Truck Accident Causes

It is the question injured victims, law enforcement, and angry employers want to know after a truck accident happened –

“Why and how did this accident occur?”

The answer to this question is vitally important to all individuals and entities concerned:

  • The victim and/or his or her surviving family members want to know so that they can determine whether they have grounds to file a truck accident lawsuit against the trucker, his or her employer, or other third parties. These suits can provide victims and/or their families with financial compensation for physical injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other expenses caused by the truck crash.
  • Law enforcement and government officials want to know so they can enact legislation and/or engage in more effective law enforcement practices to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. For example, law enforcement and governing officials may decide to lower the speed limit on a particular stretch of highway where several speeding truck accidents have occurred over a short period of time.
  • Employers of truckers want to know so they can alert their insurance carriers as to potential litigation. Employers will also want to know how a truck accident occurred so they can decide whether to retain a particular driver or whether they need to change their training and review programs.

Whatever the party involved and regardless of fault, determining why a truck accident happened is important – and rarely easy.

In many cases, truck accidents occur because one or more parties involved in the crash behaved carelessly or recklessly.

Typical Causes of Truck Crashes

There are many potential causes for truck accidents, but a few of them are present more often than not in truck accident cases. These more frequently-occurring causes include:

  • Distracted driving: Either the motorist and/or the trucker was distracted by a cellular phone, the radio, or some other distraction that took their eyes and attention off of the road at the moment of the crash. Even something that distracts a person for a few seconds is enough to lead to an accident.
  • Drunk/impaired driving: Either the motorist and/or the trucker was under the influence of some impairing drug or substance. Alcohol and certain other drugs (both legal and illegal) impair the consumer’s ability to timely react to obstacles and hazards and impair the person’s ability to make sound, well-reasoned decisions. When these important abilities are hindered or taken away, a truck accident is more likely to occur.
  • Drowsy driving: Either the motorist and/or the trucker was sleepy at the time of the crash. Driving without obtaining proper sleep and rest can lead to a driver falling asleep behind the wheel of a car or truck. Because of this danger, commercial drivers must adhere to state and federal regulations that dictate how much time they may spend driving before they must stop and rest.
  • Speeding or other traffic violations: When a motorist or a truck driver does not adhere to the rules of the road, a collision may easily result. Most drivers expect that other drivers will do what the law requires them to do: obey speed limits, stop at stop signs and red lights, and not turn or change lanes without first signaling their intention. When drivers assume that another driver or trucker will do these things but that other driver or trucker fails to do so, collisions usually occur.
  • Faulty equipment: There have been numerous safety recalls of passenger vehicles in recent years, and this serves to highlight the danger of faulty parts. A collision can occur because a system in the car or truck malfunctioned and the driver lost control of the vehicle. While this will usually result in liability for the part or vehicle manufacturer, the driver may not escape civil responsibility for other injured parties’ losses if he or she knew of the defect and did not take reasonable actions to fix the defect.
  • Incentives: Some truck companies or freight enterprises give drivers incentives for delivering cargo ahead of schedule. This effectively gives truckers a financial incentive to speed and be reckless on the roadway. Companies who do so open themselves to potential legal liability if their truckers end up causing a crash while they are attempting to earn the incentive.

When to Call Your Truck Accident Lawyer to Help Determine Cause

Contact Stern Law, PLLC at (844) 808-7529 as soon as possible following a truck crash. You need legal counsel that has the knowledge and resources to help you investigate the cause of your truck crash. We have the experience and knowledge necessary to efficiently determine the cause of the crash and collect evidence and witness statements proving the same. We use our firm’s years’ of experience to help injury victims obtain prompt and fair compensation for their losses. Do not delay: Contact Stern Law, PLLC right away.

Contact us 24/7. Call or click now! (844) 808-7529
Request a Call Back Start Your Case