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Truck Accidents

Can Employer Negligence Cause Trucking Accidents?

By November 29, 2022March 14th, 2024No Comments

If you become a victim in a trucking accident, it is easy to assign blame to the truck driver and look no further into the matter – but you may be doing your cause an injustice if you ignore other liable parties

In many cases, the trucking company is also at fault for not providing the necessary training and oversight that could have prevented such an accident. 

It is considerably more difficult to prove employer negligence, which is why many personal injury firms are willing to ignore it. However, this not only lets a guilty party off the hook to commit such dangerous behavior again, but it often leaves compensation on the table that should rightly be in your pocket. 

If you hire the Gilbert Law Firm of Spokane, Washington, you can be sure that our truck accident attorneys will pursue every avenue of recovery so that justice is fully served and you receive every penny that you deserve.

The Leading Causes of Truck Accidents in Washington

Despite the popular misconception that alcohol and drugs are the leading causes of truck accidents, the actual top causes include:

  • Mechanical defects, especially tire issues
  • Unfamiliar routes
  • Driver fatigue

In all of these issues, truck companies play an important role. If a truck is improperly maintained, then major safety issues like worn tires or failing brakes could easily be overlooked.

Another leading issue in truck accidents is the weight of the truck. While most passenger vehicles weigh only about 2.5 tons, a fully loaded large truck can weigh more than 40 tons. This means that most large trucks need much more time and distance to stop. If there are unnoticed mechanical issues with the tires or brakes, this added weight could very easily cause a serious truck accident.

Finally, driver fatigue is a major issue in many truck accidents because despite stringent federal and state laws governing the number of hours a truck driver can operate their vehicle, many trucking companies fail to properly monitor their drivers.

Most Common Types of Employer Negligence

There are typically three areas in which employer negligence is most likely to appear throughout the Pacific Northwest:

  • Hiring—There is a critical shortage of capable truck drivers in the United States, so many trucking companies are willing to hire sub-par drivers to fill empty positions. This may mean hiring drivers with a history of substance abuse, involvement in serious accidents or a willingness to skirt state and federal limits on driving hours.
  • Training and oversight—Although most truck drivers have the skills to operate a large rig, they may not possess all of knowledge and technical competence to operate some of the peripheral equipment like the driving hours monitors, i.e. black box. This could leave fatigued drivers too long out on the road.
  • Improper maintenance—Because trucking operators make money only when their trucks are out on the road, many try to avoid any downtime for these vehicles—even if it is necessary for safety.

Without experience in trucking company negligence, an inexperienced personal injury attorney could easily overlook these issues. Not only would this leave compensation that you deserve on the table, but it would leave an unsafe trucking operator to continue operating, threatening the wellbeing of other people on the road.

Contact Our Experienced Washington Truck Accident Lawyers Today

It’s imperative that your truck accident attorneys know all the pertinent laws and are familiar with the latest technologies used to track truck drivers.

The Gilbert Law Firm has years of experience in truck accident claims and a proven track record in successfully pursuing such claims within Washington and throughout the Pacific Northwest. We will work with you to get you every dollar that you deserve. Contact us today to talk with our attorneys.

Disclaimer: The blog published by the Gilbert Law Firm marketing team for informational purposes only and is not considered legal advice or a substitute for legal advice. There is no attorney-client relationship between the reader and the blog publisher. Readers are urged to consult their own legal counsel on any specific legal questions concerning a specific situation.

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