18-Wheeler Accidents
Our Resources and Expertise
Trucking accidents cause more fatalities than just about any other type of motor vehicle accident. The primary reason is that many truck drivers are suffering from exhaustion from being on the road weeks at a time. At the Law Offices of Maloney and Campolo we have the resources and the commitment to immediately investigate your accident, find out what occurred, present you with the necessary legal options, and then allow you to make the decision that is best for you and your family. 18-wheeler accidents are tragic, so, please, don't compound by not employing a law firm that has the resources and expertise to properly represent you and your family.
The Primary Cause of 18-Wheeler Accidents
Trucker Fatigue
What most people don't realize about 18-Wheeler accidents is that their primary cause is trucker fatigue. Truckers are paid by the number of miles they drive and by the number of hours they spend on the road. Because of this, many times the truckers that are involved in fatal collisions have far exceeded the number of hours of driving allowed under federal guidelines. This creates an incredibly dangerous situation for you. This is unfortunately a situation that is all too common. If you've been involved in an accident involving an 18-Wheeler there's a very good chance that the truck driver has been on the road for many more hours than allowed by federal guidelines.
The Need for Legal Representation Immediately After Your Accident
Truck Driving Logs
By law, trucking companies are supposed to keep a log of how many miles their driver drives during a week. What we have found in our investigations of hundreds of trucking accidents is that most companies have two sets of logs. The first set is for the Department of Public Safety or any other regulatory transportation agency that may need to review their books. This log is used to record the number of hours drivers were supposed to have driven during the week according to federal guidelines. The second log, and the one that is the most telling, is the one that is kept by the trucking company itself and is used to reimburse their drivers. This log usually keeps track of the actual miles and hours driven. The problem is that unless you employ a law firm quickly, the only set of books that are going to be produced to the public are the ones that adhere to the federal guidelines — the phony books. This is why it is essential that if you've been involved in an 18-wheeler accident that you employ a law firm immediately. There is an immense amount of investigation that has to be done quickly.
Witnesses, Accident Reconstruction and 18-Wheeler Inspection
The first thing that needs to be done is that the attorney, their investigators and their experts need to get to the accident scene quickly. They have to be able to reconstruct the accident, the position of the vehicles, and they also have to be able to locate any witnesses that may have been at the scene or may have actually seen the accident itself. Memories fade over time. Thus, the quicker you can get to and talk to a witness, the easier it is to prove liability in a case. The second thing that needs to happen is that there needs to be an inspection of the vehicles involved in the accident. Many times these trucks are out of compliance with federal laws. Either their tires are shot, their brakes have not been maintained, or they may have been hauling goods in excess of weight restrictions. There's any number of factors that need to be investigated immediately before the trucking company can take that truck out of service.