Tractor-Trailer Rollover Accidents
Car accidents happen all the time—it’s a sad fact of life—but many times the crashes are preventable. Nowhere is this more true than in the world of trucking; in particular, the type of accident known as truck rollover is often entirely preventable through driver caution.
Truck Driver Negligence
Rollovers, like the name implies, are caused when the big truck or tractor-trailer rolls onto its side. There are many ways in which rollovers can come about:
- a driver can drive too fast,
- the load in the trailer can be improperly distributed,
- a curve can be taken too fast in the vehicle,
- a driver is drunk or drugged
Contributing Factors
Often times, factors such as driver fatigue and driver inexperience can contribute to such accidents. What’s more, the danger of the rollover can be exacerbated by the type of material that is being carried: if a truck driver is hauling flammable or toxic material, it can spill out onto the roadways, leading to even more injury and potential fatalities than in a “normal” truck rollover.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration notes that over three-quarters of all rollovers involve driver error. That means that, over 75% of the time, the rollover could probably have been prevented if the driver had paid more attention to the road or to his or her vehicle.
Trucking Laws and Regulations are Complex
Our attorneys understand there are extensive rules and regulations unique to truck drivers and trucking companies which operate in our state. There are numerous complicated factors that need to be looked into when it comes to commercial vehicle accidents.
It is critical to hire a lawyer who understands these complex rules and regulations.
The heavy volume of trucking in our area coupled with the huge weight of a tractor-trailer, resulting in a significant number of truck accident victims who often suffer from severe injuries including brain damage, spinal cord injuries, major damage to the vertebrae and discs of their neck and back, and even death.
Virginia Truck Accident Lawyer
Rollover is just one of many types of truck accidents. Like rollovers, many trucking accidents can be prevented by simple driver attentiveness and caution. If you’ve been injured in a trucking accident because of another trucker’s negligence or recklessness, you may have grounds to file a personal injury claim against the trucker or trucking company. If it’s not your fault, you shouldn’t have to pay for things like medical bills or lost wages—that’s the responsibility of the person or persons who caused the accident.
