According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, large trucks are involved in more than 7,000 accidents, 2,000 injuries, and 70 fatalities throughout the state each year. Semi-truck accidents are particularly dangerous because of the size and weight of the vehicles, and in most cases, the occupants of other vehicles bear the brunt of the impact. These accidents happen for a variety of reasons, but one that can be challenging for an injured person to deal with is loose or unsecured cargo. If you have been injured in a truck accident, an attorney can help you determine who was responsible and seek compensation.

How Unsecured Cargo Can Cause an Accident

In order for a truck driver to safely operate their vehicle, the weight of the cargo must be properly distributed across all axles. If the cargo has been improperly loaded, or if it shifts in transit because it was not fully secured, the driver may lose traction or control and collide with other vehicles. In some cases, the movement of heavy cargo can even cause the truck to topple and cause a rollover accident. In others, loose cargo can fall off the truck entirely and into the roadway, landing on other vehicles or in their paths, giving drivers no time to avoid it.

Determining Negligence in a Loose Cargo Accident

After an accident, you should prioritize your health and safety by seeking medical attention for any injuries as soon as possible. If you believe the truck driver was at fault for the accident, your next step should be to start collecting evidence from the crash that can prove negligence. If possible, you should take pictures of the truck, your vehicle, your injuries, and the loose cargo, as well as any road conditions that may have contributed to the accident.

If you have been involved in a trucking accident, determining who is at fault can be complicated. From the driver to the manufacturer of the truck, there can be many different liable parties that may be held responsible for your injuries. Identifying the responsible party or parties can allow you to pursue the compensation you deserve, ensuring that the damages you have experienced will be fully addressed.

Who Is Responsible?

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were approximately 450,000 crashes involving large trucks that were reported to the police in 2017, and out of these, 4,237 accidents (1 percent) resulted in fatalities, and 344,000 collisions (23 percent) involved injuries. When it comes to trucking accidents, multiple parties may be responsible, including:

• The truck driver - If the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident broke the law, was not adequately trained, or was intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, he or she may be liable for injuries that occurred.
• The trucking company - The company that hired the truck driver can also be a responsible party. Your attorney may be able to demonstrate a company’s liability by uncovering a missed truck inspection, an expired permit, and/or improper truck maintenance.
• The owner of the truck - In some cases, a trucking company does not own the truck being driven, but rents or leases it for business use. The owner of the truck is responsible for keeping it maintained, monitoring the engine, and performing regular oil and tire changes. Depending on the vehicle and its use by a business, the FMCSA has rules and regulations which must be followed, and violations of these rules may be considered negligence.
• The loaders - Cargo on the truck sometimes plays a part in the trucking accident. If the loaders did not fully inspect or fasten the load correctly, they may be held liable if the load fell off the truck, causing property damage and injury to another driver or vehicle.
• The vehicle manufacturer(s) - Truck parts such as brakes, tires, or engine components may malfunction or fail, resulting in dangerous accidents. In these cases, it may be possible to hold the manufacturer of the defective parts responsible for the accident.

Contact Our Milwaukee Personal Injury Lawyers

If you have been injured in an accident involving a semi-trailer truck, our personal injury attorneys can help you establish liability for the collision and pursue compensation from all parties who were responsible. We will work to ensure that you receive the financial resources you need to recover from your injuries. Call our Milwaukee, WI truck accident attorneys today at 414-271-1440.

Large trucks are a danger on the roads to smaller passenger cars and pedestrians. Tractor-trailer trucks weigh 80,000 pounds, on average. This makes them hard to stop, and the difference in size between vehicles is likely to cause serious injuries for drivers and passengers involved in a collision.

There are a wide variety of reasons why truck accidents occur. Because of the complexity of the trucking industry and determining what entities are at fault, accident victims should always avail themselves of an attorney when pursuing compensation for injuries.

Here are four common causes of accidents involving commercial trucks:

Due to their large sizes and heavy loads, semi-trailer trucks can present a major danger to other vehicles using the road. Even drivers and passengers in the largest SUVs or luxury cars with top-of-the-line safety features are likely to be injured in truck accidents, and this is especially true in cases when 18 wheeler trucks overturn.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more than 1,300 tanker truck rollover accidents in the United States every year, as well as 500 rollover accidents involving other large trucks. Fatalities result from 60 percent of these accidents.

If you have been in an accident involving the rollover of a large truck, you should note any details that could be used to explain the cause of the rollover, which can help establish liability for the accident and aid in recovering compensation for your damages.

Due to the size and weight of an 18-wheeler, trucks are a huge risk for other vehicles on the road. In fact, when a truck is at fault in a traffic accident, hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages could be sustained.

With the huge potential for serious injury in truck accidents, the industry is turning to technology to make trucks safer.

Semi-Truck Accident Causes