The responsibility belongs to trucking companies that cause accidents on the highway due to fatigue and under-training their workers. Regardless of the level of responsibility held by workers, the personal responsibility of the driver cannot be ignored. Weather, road conditions, and vehicular malfunction are just a few aspects, aside from human mistake, that contribute to the amount of an 18 wheeler truck accidents occurring per year. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), it is ten times more likely that the driver of the truck is responsible for causing the accident.
In addition to lack of sleep from extended hours on the road, unfortunately there have been instances where it was found that the driver who caused the truck accident had consumed alcohol or abused prescription medication. According to the FMCSA study mentioned above, 44% of all truck accidents caused by driver error are attributed to prescription or over the counter drug use, 23% to driving at unsafe speeds, and 18% to driver fatigue.
18 Wheeler Truck accidents are most often more serious and cause greater injuries than other motor vehicle accidents, including head, neck and back injury, brain injury, scarring and paralysis, loss of limbs, and death. When dealing with such serious repercussions, it is crucial that truck drivers and trucking companies are attributed for the damages and injuries they cause and the lives they can suddenly alter or end by their mistakes.
It is not always simple to recognize what is the main cause of an 18 Wheeler truck accident, which is why, when engaged in one. Contact Barton Law Firm, our 18 Wheeler Accident Lawyer Houston handle serious injury and wrongful death cases against trucking companies throughout Texas and the United States.