Tractor-Trailer Accident Lawyer
Strong Advocacy for Your Injury in Lexington County
If you or someone close to you was injured in a serious traffic accident involving a tractor-trailer, commercial truck, 18-wheeler, or "big rig" vehicle on a South Carolina roadway, you may be entitled to compensation. Tractor-trailer accidents are extremely serious. These massive vehicles pose a great danger to drivers of conventional motor vehicles simply because of their sheer size and weight.
Truck Accidents in South Carolina
More than 2 million tractor-trailers operate in the United States at any given time. These vehicles can weigh up to 40 tons - about 20 times the weight of the average car. When commercial truck drivers fail to take essential precaution and exercise their responsibility safely, they put others on the road in danger. In fact, in approximately 95 percent of all fatal accidents involving commercial trucks, the victim is a passenger or driver of the passenger vehicle.
What causes tractor-trailer accidents? In many cases, the driver of the commercial vehicle or the trucking company is to blame. For example, one leading cause of tractor-trailer accidents is driver fatigue. According to new 2013 laws, truck drivers must follow certain requirements, such as taking mandatory rest periods. These requirements also limit the number of hours that a truck driver may operate in a single week. Unfortunately, many drivers do not comply with these regulations, whether because of pressure from the company that hired them or just a desire to increase their bottom line.
As a result, approximately 6,000 truck accidents each year are caused by driver fatigue, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. At Harling & West, LLC, we believe that drivers and trucking companies who put money above the safety of other drivers in South Carolina should be held responsible for their actions. Other leading factors in tractor-trailer collisions include the following:
- Overloaded or unbalanced trucks
- Brake malfunction
- Equipment failure
- Jackknifing
- Insufficient driver training
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Reckless driving
- Poorly secured truck loads
- Unsafe driving for weather conditions
- Speeding
Call Harling & West, LLC for your free case evaluation!
If you or someone close to you has been hurt in a truck accident, you should not hesitate to call a Lexington County personal injury attorney at our firm right away. We offer all of our potential personal injury clients initial case consultations at no cost! Let us provide you with the tough advocacy you deserve. Our firm has years of experience, and we are dedicated to fighting for our clients' rights and interests no matter what. Let us help you recover the compensation you need to get your life back after as serious accident. Call Harling & West, LLC today.