Denver Trucking Accident Lawyer

Truck Accident Cases

The victims of truck crashes often sustain severe or even fatal injuries due to the crushing weight of the trucks, the long cargo bed of some of these trucks that can twist perpendicular to the highway during a fishtail, the increased stopping distance, as well as the excessive speed at which they are too often driven

Trucks that are involved include 18 wheelers, tractor trailers, heavy haulers, semi-trucks, tanker trucks, garbage trucks, postal, Amazon, Fed Ex, UPS trucks, concrete transport trucks and cement mixers, etc.

• The common causes of trucking accidents include:
  • Driver Negligence, including but not limited to, aggressive driving, speeding, tailgating, rear-end collisions, running a red light, improper lane changes, failure to yield the right of way, driving in conditions of poor visibility due to smoke, fog, snow or rain, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, inadequate driver training or supervision, hazardous cargo spills.
  • Vehicle Malfunctions, including but not limited to tires, wheels and brakes failures, defective engine components, defectively designed or manufactured equipment, improper maintenance of the trucks, improperly loaded or overloaded trucks.
  • Reckless and Dangerous Company Practices such as falsifying sleep schedules, maintenance logs.
  • Improper Road Design
  • Hazardous Conditions, including but not limited to, night driving, mountain terrain, construction zones, wintery conditions such as fog, snow, icy roads, etc.
• Commercial Motor Vehicle Laws and Regulations
  • Because trucks often travel through more than one state, both federal (The Federal Highway Administration, The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act and The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) and state laws and regulations may have jurisdiction in trucking accidents. For example, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, called Hours-of-Service Rules, dictate how often truckers must stop to rest and sleep on trips. Federal law also requires drivers to record their driving information in driver log books which may document: violations of sleep requirements, negligent driving; potentially illegal, and/or intentional misconduct on the driver’s part.
  • Federal regulations also require trucking companies to carry various levels of insurance, depending on what type of materials are being hauled.
  • State laws, such as speed limits, also come into play in trucking accidents.
  • “Black Boxes” are also known as “electronic control modules” (ECMS) or “event data recorders” (EDRS). Most commercial trucks are equipped with an ECM or an EDR which records various parameters that can assist in determining how the truck accident occurred. The information on an EDR is often used by accident reconstruction experts. It should be noted that parties in a truck accident have a duty to retain evidence that could be subject to litigation.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident, please call us at 303-388-3200 for a free, confidential and no obligation consultation. You will pay no fees until we successfully resolve your claim.