If the trucker is distracted by his phone, a tragedy may happen at any moment.
Columbus, OH – Truck accidents account for only 10% of all crashes nationwide, but they’re much more likely to cause severe injuries and fatalities. The same can be said about Ohio, although some years the percentage of truck accidents is slightly higher than the national average. In 2018, for instance, 1 in 10 traffic accident fatalities was caused by an accident involving a large truck. The most dangerous areas for trucking accidents are the highways leading into major cities, such as Columbus.
If you were recently involved in such a crash or if you lost someone, you need to get in touch with knowledgeable Columbus truck accident lawyers as soon as possible, preferably before talking to the insurance company. To recover damages you must establish who is liable for damages. It might be that the trucker bears sole responsibility for the crash, but in a truck accident, you can have more than one liable party. However, to determine liability, you must first understand what was the cause of the crash. Even if the cause may seem obvious – like the trucker suddenly veering into your lane, there may be more to it.
Three guilty secrets many truckers share
The looming deadline
The life of a trucker is completely different from that of a regular employee in an office. According to an extensive study on truck accidents in Ohio, many truckers involved in an accident admitted to being on a tight deadline. If they are told to be in a certain place at a certain time, most drivers will ignore federal Hours of Service (HoS) regulations and carry on driving when they should be resting. Or they may become increasingly frustrated with the slow traffic and drive aggressively.
If you reach out to experienced Ohio truck accident lawyers, they will call the trucking company requesting access to the driver’s log, to see if fatigue played a role in the driver’s action. At the same time, if it turns out the employer knew about the HoS violation and even encouraged the trucker to keep driving, you may have a case against the trucking company.
The tempting phone
The use of mobile devices is heavily restricted and for good reason. If the trucker is distracted by his phone, a tragedy may happen at any moment. Most drivers involved in a crash will deny being on the phone. However, investigations showed that many of the truckers involved in crashes were illegally using their phone.
The blind spot
If there’s a truck speeding nearby you need to give it a wide berth to avoid being caught in their blind spot. During training, drivers are taught to use their mirrors and always check the blind spot, but many of those involved in crashes admitted they rarely do so. If the driver in your case chose to ignore such a basic safety rule, they will be liable for damages. However, your lawyers will want to know if the trucker had received adequate training after he was hired. If he did not get the required training, that’s on the employer, and they should be held accountable for your damages.
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