Your Injury Law Group
Your Injury Law Group
  • 1515 N. Federal Highway
    Suite 305
    Boca Raton, FL 33432
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    (866) 824-4222

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What Are Common Causes Of Commercial Vehicle Accidents Across Florida?

What Are Common Causes Of Commercial Vehicle Accidents Across Florida Lawyer, Boca Raton, FLKey Takeaways

  • The most common causes of truck accidents are driver fatigue and distracted driving.
  • Drive defensively when sharing the road with commercial trucks. Semi-tractor trailers take longer to stop, and their trailers take up a lot of on-road and off-road space when they change lanes or turn.
  • To recover financially from a commercial truck accident, you need to prove who was at fault, which is best done by hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer.

From our experience, the most common causes of truck crashes are driver fatigue and distracted driving, followed by failure to adjust driving and speed to road and weather conditions, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and careless or reckless driving. Poor training, lack of proper maintenance of the trucks themselves and improper cargo loading can also lead to serious accidents and injuries.

What Are Some Severe Injuries Resulting From Trucks Or Commercial Vehicle Accidents?

One of the major factors in serious truck crashes is the size and weight differences between the trucks and the other vehicles on the road. Injuries from these crashes are often much more serious and debilitating than seen in crashes involving similarly-sized vehicles.

Typical big rig semi tractor-trailers rated as Class 8 trucks can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. Even when transporting cargo at less than their maximum allowed weight, tractor-trailers typically weigh many tons more than even the heaviest SUVs and pickup trucks, and dwarf most passenger cars in both size and weight.

When a heavy tractor-trailer crashes into a much smaller and lighter passenger vehicle, the laws of physics can overwhelm even the safest-built vehicles. When a large heavy truck crashes into a much smaller, lighter vehicle, the momentum of the truck’s sheer size and weight often crushes and deforms any light-vehicle it hits, sometimes even intruding into the passenger compartment itself and, unfortunately, its occupants. The results of these impacts are often catastrophic.

And it’s not just the truck’s size and weight that cause serious injuries and death. For example, I’ve also seen disastrous results from truck drivers misjudging the paths of their trailers when making simple turns at intersections.

When a tractor-trailer turns a corner, the rear wheels of the trailer follow a different path from those of the tractor itself. This is called off-tracking. The longer the truck and trailer, the more the rear of the trailer can off-track from the path of the turning truck. When making a sharp right turn for example, the semi-truck will cut the turn at a much sharper angle than the trailer it is pulling. This results in the trailer being pulled across the ground to the right of the path of the truck, cutting across the corner rather than around the corner. When off-tracking pulls the trailer off the road and across a street corner, this can lead to instant disaster.

Early in my career I assisted in a case where a tractor-trailer turned right at a busy intersection. The front of the truck made the sharp right turn around the corner but the trailer it was pulling off-tracked to the right of the intersection, cutting over the sidewalk and across the corner. A child had been sitting on the sidewalk waiting for her school bus when the wheels of the trailer drove over her. I learned early in my career how devastating a simple right turn can become to a grieving family.

Who Is Potentially Liable For My Serious Injuries Resulting From A Trucking Accident?

Liability in Florida is based on fault. To recover financially for your injuries in Florida, you have to prove that it was the other person’s fault.

This requires the skills, training and resources of an experienced personal injury attorney.

At Your Injury Law Group, we have the experience, skills and investigative tools to quickly and effectively locate and secure the evidence needed to determine and prove liability. The earlier we become involved in the case, the quicker we can spring into action, determine what is needed to prove liability and take the necessary actions and investigation to secure the necessary evidence.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or worse in truck accident, don’t delay. Call Your Injury Law Group now. The help you need is only a phone call away. Call us at (866) 824-4222 today.

Your Injury Law Group

Call For A Free Consultation
(866) 824-4222
We Are Available For You 24/7

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