What Causes Truck Accidents in Los Angeles?
Driver error, in one form or another, causes most truck accidents in Los Angeles. More than ever, semi-trucks, delivery vehicles, and freight carriers are huge and their drivers are under tremendous pressure to quickly deliver cargo. Throw the SoCal freeway environment into the mix, with busy freeways like the I-5, I-10, I-405, I-710, and US-101, as well as the busy Port of Los Angeles, and it’s easy to see why the number of fatal large truck wrecks has increased 40 percent since 2015.
These wrecks not only cause fatal and catastrophic (life-threatening) injuries, like severe burns, crushed bones, and head injuries. These collisions are also legally complex, mostly because an out-of-state shipping or transportation company is often financially responsible for damages. A San Marcos personal injury attorney arranges for top-shelf medical care and navigates through these legal difficulties to ensure that truck crash victims get back on their feet and get the compensation they need and deserve.
Driver Fatigue
Truck driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of truck accidents in Los Angeles. Long hours, overnight routes, and pressure to meet delivery deadlines push drivers beyond safe limits.
Making matters worse, federal and state regulators, under tremendous pressure from industry groups, have watered down Hours of Service (HOS) regulations, so drivers stay behind the wheel longer than they should.
Similar to alcohol intoxication, fatigue slows reaction times and impairs judgment, which is an especially dangerous combination in stop-and-go Los Angeles traffic. Also similar to alcohol intoxication, shortcuts, like drinking coffee, don’t change the underlying effects of fatigue.
Distracted Driving
A truck driver’s cab is more like a moving office. Distracting devices include cell phones, GPS systems, dispatch communications, and onboard computers. All these gadgets, even hands-free ones, involve at least one kind of driver distraction:
- Manual (hand off the wheel),
- Visual (eyes off the road), or
- Cognitive (mind off driving).
In congested areas like downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, and the San Fernando Valley, brief distractions often cause rear-end collisions or deadly multi-vehicle crashes.
Speeding and Unsafe Driving
Because it multiplies the risk of a collision and the force of a crash, speeding is extremely dangerous for large commercial trucks.
Due to their immense size and weight, trucks require much longer stopping distances than passenger vehicles. The size and weight also transforms “fender bender” wrecks into serious injury or even fatal collisions.
Furthermore, these drivers, many of whom are inexperienced, often lose control of their vehicles on Los Angeles freeways or through downhill stretches when they speed excessively.
Excessive speed is easier to prove in commercial driver cases. A San Marcos personal injury lawyer enforces the duty of utmost care, which requires commercial drivers to go the extra mile to avoid wrecks.
Poor Maintenance
Simple mechanical failures cause many truck accidents in Los Angeles. Hurried drivers either don’t perform safety checks or decide to risk it. These issues include brake failure, tire blowouts, worn suspension systems, and malfunctioning lights. Sometimes, the manufacturer is at fault for maintenance-related crashes, because the non-working part was defective.
Improperly Loaded or Overloaded Cargo
Particularly near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, improper cargo loading is another frequent cause of truck accidents in Los Angeles. Overloaded trucks or unsecured cargo shifts during transport, leading to rollovers, jackknife accidents, or spilled debris on busy roadways.
Once again, California laws closely regulate cargo and weight. But once again, these laws are not strictly enforced in many cases.
Contact a Tenacious San Diego County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Carlsbad, contact the Pursley Law Firm. We routinely handle matters throughout the Golden State.
Source:
injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/road-users/large-trucks/
