Jane Lamberti Sams Products Liability Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Accidents involving trucks are never minor.  These accidents destroy not only property, but lives as well. Statistics show that every 16 minutes someone will be killed in an accident resulting from a collision with a truck.

Those who survive trucking accidents never walk away fully unscathed.  Major injuries typically occur, such as broken bones, spinal damage, head trauma, and/or internal organ damage (such as punctured lungs).

Spinal damage is typically the worst kind of debilitating injury and can lead to paralysis.  One common form of paralysis is paraplegia, meaning becoming paralyzed from approximately the waist down.

Under ride accidents occur when a car literally goes under the back of the truck (because the back of the truck is typically near the same level as the top of the vehicle), resulting in the rear tires running the vehicle over.  These are types of accidents have the highest mortality rate, due to fatal head injuries.

Truck rollovers are also common.  These typically occur near entrance or exit ramps on major highways, due to the driver of the truck misjudging a turn upon entering or exiting a highway.

Another common form of trucking accident is jackknifing. This type of accident can happen as a result of equipment failure, improper braking or bad road conditions, such as ice.  The truck towing a trailer skids out of control, resulting in the vehicle accidentally folding, resembling the acute angle of a pocketknife. The resulting jackknife can also lead to the truck rolling over, if enough speed and momentum are added to the equation.

Proper braking is crucial to operating a tractor trailer.  Truck drivers must be properly trained on how to correctly apply the brakes, especially when going downhill carrying a heavy cargo.  Improper braking typically results in accidents such as rear-enders, jackknifing as well as rollovers.

Trucking companies are required to provide safety training to their drivers in order to ensure the safety of everyone.  Unfortunately, some companies put so much strain on their drivers with long hours, all the hours of training in the world won’t matter if the driver of the truck becomes impaired due to fatigue or use of prescription and/or non-prescription drugs.

This article is courtesy of the truck accident attorneys at The Cochran Firm Atlanta, 866.549.0562, www.cochranfirmatlanta.com.