Commercial trucks have a bad reputation when it comes to safety, but it is a reputation that has been fairly earned. Certain organizations, like the American Trucking Association and the Truck Safety Coalition, work to raise awareness of the industry conditions that contribute to commercial truck crashes. Unfortunately, awareness is not something that typically changes the way a company does business. Commercial truck accidents happen because companies try to pinch pennies, whether by neglecting essential maintenance or hiring too few employees.
Poor maintenance of equipment and personnel
When maintenance is neglected, trucks operate differently. Increased stopping time, decreased traction, worn tires suddenly blowing out; any of these scenarios can have fatal consequences for other drivers. In fact, tires are a more significant threat than most drivers realize. Truck companies often purchase retreaded tires to save money. CBS News reported on a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that found that retread blowouts directly caused 223 deaths between 2009 and 2013.
When equipment is poorly maintained, a truck becomes much more dangerous. The term equipment in this case extends to the driver. A driver is an essential part of a commercial truck, and when a driver is poorly maintained, the risk of a serious accident increases tremendously. Some companies pay drivers by mileage, others offer rewards for quick delivery. In both cases, the system is designed to financially reward those who choose to forgo sleep.
We recently wrote about a fatigued FedEx driver who caused a chain reaction crash in Nashville. The numbers about fatigued drivers bear repeating. The NHTSA “conservatively estimates that 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses. These figures may be the tip of the iceberg, since currently it is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness.”
Innocent victims suffer
The reason trucks have such a terrible reputation for safety boils down to one thing, and one thing only; big rigs are big, and big trucks cause big accidents. Whether the driver is fatigued or the truck is mechanically faulty essentially comes to the same thing; at some point, someone made a bad decision about putting that truck or driver on the road. When 80,000lbs of steel hit a passenger car, the results are often fatal. Commercial truck accidents affect victims and their families forever.
Negligence is never a good thing, but when professional negligence endangers you and your family, justice is required. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a commercial truck crash, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and lost wages. The experienced Nashville commercial truck accident attorneys at Rocky McElhaney Law Firm can evaluate your case and help get you the compensation you deserve. Call 615.246.5549, visit our offices in Nashville, Gallatin or Knoxville, or contact us today for a free consultation.
