Dedicated Truck Accident Lawyers in Omaha
I-80 in Omaha is America’s gateway to the West and the hustle and bustle of the East and is therefore a hotspot for truck accidents. This highway connects important metro areas to Omaha including Lincoln and Grand Island to the West and Council Bluffs and Des Moines to the East. The high volume of personal vehicles traveling this corridor contributes to the heightened risk of serious accidents.
A semi-truck accident results in a different type of accident. When a car and an 18-wheeler collide it usually does not end well for the car. These large truck accidents are more likely to end in a wrongful death than other types of accidents. As Omaha based truck accident lawyers we see accidents like this all of the time. These unique types of accidents require a unique type of lawyer. This is where Demerath’s lawyer’s expertise comes in.
Causes of Tractor-Trailer Accidents
Personal injuries are, by definition, the result of someone else’s carelessness, and this is certainly true where accidents involving 18-wheelers are concerned. Commercial transport drivers are no less susceptible to modern distractions than those vehicle drivers. Since semi-truck drivers spend countless hours on the road, exhaustion tends to play a role in these types of accidents. Although tractor-trailer operators are now limited to no more than 11 hours of driving each day and must log the required amount of rest time it is still a job that can make truck drivers tired. However, laws regarding these measures are not yet all-inclusive.
Some other typical elements a trucking accident attorney in Omaha may handle include:
- Road Conditions: Ice, snow, and rain factor into truck accidents just as they do with other types of crashes, but their speed and their greater weight tend to make matters worse. If it takes more than 300 feet for an 18-wheeler manufactured 10 years ago to stop on dry roads, imagine the distance needed when patches of black ice are present.
- Lack of Proper Training: Drivers must undergo extensive education in a classroom environment as well as complete a specified number of hands-on driving hours before acquiring their commercial driver’s license (CDL), but some less qualified drivers manage to slip through the cracks. Trucking companies sometimes allow unqualified drivers behind the wheel of their vehicles in an attempt to save money or quickly deliver a shipment. In some cases, licensed operators bring inexperienced buddies along on hauls to help double their earning potential.
- Inadequate Vehicle Maintenance: Trucking companies and independent owner-operators are all held to strict standards when it comes to keeping their trucks maintained; of course, this entails a certain amount of downtime, which affects the bottom line. Some overlook certain maintenance issues like worn tires or brake components to keep their trucks up and running, and innocent victims end up paying the ultimate price.
- Failure to Perform Required Inspections: The law dictates tractor-trailers must undergo thorough inspections before each haul to catch any potential equipment malfunctions before they become an issue. If any problems are found, they are required to be corrected before taking to the roads. Though this is a simple step and one of the most effective methods of preventing faulty equipment-related injuries or deaths, our Nebraska trucking accident attorney sees this oversight crop up far too often.
- Poor Loading Practices: With flatbeds and other types of open trailers, properly securing a load is critical. When proper measures are not taken to ensure the load is properly tied down, and covered in some cases, it becomes a hazard to everyone on the road. For enclosed trailers, if the items being transported are not properly balanced, they could cause the trailer to sway significantly or even overturn. Proper loading of any trailer is an important part of the driver and company’s responsibilities.
Why Truck Accidents Do So Much Damage
Loaded to their maximum legal limit, 18-wheelers can weigh upwards of 96,000 pounds. At a speed of 60 miles per hour, they require 250 to 330 feet stopping distance. Of course, that also assumes the driver is fully trained, alert, and well-seasoned in their profession, has finely honed reflexes, and the road is dry. Damage like this is why you need a truck accident lawyer you can trust.
There are over 500,000 truck accidents a year and approximately 5,000 of those accidents result in death. Omaha drivers are among those at risk of becoming victims of an 18-wheeler crash, but Nebraska truck accident lawyer Larry Demerath, our personal injury and wrongful death lawyer is here for you.
Why You Need an Omaha Based Truck Accident Lawyer
There is an alarming rate of fatal accidents on I-80 due to truck accidents. And we need more legislation to help protect private drivers. You need a lawyer who understands where laws are at in development as well as on the books. Our personal injury lawyers have the experience, resources, and competence to take on big trucking companies.
Get the money you deserve now!