Most people know that truck accidents can always happen because of speeding and other unsafe driving habits, including driving while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol. What we do not know though is that there are several other causes of commercial truck accidents that do exist. Commercial truck accident lawyers also highlight the following as lesser-known reasons why truck accidents happen.
Improperly Loaded Cargo
When cargo is not properly loaded, it can easily shift during transit. This quickly throws off the truck from the ideal balance position. Truck drivers can easily end up losing control and then crashing their vehicles. Truck loads can also fall right from the truck. This creates huge hazards on the road and leads to even more accidents.
When the truck hauls hazardous materials, the crash can also trigger a very dangerous situation, like an explosion, fire, or toxic spill. The FMCSA put together special cargo securement rules in order to limit 18-wheeler accidents.
Brake Failures
Since a large commercial truck needs much more space and time to come to a full stop, brakes have to stay in the best possible working condition. Unfortunately, even if this is such an important thing, brake problems lead to almost 30% of all 18-wheeler crashes.
Several factors can lead to truck brakes failing, like truck driving errors, defective parts, improper maintenance, improper loading, and even bad road conditions.
Regardless of the type of break that the large truck uses, it needs to be flawless for proper operation.
Equipment Malfunction
All commercial vehicles need to be properly maintained to guarantee the safety of everyone on the road. Even so, around 10% of commercial trucking accidents ended up happening because there was some sort of equipment malfunction present.
Remember that the trucking company will only make a profit when vehicles are operating and on the road. Unfortunately, due to this reality, many companies delay inspections and repairs so that profitable service is reality. The party responsible for equipment maintenance becomes viable if a part failure could have been avoided.
Poorly Maintained Roads
If road conditions are not safe, an accident can always happen. This can quickly become reality because of poor design, weather problems, and inadequate road maintenance. Around one third of all the traffic accidents actually happen due to unsafe road conditions. The big rig is especially vulnerable when on an unsafe road because of the inability to quickly stop and the large size.
Remember that roads placed in rural, remote areas are usually not maintained properly. They cannot handle the very heavy truck traffic. As a result, we are faced with countless fatal accidents that involve large trucks in such areas, in rural roadways.
Get Help
At the end of the day, we have to understand that truck accidents are nothing to joke about. They are rarely not serious and do not involve very serious injuries or fatalities. This is why, whenever involved in a truck accident, you need to get the medical help you need, and you have to contact an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as you can. This is the only way to get full compensation for the damages you suffered.
