Posted on Friday, May 12th, 2017 at 7:12 pm
There are many reasons for large truck accidents. Some of those reasons involve the driver while other reasons involve the truck or road conditions. Being able to drive a commercial truck takes extensive training and practice.
Inexperienced or inadequately trained drivers may not have the ability or the knowledge to handle a large truck’s complex brake and transmission systems. Add to this situation traffic congestion, narrow roads, severe weather, and poor road conditions, and you have a potentially dangerous scenario where others can be severely injured or killed in a large truck accident.
Truck Drivers Must Have Special Training
Federal and state laws have strict requirements for obtaining and maintaining a commercial driver’s license. Truck drivers must have specialized training to operate a commercial vehicle safely. It is not a matter of simply knowing how to change gears. A truck driver must understand how a large truck operates in various situations.
For example, commercial trucks have a much longer stopping distance and a much wider turning radius. A driver who is not adequately trained can easily jackknife from improper braking or take out half a city block because he tried to make a turn that was impossible to navigate. Other common mistakes made by poorly trained truck drivers include:
- Driving off the road
- Waiting too late to apply the brakes
- Driving too fast for the weather or road conditions
- Changing lanes too quickly
- Taking turns or curves too fast
- Driving while fatigued or sleepy by violating hours of serve regulations
- Driving while distracted
- Failing to check lights, brakes, and other systems
- Driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs
- Speeding or reckless driving
Who is Responsible for These Accidents?
If a truck driver is not properly trained, the driver himself may be held responsible for damages caused by a truck accident. However, the truck company who hired the driver and/or trained the driver may also be responsible. Trucking companies have a duty to ensure their drivers are equipped and properly trained to operate a commercial vehicle. A company that hires inexperienced and untrained drivers, fails to verify a driver’s training, qualifications, and certifications, or fails to provide training can be held liable if the driver causes an accident.
Some trucking companies cut corners to save money, which includes hiring drivers a company knows are not qualified to drive a commercial vehicle. If this is the case and we can prove the company was negligent, we can sue the truck company for damages arising from an accident caused by their driver. This is important because the real money in a truck accident lies with the trucking company and its insurance carrier. The truck driver does not usually have sufficient insurance or assets to cover the damages caused by a truck accident.
Call a Sacramento Truck Accident Attorney
Proving the truck company was negligent in an accident caused by an inadequately trained driver can be difficult. You need an attorney who has experiencing handling commercial truck accident claims and who understands the laws governing the trucking industry.
Our Sacramento truck accident attorneys have the experience, knowledge, and skills to handle truck accident claims. Call The Tiemann Law Firm at (916) 999-9000 for a free consultation. Our law firm serves clients in Sacramento, Folsom, Roseville, El Dorado Hills and other communities in the greater Sacramento area.
