Commercial vehicles, such as semi-trucks, multi-axle delivery vehicles, and other large vehicles used for commercial use are a serious matter when a passenger vehicle encounters them on the road. These vehicles carry significant momentum at high speeds or low speeds. A small driving error by the driver of either a commercial vehicle or a passenger vehicle can create a serious incident, causing major injury or death. If you were injured in a truck accident in Rhode Island, contact a top truck accident attorney at a trucking crash law firm. Rhode Island truck accident attorneys at a top truck accident law firm can help you get the justice and compensation you deserve.
Rhode Island truck accident lawyer
Rhode Island truck accident lawyer
The majority of accidents in Rhode Island involving a commercial vehicle are due to the driver of a passenger vehicle committing unsafe acts. Such acts of driver error cause collisions between commercial and passenger vehicles. Below is a list of the most common causes of truck-involved accidents in the Providence, Warwick and Cranston areas:
Truck Accidents Involving Driver Error
- Traveling in “no-zones” which are the areas beside or behind a commercial vehicle moving along a road or highway.
Rhode Island truck accident lawyers
- Navigating a vehicle on the right side of a truck making a right turn.
- Failing to alter speed in anticipation of a commercial vehicle merging into or changing lanes.
- Attempting to pass a large truck without ensuring there is sufficient distance between vehicles to complete the maneuver.
- Trying to take a left-hand turn at an intersection without sufficient speed or distance to complete the turn as a truck is approaching.
- Failing to yield to the right of way causing a truck driver to take unsafe, rapid actions to avoid a collision.
- Positioning a passenger vehicle between two large trucks traveling along a road or highway.
- Pulling into traffic from the side of the road without sufficient speed to avoid an approaching truck.
- Leaving a disabled vehicle partially positioned on a roadway instead of moving completely off the road and onto the shoulder and/or abandoning said vehicle in a travel lane.
- Attempting to pass a large commercial vehicle in strong crosswinds or turbulence and being pushed out of position by the winds.
- Changing lanes in front of a commercial vehicle.
Truck Accidents Caused by Equipment Failure in Pawtucket, East Greenwich and Woonsocket
Commercial vehicles are built using a significantly large number of intricate and finely-balanced parts that require regular maintenance and service. These elements are put through hours of wear and tear which can cause failure or defect of any one more of these parts. If any system in a commercial vehicle is faulty or functioning improperly, the safety of the driver and any others sharing the roads can be jeopardized. This can cause serious or catastrophic events. Commercial vehicles which are improperly loaded, creating imbalances in weight and instability of the container can also cause accidents if the load should force the truck out of control or the trailer becomes unsecured while the truck is traveling. Such equipment or system failures that can cause accidents are:
- Worn-out brakes
- Balding tires
- Defective truck components
- Unsecured or unstable cargo loads
- Defective cargo straps
- Improper truck maintenance
Truck Accident Caused by Trucker Error in Rhode Island
Some of the most calamitous accidents involving commercial vehicles in Rhode Island are caused by trucker error, inattention, distraction or negligence or by driving in adverse weather conditions. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) states, “ Trucker error is a common cause of many commercial vehicle accidents nationwide.” These types of accidents in the Lincoln, Cumberland and North Providence are typically the result of diverse factors including:
- Driver inexperience – not using proper defensive driving skills or improper vehicle handling reducing vehicle safety.
- Incomplete or improper training and/or supervision by an employer.
- Driving unsafely in hazardous road construction areas.
- Truck drivers working beyond regular hours through unrealistic or delayed schedules or timetables set by companies forcing drivers to rush to meet deadlines, driving without proper rest breaks, driving while fatigued or stressed.
Fatal truck collision- Rhode Island wrongful death attorneys
In 2013, there were 3,964 people killed in crashes involving large trucks, only a half-percent increase from 2012. • An estimated 95,000 people were injured in crashes involving large trucks in 2013…” NHTSA
If a spouse, loved one or family member was killed in a fatal truck accident, contact a top Rhode Island wrongful death attorney. A RI wrongful death law firm will file a lawsuit against the driver responsible for a deadly truck crash.
Hiring a Rhode Island truck accident attorney
If you, or your loved one, have suffered serious injuries in a trucking collision involving a commercial vehicle, it is essential to hire an experienced Rhode Island personal injury attorney to handle the case. A reputable RI law firm who specializes in Providence Superior Court truck vehicle accident cases can negotiate with insurance companies to ensure you receive a fair and adequate financial settlement or take your case to trial in front of a judge and jury.
Your personal injury lawyers in Rhode Island can build a case on negligence, product liability or other legal theory to show how your accident was caused by a tired trucker, defective part, mechanical failure, poorly secured cargo, reckless driving or the negligence of others sharing the roadway.
In the event of a fatal truck accident, the surviving spouse, family member or children must retain a Rhode Island wrongful death lawyer or a RI truck accident attorney with extensive experience handling trucking collision wrongful death causes of action. A garden variety rear-end car wreck lawyer will not be sufficient in the event of a deadly trucking motor vehicle crash. Only the executor or the administrator of the estate of the deceased killed in the tractor trailer or 18 wheeler wreck can pursue wrongful death litigation in Providence Superior Court as a result of a fatal big rig collision.
Because of the immense size and weight of commercial vehicles, semi-trucks, big rigs, 18 wheelers and delivery vans often pose unique hazards to small passenger vehicles. Not only is the trucker required to remain alert of the potential hazards while driving, but others sharing the roadway in Rhode Island need to exercise due caution whenever a large truck is around. Any seemingly small error in driving, like quickly changing a lane unexpectedly, can cause catastrophic results, especially when one or both vehicles are traveling at high speed.
Truck Accidents in RI Caused by Driver Error
The vast majority of commercial truck accidents in Rhode Island are the result of passenger vehicle driver error when the motorist commits an unsafe act that results in a collision with a large truck. The most common causes of Providence, Warwick and Cranston truck accidents involving driver error include:
• Lane changes in front of a commercial vehicle.
• Operating a passenger vehicle in a “no-zone” known as a specific area beside or behind a commercial vehicle in motion.
• Maneuvering a vehicle on the right side of a truck attempting to make a right turn.
• Failing to speed up or slow down when a commercial vehicle is merging or changing a lane.
• Unsafely passing a large truck, especially when there is not sufficient headway.
• Misjudging the speed of an approaching truck when turning left at an intersection.
• Merging into traffic inappropriately which causes the trucker to break quickly or maneuver the vehicle unsafely to get out of the way.
• Maneuvering a passenger vehicle between two large trucks in motion.
• Failing to accelerate sufficiently to avoid an approaching truck when pulling into traffic from the side of the road.
• Failing to move a disabled car off the roadway completely and onto a safe shoulder area. Abandoning a passenger vehicle and leaving it in a travel lane.
• Passing the large commercial vehicle only to be thrown out of position by crosswinds or air turbulence.
Truck Accident Caused by Equipment Failure in Pawtucket, East Greenwich and Woonsocket
Large commercial vehicles are complex and built with many moving parts that can easily fail by wear and tear or defective component. Any improperly working equipment can jeopardize the safety of the truck driver and others sharing the roadway. Any breakdown in the truck caused by malfunctioning parts can cause catastrophic results. Unstable loads and improper loading of cargo can also cause serious accidents when the load becomes unsecured while the truck is in motion. Many truck accidents are caused by equipment failure that involve:
• Worn-out brakes
• Balding tires
• Defective truck components
• Unsecured or unstable cargo loads
• Defective cargo straps
• Improper truck maintenance
Truck Accident Caused by Trucker Error in RI
Some of the most catastrophic accidents involving commercial truck vehicles in Rhode Island are the result of trucker error, inattention, distraction or negligence by driving in extreme adverse weather. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) notes that trucker error is a common cause of many commercial vehicle accidents nationwide. These types of Lincoln, Cumberland and North Providence accidents are typically the result of various factors including:
• An inexperienced driver who does not drive defensively or handles the vehicle properly to maximize safety.
• The lack of training or supervision by the trucker’s employer.
• Driving in hazardous road construction areas.
• Truckers attempting to meet unrealistic schedules or delivery timetables imposed by truck companies who force drivers to hurry, drive without brakes or stop when feeling fatigued or is excessively stressed.
“In 2013, there were 3,964 people killed in crashes involving large trucks, only a half-percentincrease from 2012. • An estimated 95,000 people were injured in crashes involving large trucks in 2013…” http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812150.pdf
Hiring a Rhode Island truck accident Lawyer or a RI semi crash attorney
If you, or your loved one, have suffered serious injuries in a trucking collision involving a commercial vehicle, it is essential to hire an experienced Rhode Island personal injury attorney to handle the case. A reputable RI law firm who specializes in Providence Superior Court truck vehicle accident cases can negotiate with insurance companies to ensure you receive a fair and adequate financial settlement or take your case to trial in front of a judge and jury.
Your personal injury lawyers in Rhode island can build a case on negligence, product liability or other legal theory to show how your accident was caused by a tired trucker, defective part, mechanical failure, poorly secured cargo, reckless driving or the negligence of others sharing the roadway.
In the event of a fatal truck accident, the surviving spouse, family member or children must retain a Rhode Island wrongful death lawyer or a RI truck accident attorney with extensive experience handling trucking collision wrongful death causes of action. A garden variety rear-end car wreck lawyer will not be sufficient in the event of a deadly trucking motor vehicle crash. Only the executor or the administrator of the estate of the deceased killed in the tractor trailer or 18 wheeler wreck can pursue wrongful death litigation in Providence Superior Court as a result of a fatal big rig collision.
A tractor trailer is gigantic. They’re over 60 feet long, and they can weigh 80,000 when fully loaded. They’re very dangerous instrumentalities when they’re out of control and crash into a passenger vehicle or car In Rhode Island. if injured in a Rhode island trucking accident then contact a RI truck accident lawyer
FMCSA numbers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) most recent statistics are from 2013. In that year, 3,906 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes across the country and in Rhode Island. About 73,000 people were injured. Trucks pulling a single trailer were involved in 60 percent of those fatalities. Trucks pulling double trailers accounted for about two percent of those fatalities.
Vulnerability and RI truck accident lawyer
Drivers and passengers in smaller vehicles and automobiles (autos) are particularly vulnerable when a tractor trailer crashes into them. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that the tractor trailers can weigh up to 30 times as much as a passenger vehicle. Because the trucks are also taller than passenger vehicles, there’s a very real danger of passenger vehicles being overridden by trucks in crashes.
Stopping distances
The IIHS also reports that the braking capability of a loaded tractor trailer is between 20 and 40 percent longer than cars to stop. Add wet or slippery roads and/or poorly maintained brakes to the equation, and the 60 foot long, 80,000 pound giant becomes exponentially more dangerous. A driver of passenger of a car is 23 times more likely to be severely injured or killed when involved in a tractor trailer collision.
Fatigued driving in Rhode Island
Driver fatigue is a factor in many Rhode Island semi truck crashes . The FMCSA recently implemented a new regulation limiting a large truck driver’s time behind the wheel to 11 hours a day and 77 hours a week. Drivers are required to maintain logs of hours behind the wheel, but quite often they falsify their log entries so they can get more than 11 hours in a day.
Truck accidents and big rig collisions in Rhode Island usually involve violations of federal and state laws along with issues involving improper maintenance. On top of those issues, the RI truck accident attorney or RI truck accident lawyer representing a truck accident victim is immersed in medical records, reports and bills. It’s truly complex litigation that requires extensive experience, courtroom skill and medical knowledge. If you or somebody close to you was injured or killed in a large truck crash, don’t talk to the insurer of the driver. They’ll only try to attribute the cause of the accident to you. Contact a RI truck accident lawyer or a Rhode Island personal injury lawyer right away after a Rhode Island truck accident. Innocent victims of negligent truckers deserve fair compensation.
“In 2013, there were 3,964 people killed and an estimated 95,000 people injured in crashes involving large trucks. In the United States, an estimated 342,000 large trucks were involved in police-reported traffic crashes during 2013. The majority of the 2013 percentages show minimal change when compared to 2012. Fatalities in crashes involving large trucks remained relatively level with only a half-percent increase from 3,944 in 2012 to 3,964 in 2013. Of the fatalities in 2013: ■ 71 percent were occupants of other vehicles, ■ 17 percent were occupants of large trucks, and ■ 11 percent were nonoccupants. From 2012 to 2013 there was a 13-percent increase in the number of nonoccupants killed” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA- Large Trucks Traffic Safety Facts, DOT HS 812 150, Revised June 2015 source
Most of the truck accident are due to heavy pressure on the divers to deliver the products on time, and due to inexperience in driving and due lack of well-maintained equipment.