Tractor Trailer Accidents

It seems like an everyday occurrence that we hear about an 18-wheeler truck being involved in a crash that ends up closing a portion of the freeway. These truck drivers have very long days and don’t always get a lot of sleep while on the road. They are more prone to getting into accidents because of this. Federal laws have been created to prevent drivers from becoming too tired. Drivers are not allowed to drive for more than 11 consecutive hours in a 14 hour period and they must have a rest period of nothing less than 10 hours.

Even with these rules in place, there are still accidents involving tractor trailers. Just like every other law, there is a chance that it will be broken. This law was created in 2011, but in 2012 3,802 trailers were involved in fatal accidents, 77,000 were involved in crashed were an injury was reported and 253,000 were property-only crashes. Granted, some of these accidents could have been caused by weather or traffic violations and not falling asleep at the wheel but that doesn’t make much of a difference when you are injured in the accident.

As personal injury lawyers, it is our job to determine if that the accident that you or your loved one was involved in was due to the truck driver’s negligence. These cases can be difficult to prove and need to be documented carefully. If you need help proving your case, call the personal injury lawyers at Rice McGowan & Brandt today.