Everyone who drives should make sure their vehicle is well-maintained. With regular maintenance, vehicles can be safer on the roads. However, when it comes to semi-truck maintenance, these vehicles require daily inspections to ensure they will not put other drivers at risk.
When trucking companies fail to conduct proper inspections and maintenance, it can lead to catastrophic truck crashes. Skipping these steps is negligent, and if that is the cause of a truck accident, the trucking company will be held liable.
Truck accidents are much more complicated compared to car accidents. Englander Peebles is a personal injury law firm that is committed to assisting victims in truck accidents and helping them obtain fair compensation for their injuries. In this blog post, we discuss the safety regulations trucks are expected to follow for maintenance and the devastating consequences of failing to maintain big trucks.
Federal Mandates for Semi-Truck Maintenance
A trucking company must make sure that it has regular maintenance performed on its fleet of semi-trucks. These vehicles travel many miles with heavy cargo so keeping a keen eye on their performance is critical.
When a large truck has a mechanical failure, it can have extreme consequences. In a car, a tire blowout is difficult for a driver to handle but in most cases, the driver can pull over to the side of the road safely. If this happens with a semi-truck weighing 80,000 pounds, the trucker has a greater chance of losing control of the vehicle and causing a serious truck accident.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires all commercial truck drivers to keep a maintenance log and update it daily. This law is meant to keep a watchful eye on the most important truck components, including tires and brakes. However, there are many truck drivers and trucking companies that don’t always perform these inspections. When maintenance and inspections are skipped, then they have a greater potential to cause a truck accident.
What Causes Truck Accidents in Florida?
Truck accidents are most often the result of driver error, though they can be caused in a variety of ways. Truck drivers must abide by the hours of service rules, ensuring they take mandated rest breaks to avoid drowsy driving.
Truckers must also avoid distractions behind the wheel, follow all traffic laws, and remain sober while operating their vehicles. Since they need to fill in daily logs on their electronic logging devices (ELDs), they may not always uphold this duty, especially when it comes to inspections and maintenance.
Trucking companies must ensure they have a well-maintained fleet. If they cut corners, they can cause an accident. Ultimately, there are many causes of truck accidents in Florida and many of them can be prevented with proper fleet maintenance.
How Does Lack of Truck Maintenance Cause Truck Accidents?
Failing to maintain semi-trucks can lead to serious truck crashes. When a trucking company ignores the need for maintenance and inspections, they could miss that some of the tires are worn.
Truck tires need sufficient tread to grip the road. Tires aren’t cheap and they’re very costly to replace on large trucks. When a trucking company delays replacing tires, it puts everyone on the road in jeopardy.
Similarly, brakes that are worn can cause a truck driver to lose control. On heavy vehicles such as semi-trucks, almost twice the distance is required to come to a complete stop compared to passenger vehicles. When the brakes are worn, this distance is even greater, which means truck drivers won’t be able to stop in time to avoid an accident when they have brake failure.
All lights on a truck must be in proper working order. Without working headlights, tail lights, and sidelights, large trucks are less visible at night, making them more difficult to see for other motorists.
Steps to Take During the Truck Accident Claim Process
When you are in a truck accident, you must take the right steps to protect your rights and recover compensation. The truck accident claim process can be complicated since there will likely be multiple parties involved and the policies for trucking insurance are high.
Florida is a no-fault state with a modified comparative negligence system. In an accident, you must go through your insurer first to cover your damages. However, if you suffer serious injuries and major medical expenses that go beyond your coverage due to the at-fault truck driver, you can seek compensation through a lawsuit.
At the accident scene, make sure you call the police to report the accident. You should also get immediate medical treatment, even if you do not notice any physical injuries. Traumatic brain injuries and internal bleeding are extremely dangerous when they are left untreated and can be life-threatening.
If it is possible, you should get photos and videos of the accident scene. Witness accounts can also help detail the cause of the accident. You can get their contact information and have them make a statement.
Ultimately, most people who are in truck accidents will sustain severe injuries. This makes the need for truck accident legal assistance dire. You should contact a truck accident lawyer in Florida as soon as possible to have someone advocate for you during the truck accident claim process.
Trucking companies and their insurers will try to find a way to avoid blame, and they may even try to claim that you were the one to cause the accident. When you work with a truck accident lawyer in Florida, you will have someone to investigate the accident, gather evidence, and negotiate for what is fair on your behalf. They will also prepare for a trial if negotiations can’t be reached.
The bottom line is that trucking companies are ultimately responsible for making sure that all inspections and maintenance for every truck in their fleet are done properly. When corners are cut, it endangers lives and usually leaves victims with hefty medical bills, lost income, and many other financial impacts. Englander Peebles can help you with truck accident legal assistance in these situations.