Work with a Strong Accident Attorney that has experience with 18- Wheeler Accidents

Often times there are several parties injured in the result of an 18- wheeler accident. Mr. Diaz and his team will make sure that the person and/or company is held liable for their negligence. With more than 33 years of experience going head to head with commercial, trucking and 18-wheeler companies; an attorney that has extensive amount of experience in these particular cases is what you’ll receive.

What is Considered a Major 18- Wheeler Accident?

Are you unsure if your accident falls under the category of a major truck accident? It is defined in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System that if a truck has gross vehicle weight greater than 10,000 pounds it is considered a large truck. The weight of the average passenger car is approximately 5,000 pounds. This puts the driver of a passenger car at a distinct disadvantage in an accident, many times leading to severe, life-altering injuries or death.

 

Fatigued 18- Wheeler Drivers and Employer Negligence

We have seen many 18-wheeler companies take advantage of their employees pushing them past the driving limit. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration there is a limit on the number of hours a trucker is allowed to drive. This regulation is found in Section 395.3 (a)(2) a driver may drive only during a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty for following 10 consecutive hours off duty.

Peak hours of most fatigued 18-wheeler driver accidents happen within the hours of 6am and 6pm. Some trucking companies do not enforce the drive time hours, knowing that they are short staffed on truck drivers and may even ignore the fact that the driver does not have a valid certified driver’s license (CDL) to operate large motor-vehicles.

Major commercial 18-wheeler companies many times think of what benefits their business and may try to persuade you to make a decision to protect themselves. Have someone that can represent your case with great years of experience and achieving a substantial financial reimbursement.

24/7/365

It has been said that the trucking industry runs 24/7/365 as many companies are delivering to their receivers. Many18-wheeler drivers that do not have much experience in the industry often find it hard to stay within the legal limit of allowed logged driving hours. There’s a small window for truck drivers to rest in between the 10-hour break, often times turning into just 6 hours of rest and recovery. This has been a major issue with truck drivers, frequently leading to illegally logged hours.

18-wheeler drivers also need to be aware of long distance stopping; trucks traveling at 65mph will take up to two football fields to make a complete stop with good road conditions on a highway. Never merge closely into a lane that a large truck is on; it reduces the safety stop distance.