Factors That Can Cause A Truck Driving Accident
by Joan Bradley
If you were injured in a trucking accident, then you may be concerned about getting money from the trucker's insurance company to pay for your medical bills, pain, and loss of income. While claims and settlements are similar to car accident ones, there are many extra factors that are considered when it comes to trucking accidents. Keep reading to learn about some of them.
Rest For The Driver
If for some reason the trucker who hit you did not follow the law in terms of rest and how much sleep they were supposed to get, then you may have a stronger case against the truck driver. Some trucking companies will urge drivers to break the law as it concerns rest. Not only is this illegal, but it can make the trucking company and the driver 100% liable for any accidents that occur.
Truck drivers are supposed to keep detailed logs concerning the amount of sleep they receive and the number of breaks they take. Your attorney should look at these logs to see if there are any discrepancies or if the law was not followed. Basically, truck drivers are allowed to drive 11 hours within a 14 hour period. Once the 14 hours is over, the trucker must take 10 consecutive hours off to rest. Also, if the driver works or drives for more than eight hours, then they are required to take a 30 minute break.
There are other regulations that involve the number of total hours that an individual can drive in a given weekly time period as well as other rules, so make sure that a trucking accident lawyer looks over the records as closely as possible.
Weight Maximums
Semi trucks and tractor trailers are only allowed to carry a certain amount of weight. This is the weight maximum based on the size of the truck. Also, a certain amount of weight can be held on each axle of the truck, so loads need to be spread out over the back of the trailer for safe driving. If these load maximums are exceeded, this can directly impact the truck and how it can drive safely. Specifically, an exceeded load can be the reason why a tire blows out or the trucks skids and collides with a vehicle.
Most truckers need to keep records of the amount of weight they carry, so this is something else that and the attorney can request from the truck driving company.
There are some other things like quality control, regular maintenance schedules, and the holding of legal licenses that can cause accidents and affect your claim, so ask an attorney, such as from Brownfield Law Office , about these things.
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About Me
You walk into your favorite grocery store and right away, you slip and fall only to sprain your ankle. You can't perform your job because it requires standing on your feet all day, which means that you can't make any money to support your family while your ankle heals. There was no warning that the floors were wet after being cleaned in the store – so what do you do? It's probably a good idea to think about filing a personal injury lawsuit. Of course, anyone with experience with a personal injury case will tell you just how important it is to work with an attorney throughout the process. I'd like to share insight I've learned through three personal injury cases that I myself have had to go through in the past. I think the information on this website can help people like you, who need some personal injury guidance.