Can 18 wheelers safely share the road with cars and smaller trucks? A minivan and a tractor trailer truck collided on Interstate 78 near Union, New Jersey recently. The incident resulted in one death. The fatal truck crash happened around exit 49 as the vehicles approached Route 124. The minivan’s driver-side was jammed against the truck and its front windshield was shattered as a result of the collision. As of this writing, the identity of the person killed in the crash had not been revealed.
Common Causes of Accidents Involving 18 Wheelers and Cars
Collisions involving 18 wheelers are generally devastating, resulting in massive property damage, catastrophic injuries and death. In many cases, truck drivers, trucking companies and truck manufacturers are responsible for causing truck accidents, including:
- Failing to properly load the trailer. This can cause the truck to be improperly balanced, leading to rollover accidents.
- Drivers committing hours-of-service violations. In some cases, truckers remain behind the wheel longer than they are supposed to, because they fall behind and will get in trouble if their delivery is late. This can lead to them violating hours-of-service regulations, which limit the amount of time they can drive in a day and week. Breaking hours-of-service rules can result in truckers driving while fatigued, falling asleep while driving and causing a wreck.
- Failing to properly maintain the truck. Like any motor vehicle, 18 wheelers must be properly maintained or they can become dangerous. For instance, if a truck’s brakes are not inspected and replaced on a consistent basis, it could result in the vehicle’s brakes failing. If the brakes fail while the truck is on the highway, it could cause a truck crash.
The truck accident attorneys at our New Jersey law firm have years of experience helping victims hold negligent truckers and trucking companies accountable for causing them harm, including recovering multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements for clients.
