, a background check is performed, as well as drug and alcohol testing.

The big rig must be inspected every time it goes out on the road, well-maintained, and weighed at weigh stations. When a driver or company violates any regulations, the at-fault trucker and their company may be liable for accident injuries or fatalities. Lawyers with experience in handling truck accident claims can check the ELD (electronic logging device) and the backgrounds of the driver and company for prior violations as part of their investigation into the collision.

Most truck collisions happen like other accidents do for reasons such as committing a traffic infraction. However, some accident types are particular to large trucks and can include:

• Blindspot collisions: Big rigs have blind spots around the vehicle. This means a trucker cannot see a vehicle directly in front or back. These no-zones are much larger along the sides of a tractor-trailer and can extend across several lanes on the right-hand side. If the trucker forgets vehicles are riding alongside and changes lanes, it can cause a severe collision involving other cars.
• Overloading or careless loading: Carelessness when placing cargo in a trailer or overloading can create many problems. Overloading can lead to the truck blowing a tire, a rollover, or increased difficulty stopping. Carelessly loading a trailer so the weight isn’t distributed evenly can also cause a rollover and other problems impacting nearby vehicles.
• Jackknifing: A problem with the big rig’s brakes, speeding, an inexperienced driver, and other factors can lead to a big rig jackknife accident. A jackknife occurs when the pulled trailer speeds up faster than the tractor and slides around to one side. This action can cause it to strike other vehicles in its path.
• Underride and override accidents: Many big rigs have underride protection in the rear. However, many have no protection on the front of the big rig or the sides. This means that if the truck strikes a smaller vehicle in front, it can ride over it. Underride accidents happen when a driver to the rear goes underneath the semi, resulting in a fatality. Trauma to those who are injured includes spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.

Watch the YouTube video below to learn why truck accidents are much more severe.

Truck drivers and their companies are sometimes negligent, which can lead to a traffic collision. Some types of negligence that can cause you to ask for the assistance of the best South Lake Tahoe truck accident lawyer are listed below:

• Poor driver training: Handling a big rig is more difficult than driving a passenger vehicle and takes skill, experience, and dedication. Unfortunately, the trucking industry has been facing a shortage of drivers for a long time, which can cause companies to hire a driver without enough experience to drive safely.
• Distracted driving: Truck drivers have to spend long hours on the road to stay within their schedule and make their deliveries on time. The tedium of spending hours in a big rig on the road can lead to distracted driving, such as texting and other activities. Although these are intended by the driver to stay more alert, they can cause a truck crash.
• Fatigued driving: Truck drivers can become overly tired because of their long hours on the road. Some companies push their drivers hard to make their deliveries as quickly as possible, increasing fatigue.
• Speeding: Speeding is a problem with many motorists, including truck drivers. However, stopping or staying in control of a speeding big rig is more difficult, leading to a severe accident.
• Maintenance: A blown tire, brake failure, and many other problems can lead to a truck collision. Because truck drivers and trucking companies are mandated to check the rig every time it goes out on the road, lack of maintenance can leave them liable for an injury accident.

Because big rig collisions are more complex than those involving only passenger vehicles, the investigation to collect evidence is essential to determine liability. Therefore, our truck accident lawyers will work on the following:

• Checking the ELD for tampering or driving longer hours than allowed
• Looking at surveillance footage to see if the collision was caught on tape
• Reviewing the police report
• Checking inspection and repair records of the vehicle
• Looking into the background of both the driver and company for previous signs of negligence or traffic accidents
• Performing accident reconstruction

When you’ve suffered injuries in a collision caused by a big rig, you may benefit from our free and friendly advice when you call our experienced South Lake Tahoe truck accident lawyers at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400. See our past cases of Settlements and Verdicts.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 8.29.23] Image by chapay from Pixabay cd cha [cs 1061]}