Naples Personal Injury Lawyer Discusses the Major Causes of Truck Accidents
Commercial trucks are massive vehicles that can produce devastating damage and injuries in crashes. Knowing the cause of a truck accident can help victims seek fair compensation from their own insurance provider or from the truck driver's insurance provider.
A personal injury attorney in Naples from The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro, P.A., explains the major causes of truck accidents.
Blind Spots
Semi-trucks have large blind spots on all sides of the vehicles. Truck drivers have a responsibility to thoroughly check their blind spots before merging, changing lanes, or making right turns. A truck driver may use cameras and motion detectors to identify vehicles in their blind spots, but they also need to pay close attention to the road around them to determine when a vehicle has entered their blind spot.
Adverse Weather Conditions
Truck drivers also need to be extra careful when driving in rain, fog, or snow. While they may have better traction than passenger vehicles due to their added wheels and the size of their vehicles, they face other challenges, like strong winds threatening to topple their trucks.
When driving in severe weather, truck drivers need to move at slower speeds, grip the wheel firmly, and be careful not to oversteer. Truck drivers also have a responsibility to know when driving would be unsafe and to park in a secure location until the weather has passed.
Distracted Driving
Commercial truck drivers often work long hours, and many entertain themselves through distracting activities like phone calls, podcasts, and even texting. All of these activities can take drivers' attention away from the road and lead them to make mistakes that are the catalysts to truck accident cases.
Drivers can even become distracted while staring out the windshield, especially if they are deep in thought or aren't paying active attention to the road ahead of them.
Driver Fatigue
Driver fatigue is also one of the prevailing causes of truck accidents. Truck drivers often drive for 12 or more hours at a time, taking only minimal breaks. They may work even longer hours to qualify for overtime or meet their supervisors' productivity demands.
Driving while fatigued is akin to drunk driving. Drivers can quickly make serious mistakes when they operate their commercial vehicles while tired, causing devastating accidents.
Seek Legal Assistance From The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro, P.A.
Attorney Marc L. Shapiro, with over 30 years of experience, helps accident victims across Naples, FL, understand the causes of truck accidents, who is liable, and how to maximize their compensation. Anyone who has experienced truck accident injuries can call The Law Offices of Marc L. Shapiro, P.A., 239-500-5000.
