Clarion County is home to a number of major highways including Interstate 80 and Route 322. The county’s highways and local roads see a significant amount of large truck traffic passing through Clarion County on their way to make cargo deliveries. Unfortunately, as truck accident lawyers know, roadways frequented by large trucks are also frequented by large truck accidents. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s most recent accident report shows that Pennsylvania state roads experienced 6,807 truck accidents in one year and 145 of those were fatal accidents.
Truck accident attorneys
Truck accidents are very different from car accidents and only experienced truck accident attorneys should handle these claims. The trucking industry is subject to many rules and regulations and part of truck accident claims include investigating whether or not the truck driver and trucking company complied with those rules and regulations. Experienced truck accident attorneys know these rules and regulations and they know where to look when it comes to investigating whether or not truck drivers and truck companies were violating any of those rules and regulations.
Vehicle failures
The Pennsylvania DOT reported a number of accidents involved large truck vehicle failures. The main cause of large truck vehicle failure was tired/wheel related. The second highest cause of vehicle failure was brake failure. Tied for number 3 were powertrain failure and unsecured/overloaded trailer. Other vehicle failures included steering system failure, suspension, hitch and towing, lighting failure, and exhausted failure. Vehicle failures can often be attributed to poor truck maintenance or defective trucks. When trucks are defective, sometimes the manufacturers or sellers of the trucks are liable for injuries and damages as well.
Other accident causes
In addition to vehicle failures, other common causes and factors in truck accidents include the following:
- Distracted driving
- Poor truck maintenance
- Poor safety training
- Violations of hours of service
- Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Negligently loaded and secured cargo
- Speed
Truck accident injuries
In 2017, there were 145 fatal injury truck accidents in Pennsylvania. Only 27 (2.4%) of those fatalities were large truck occupants. The rest of the fatal injuries were sustained by people outside of the truck. This is evidence of the well known fact that when large truck accidents occur, it is most often people outside of the truck as passengers in other vehicles, pedestrians, or bicyclists who sustain the most serious injuries. When the crushing force of a massive truck is involved in an accident, the injuries sustained can be severe including broken bones, brain injury, spinal cord injuries, severed or amputated limbs, and fatalities.
