Causes of Truck Accidents
Determining the cause of a truck accident case is very important. Unless you can prove negligence on the part of the trucking company, the driver or manufacturer, you will not be able to collect damages in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.
At the law firm of Gregory S. Young Co., LPA, in Cincinnati, our lawyers take highway safety very seriously. We represent people who are injured in truck accidents in Ohio and Northern Kentucky. We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
Why Fault Is Important
The insurance company covering the tractor-trailer can save a significant amount of money by saying you were partly at fault. In Ohio, your recovery from a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit can be reduced by any percent of negligence that is assigned to you. If you are more than 50 percent negligent, you cannot recover damages from the other party.
To protect your right to full compensation, it’s important to retain an attorney as soon as possible. Our lawyers will immediately go to work collecting and preserving evidence of truck driver and trucking company negligence, such as:
- Driver fatigue resulting from failure to take required rest breaks
- Truck speeding or tailgating
- Improper lane changes
- Overweight trucks
- Trucks with unbalanced or improperly secured loans.
- Improper maintenance
- Tire blowouts
- Truck jackknifing or rollovers
- Negligent hiring
- Negligent training
Trucking companies can incur significant liability for violation of Department of Transportation safety regulations.
Improperly Loaded Trucks
People outside of the trucking industry often are not aware of how important it is for a semi truck to be loaded properly. We do. Our decades of experience handling truck accident cases have taught us that we must investigate whether the truck was properly loaded, because that may have been the cause of the accident.
Shifting Loads And Overturned Trucks
When a trailer is loaded, the cargo needs to be either strapped down or arranged in such a way that it does not move around while the truck is in motion. This is particularly important if the cargo is heavy. Failure to properly secure the cargo could lead the load to shift while the truck is turning. The shift in weight could cause the truck to overturn onto other vehicles.
Overweight Loads And Rear-End Collisions
Even without any cargo in the trailer, truck brakes have an extreme burden. They must be able to stop an extremely heavy vehicle in a relatively short amount of time. Truck drivers are trained to start braking much earlier than drivers of smaller vehicles have to.
However, if the trailer is overloaded, even the substantial amount of time that a truck driver has allowed for the vehicle to come to a stop may not be enough. A matter of feet can make a significant difference. If the truck does not stop in time, it can lead to a serious rear-end collision.
Our Ohio truck accident attorneys represent victims in Ohio and northern Kentucky. We have the skill and the knowledge to get to the heart of the case, find out who was responsible and hold that party accountable for the damage done.
Contact Our Cincinnati Truck Accident Law Firm
If you would like to schedule a free consultation with our truck accident attorneys, we invite you to call 513-721-1077 in Cincinnati, or 859-547-3334 in Kentucky or 937-531-7999 in Dayton, Ohio. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We offer free parking, evening and weekend consultations, and home and hospital visits.
