Truck Accidents Caused by Truck Driver Negligence

Tractor-trailer wrecks can happen at any moment. A truck driver may be momentarily distracted before changing lanes and not realize a vehicle has moved into a blind spot beside the truck. Truck drivers are involved in a disproportionately high number of fatal traffic accidents. That is due in part to the massive size of tractor-trailers compared to other vehicles and in part to the callous disregard of some truck drivers and trucking companies for highway safety. A truck driver may cause a serious accident by driving too fast for road conditions.

The truck driver may be fatigued because he’s been driving too long. All of these factors may represent truck driver negligence.

If you have been seriously injured in a crash involving a big rig, semi or 18-wheeler in Western North Carolina, you may be entitled to compensation. Talk to a knowledgeable truck accident lawyer at The Elmore and Smith Law Firm, PC in Asheville about your legal rights. The experienced personal injury attorney at The Elmore and Smith Law Firm, PC has been helping victims of truck driver negligence for more than three decades.

Many Factors Add Up To Truck Driver Negligence

There are many ways the driver of a tractor-trailer, semi, semi-trailer or 18-wheeler may be at fault in a truck accident, including factors that police may not cite on the initial accident report. They include:

Hours-of-Service Violation — A truck driver may have violated the legal limits on hours of driving per day or per week and become dangerously fatigued. An experienced truck accident lawyer will move to preserve evidence contained in an electronic on-board recorder or “black box” that may reveal an hours–of-service violation and truck driver negligence.
Over-the-Counter Drugs — A truck driver may have become drowsy after taking an over-the-counter allergy medication and dosed off or become inattentive, causing a truck accident.
Driving Too Fast For Conditions — The truck driver was driving the posted speed limit. But adverse weather conditions meant the trucker was driving too fast on Interstate 40 for conditions in the Western North Carolina mountains. The trucker should have slowed down to allow greater braking room on wet roads.
Speeding — A truck driver may feel deadline pressure to make a delivery and exceed the posted speed limit. For years, speeding tractor trailers have been a problem on Interstate 40 through the Pigeon River Gorge, and they have contributed to many truck accidents.
Inattention — A truck driver may be distracted by a map, an electronic navigation system, or talking on phone, taking their mind off the highway long enough for a serious accident to unfold.

All of these common causes of truck accidents and many others may constitute truck driver negligence. According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, each year there are approximately 477 crashes involving buses and large trucks, such as tractor-trailers, semis, semi-trailers and other 18-wheelers in the area of Western North Carolina that includes Asheville and Buncombe County, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Truck driver negligence caused many of those accidents. When a truck driver’s negligence causes a serious accident, the driver and the trucking company should pay compensation to the victim.

Contact Experienced Western NC Truck Driver Negligence Lawyer

If you have been injured or lost a loved one as a result of truck driver negligence, turn to a trusted Asheville, North Carolina, law firm for help. You shouldn’t have to pay medical bills for serious injuries suffered in a trucking accident caused by truck driver negligence. The truck driver, trucking company and their insurance carrier should pay all your expenses. The Elmore and Smith Law Firm, PC can advise you about your legal rights to seek compensation from the at-fault truck driver, trucking company and their insurance company.

We represent truck accident victims on a contingent-fee basis, meaning you do not pay any legal fees unless we obtain money on your behalf.