Commercial Trucking Accidents
Accidents involving commercial trucks are more common in rural areas, in fact in 2018, 61% of the commercial trucking accidents occurred in rural areas. Most of these accidents were injury-crashes and only 1% resulted in fatalities.
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What is Considered a Commercial Vehicle
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration describes a commercial vehicle as any vehicle that carries goods or fare-paying passengers. The vehicle must weigh over 10,000 pounds or carry more than 15 passengers to be considered commercial.
Causes of Commercial Trucking Accidents
An accident involving a commercial truck can happen for many reasons and most of them are preventable. One cause can be a result of a maintenance problem with the vehicle. Some maintenance issues can include malfunctions with the tires, brakes, steering, or lights. The FMCSA requires all commercial trucks to follow a number of regulations to uphold the maintenance of the vehicles, but some companies still ignore these in an effort to save money.
Another cause for a commercial trucking accident could be driver error, either on behalf of the commercial driver or the other vehicle involved in the accident. Studies show the two most common driver-related factors in commercial truck accidents are speeding of any kind and inattention/distraction. Often times, commercial drivers are held under tight deadlines resulting in them driving long hours and speeding to make their deliveries on time.
In addition to lack of maintenance and driver error, carelessness and negligence can play a role in an accident involving a commercial truck. This can include anything from distracted driving, to carrying unsecure or overweight loads, to violating any traffic laws.
For car accidents involving commercial trucks, the liability may be different and much more complicated than that of regular passenger car accidents because not only are there the drivers involved in the actual accident, there is also the company that owns the commercial vehicle that can also be found at fault. The manufacturers, vendors, cargo owners, and local government may also be at fault depending on the situation according to The Utah Department of Transportation.
Accident Experts is a firm that cares deeply about protecting the rights of innocent victims throughout Utah, including those harmed in preventable truck accidents. Get your free consultation with us today if you or someone you know has been in an accident involving a commercial truck.
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If you or someone you know has been in an accident involving a commercial trucking accident you may be able to recover compensation for your losses.