According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, an estimated 6,700 traffic accidents involved tractor-trailers in the most recent year for which data is available. This does not include crashes with other types of commercial motor vehicles, such as delivery trucks or logging trucks.
Truck accidents can be more deadly or cause more serious injury than other types of crashes because of the large size of commercial motor vehicles. As a result, those harmed in a truck crash need to make sure they understand their rights — including their right to pursue compensation from truckers who cause crashes to occur.
To better understand the risk of these accidents and how they happen, it’s helpful to look at the most common causes of truck accidents. This guide explains how these crashes happen and what your rights are if you are a victim. If you or someone you love was harmed by a crash, you can also call Marc Brown Law Firm today to find out how our South Carolina truck accident attorneys can help you determine the cause of your crash and take legal action to hold the trucker accountable if they were to blame.
Most common causes of truck accidents
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) performed a large truck causation study to determine how truck accidents happen. This data provides clear insight into the most common causes of truck accidents.
The most common reasons that truck crashes occur include:
- Truck drivers running out of the travel lane, into other lanes, or off the road.
- Truck drivers are losing control of their vehicles because they are speeding (traveling too fast for road conditions)
- Cargo shifts because of improperly loaded vehicles
- Vehicle systems failures, such as tire blowouts and brake failure
- Poor road conditions
- Rear-end accidents
- Drivers falling asleep due to fatigued driving
- Drivers who become physically impaired for some reason, such as a heart attack or seizure
- Distracted drivers
- Drivers tailgating or following other vehicles too closely
- Truckers misjudge the speed of other vehicles
- Truckers who panic, overcompensate, or have poor control over the vehicle
- Prescription drug use, over-the-counter drug use, or other impaired driving
- Unfamiliarity with the roadway
- Problems with the road
Many of these common causes involve negligence on the part of the driver or the trucking company. For example, if a driver didn’t get their required DOT physical to catch a health problem, failed to load the vehicle properly, or failed to follow Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations (FMCSA rules), these safety failures could directly result in accidents.
Holding truck drivers and trucking companies liable for losses
Determining the cause of a truck accident is important because if a trucker or trucking company was negligent or broke the rules, this can give rise to legal liability. Trucking companies are also vicariously liable under South Carolina law for the negligent actions of their employed drivers.
If you or someone you love was hurt, it will be up to you to prove the cause of the crash and show that the trucker or trucking company’s lapses were to blame. Marc Brown Law firm has extensive experience helping South Carolina accident victims to prove causation and to get compensation for the damage done through an out-of-court settlement or through litigation.
Contact a South Carolina truck accident lawyer today
Marc Brown Law firm will work with you to determine the cause of the crash, helping you to gather evidence, including black box data, and working with experts to investigate the crash. You should give us a call as soon as possible after your accident so we can get right to work while the evidence is fresh. Your consultation is free, so call our South Carolina injury lawyers today.