Sacramento Truck Accident Attorney

Fighting Back After a Big Rig Accident

While large semi-trucks, commercial trucks, and tractor-trailers comprise just 3% of the vehicles on American roads, they account for more than 25% of all passenger vehicle occupant deaths. Reckless driving, driver fatigue, improper maintenance, and mechanical failures are just a few of the causes of these accidents.

There may be many responsible parties in a truck accident case, from the driver to the trucking company to the owner of the trailer. If you have been injured or a loved one was killed in a big rig accident, it is important to select a truck accident attorney in Sacramento with experience handling these complex cases. 

Rules and Regulations for Truck Drivers

Because trucks can cause such catastrophic damage in the event of an accident, truck drivers and the companies they work for are required to follow more regulations than other motor vehicles both on and even off the road. In fact, these drivers must follow stricter rules than many other employees in general. One of these such rules is called the hours of service regulation, which was created to prevent fatigued driving. Because of this, most of the laws are aimed at ensuring that truck drivers get an adequate amount of sleep and are not overworked. According to this law:

• Truck drivers can work a maximum of 14 hours in one workday, still nearly double that of most other workdays. Of these 14 hours, however, truckers can only drive for 11 hours, with the remaining time spent on rest or meal breaks

• Truck drivers must rest for at least 10 consecutive hours before beginning a new workday

• Truck drivers are required to take days off work at regular intervals

Unfortunately, truck drivers don’t always follow these rules. Whether due to truck driver negligence or pressure from the trucking companies’, failing to follow the hours of service regulations rules can raise the chances of an accident. If you have been injured by a negligent truck driver, it often requires an investigation into your accident to discover if these rules were violated. The attorneys at our firm are experienced in such investigations and are ready to help you today. Call us today to learn more!

Establishing Liability After a Truck Accident

Because so many parties are involved in commercial trucking, determining liability after an accident can be difficult. This is because an accident with a truck can be caused by many factors.

Some of these include:

• Poor road conditions

• Driver negligence

• Improper loading

• Lack of truck maintenance

For example, if your accident with a truck was caused by a tire blowout, liability could fall with the tire manufacturer (if the tire was defective) or the trucking company (if a tire that should have been replaced during routine maintenance wasn’t). If treacherous or unmaintained roads are to blame, liability may lie with the city or state where the accident occurred because it was their fault for not maintaining safe infrastructure. These are some of the many scenarios that can come up and why it’s always good to have a lawyer to help you establish liability through investigations.