All vehicular accidents are serious, but ones involving semi-trucks or tractor-trailers often cause life-threatening injuries and even death.

The results of a crash with an 18-wheeler can be devastating due to the vehicle’s disproportionate size and weight.

If you or someone you love has been injured in such an accident, you need to contact an attorney. The attorneys at the Haymond Law Firm are experienced in handling accidents involving semi-trucks. Different rules may apply to truck accidents than apply to other vehicular accidents. You need someone on your side who knows the differences.

Federal and State Laws

Federal and state laws regulate many aspects of the trucking industry. Any violations of the laws by the owner of the trucking company or the driver may be important evidence for your case. Some examples of the laws include:

  • Restricting the amount of time a driver may drive in one week to 70 hours.
  • Requiring a 30-minute break after eight hours on the road.
  • Restricting the number of hours in any one day a driver can drive to 11. If break times are included as well as loading time, and other non-driving time, they may work up to 14 hours in any one day.
  • When drivers reach the 14-hour mark, they cannot drive again until they have taken a 10-hour break.

Drivers are required to keep a running log documenting their driving time and breaks. When the truck driver has been involved in a driving accident, a personal injury attorney will subpoena the log. Often, it is discovered that the rules were not followed, which may indicate the truck driver was fatigued.

Other documents will also be subpoenaed, such as scale tickets, bills of lading and fuel receipts. These will be compared to the log in order to verify its veracity. Often, the attorney discovers that the log was not maintained according to law.

Other regulations apply to the trucking company owner that, if violated, may contribute to the accident.

The most common causes of truck accidents are:

  • The aggressiveness of the driver
  • Driver fatigue
  • Improper maintenance or inspection of the truck
  • Driver speeding and in a hurry to meet a deadline
  • Size of the load is too big
  • Cell phone use
  • No blind spot mirrors as required by law
  • Following too close