Trucks are a necessity in today’s commerce. Countless trucks travel the nation’s highways alongside much smaller vehicles. When accidents happen involving trucks, the resulting injuries and fatalities are devastating. In 2012, large truck involved accidents numbered at 330,000 on highways in the United States. These accidents caused 3,921 deaths and 104,000 non-fatal injuries
Of all deaths that happen due to trucking accidents‚ 98% of those deaths happen to drivers or passengers of the smaller vehicle. It may be extremely challenging to discern what caused the accident‚ and where the fault lies‚ if you don’t have the help a dedicated and experienced Rhode Island truck accident attorney.
Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may be facing days, weeks, months, or even years in the hospital and additional time receiving intense medical treatment. You may lose wages from time spent healing from your injuries, or even worse, be permanently disabled. A truck accident may take the life of a beloved family member or spouse, and on top of the grief, you need to cover funeral and other expenses. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and now your life has been totally altered because of someone else’s negligence or carelessness. Our team is here for you if you’ve been in an accident involving a truck that resulted in injuries‚ contact the Law Offices of “needaninjuryattorneyrhodeisland.com” for a free consultation to learn how you can receive the maximum compensation available to you.
Trucking Accident Causes
Similar to car and motorcycle accidents‚ trucking accidents occur because of speeding‚ drivers who don’t obey traffic laws‚ drunk driving‚ and driving while distracted.
Yet‚ because of an increasing number of trucking accidents the news media has of late been focused on a disturbing occurrence—truckers who drive while fatigued.
Truckers frequently pull long shifts on monotonous sections of highway‚ all while their body is telling them they should be sleeping. Trucking companies have lower payroll expenses when the turnover in drivers is low‚ and drivers frequently want these long shifts so they can earn more money.
Rules demand that truck drivers don’t exceed 11 hours of driving during a 14-hour “on-duty” period. But there are no limits to how many hours a truck driver can drive without a break. Safety advocacy groups, such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), want to change the current rules so that there would be a limit on how many hours a truck driver can drive consecutively‚ and would only permit them to drive if it has been no more than 7 hours since their last thirty-minute break. Because these rules are not yet in place, there is a higher chance of being involved in a serious truck accident.
For more information and to find out if the truck you were involved in an accident with was being operated in accordance with the law‚ contact one of the Rhode Island truck accident attorneys at the Law Offices of “needaninjuryattorneyrhodeisland.com” today.