The commercial trucking industry is experiencing an increased demand for services and a shortage of truck drivers, which results in too few workers trying to accomplish too much work. Unfortunately, this trend has led to pressure on trucking companies and its drivers to transport goods under unreasonable demands and expectations. These demands and expectations can lead to an increase in fatigued drivers and unsafe driving practices as a result of trying to get goods transported under tight and unreasonable deadlines.
Interstate 5 runs from Mexico through the west coast states including all of Washington and up to Canada, which makes it a route that is heavily traveled by large commercial trucks. Our Kent truck accident attorneys know that when that heavy commercial truck use is coupled with the extreme traffic congestion that exists along I5 in Kent, Seattle and other surrounding areas, you have a perilous stretch of highway that puts everyone at a higher risk of being involved in a large truck accident.
Large 18-wheelers can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds while a regular passenger vehicle often weighs between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds. It only takes one driving error made by a truck driver to result in a catastrophic big rig accident. These massive vehicles are unable to stop quickly, especially when traveling at high rates of speed on the interstate. And when truck drivers cannot stop their trucks in emergency situations, they often lose control of their vehicle and any nearby motor vehicle is in the path of truck accident danger.
Due to their size and weight, truck accident injuries are often severe and devastating and most of the injuries and fatalities occur to people outside of the large truck such as pedestrians and passengers of other vehicles involved in the accident. Injuries frequently sustained in truck accidents include broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severed limbs, and death.
Our truck accident experts have conducted many truck accident investigations in the course of our truck accident victim representation. Causes and contributing factors that we frequently see in these cases include the following:
The trucking industry is regulated at the state level and federal level as a means to keep trucks well maintained and safely operated. When truck drivers, their employers, or truck owners do not comply with regulations and do not appreciate their responsibility to other people operating on the same roads, accidents happen and innocent victims are injured as a result. If you or a loved one has sustained serious injuries in a truck accident, contact our Kent truck accident attorneys with Russell & Hill, PLLC so that we can help you sort through the injury and recovery process to see that you are fully and fairly compensated for all of your truck accident injuries and damages.
