Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Large truck accidents are generally more dangerous and more often fatal than typical car accidents. Trucks are thousands of pounds heavier than passenger cars and often carry equipment, materials, or chemicals that can add to the danger when the truck crashes. Large trucks also face different accident risk factors than do typical passenger cars. Accidents can be caused by the negligence of the truck driver, the trucking company, truck manufacturers, third-party contractors, or other drivers on the road. Learn below some of the more common causes of large truck accidents, and reach out to a seasoned New York truck crash lawyer if you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a truck accident in Goshen, the Hudson Valley, or New York City.

Drowsy drivers

Truckers work long, punishing hours driving across the country. Left to their own devices, drivers often want to push themselves to finish trips faster in order to finish the job and potentially earn more money. Their employers may even encourage or turn a blind eye to these practices to increase their profits. The FMCSA sets specific rules on how many hours a trucker may drive each day, each week, and in between each long rest stop. Truckers must make stops for a certain amount of hours each trip, and they are limited in the total hours they can drive in between rest breaks. When they violate these rules, truck drivers pose a danger to everyone on the road.

Intoxicated drivers

Long hauls can be boring, lonely, and difficult. Truck drivers who try to mitigate the boredom or who try to keep themselves awake and alert for long shifts by ingesting drugs or alcohol are likely to suffer from dulled senses, delayed reaction speeds, and reduced ability to notice and react to dangers on the road.

Untrained drivers

Trucking companies are required to follow specific safety regulations with regard to drivers in their employment. They must train drivers to follow the rules and regulations passed by the state and federal governments, and to use all appropriate safety equipment their trucks contain. If trucking companies fail to train new drivers or fail to update experienced drivers and remind them of their training or new regulations, accidents are likely to result.

Equipment malfunction

Large trucks involve a lot of moving parts. Truckers and trucking companies are responsible for regularly maintaining the trucks in their fleet, and truck manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that all of their manufactured parts work as designed. If a truck part fails and an accident results, the trucking company, the equipment manufacturer, and any other parties involved in the part’s distribution may be partially to blame.

Unsecured or unbalanced loads

Large trucks are generally carrying hundreds or thousands of pounds of material across the country. Those loads must be properly secured and properly balanced in the truck bed or trailer. If a truck’s haul is too heavy, unbalanced, or improperly secured, then it may shift or come loose while driving. Materials, equipment, or hazardous chemicals may come loose and become roadway hazards, or the truck may be at risk to tip over sideways when turning or changing lanes.

Call for Help After a Hudson Valley Auto Accident

If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident or other traffic crash in New York, find out whether you’re owed money for your accident-related costs by contacting the seasoned, talented, and passionate Goshen and Manhattan personal injury lawyers Dupée & Monroe for a free consultation at 845-294-8900.