IN THE NEWS: TRUCKING ACCIDENTS DUE TO CARELESS DRIVING INCREASE

There are many reasons trucking accidents happen… but the most tragic situation, we have found at Ramey & Hailey Law, is when there’s no reason the accident should have happened at all….

Yes, drivers are humans, and driver error is one inevitable cause of accidents. A driver may be rushing to meet a tight delivery deadline, or be overtired, or hit a “blind spot”, or perhaps misjudged the size of the space to pass between two other vehicles. Other times, accidents may be caused by inadequate vehicle maintenance, equipment failure, weather conditions, or improper cargo loading.

“On Sunday, Matthew Lewis Small’s semi struck eight vehicles just south of the Zionsville/Whitestown exit, killing Mariah Tomey, 21, Hadley Tomey, 1, and Kaylee Kirk, 19, all of Lebanon, the Indianapolis Star reported. Just a week earlier, at least five people were killed and scores injured in a crash involving two tractor trailers that shut down almost 100 miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. “We are seeing more of these accidents as distracted driving becomes more of an issue,” a local law colleague commented.

Investigating any accident involving a large truck is a complex process, as our personal injury attorneys at Ramey & Hailey have learned over the course of more than 40 years helping accident victims recover for their losses. There are often many different parties that may be held liable, including the truck maintenance crew, the trucking company itself, the cargo loading team, and – in the case of distracted driving – the truck driver him or herself.

Dangerous distracted driving practices that cause wrecks include using DVD players, tablets, or laptops, using a GPS, adjusting controls, eating or drinking, and looking at a map. Distractions outside the cab, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration adds, include looking at billboards, buildings, or people. The proliferation of technological devices has contributed to even more distracted driving of trucks.

Distracted truck drivers cause accidents, accidents which not only cause tragic deaths, but involve substantial costs for those drivers and passengers in smaller vehicles who survive truck-caused accidents, including medical bills, damages to the vehicle, loss of wages, and physical pain and suffering. It’s our job to make sure that injured parties get the recovery they deserve.