Semi-Truck Vehicle Maintenance and Kentucky Semi-Truck Accidents

There are strict rules and regulations that commercial vehicles like semi-trucks and buses must follow. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) outlines the safe, correct way for commercial tractor-trailers to be loaded, maintained and operated.

When these laws are broken, innocent drivers and passengers are put at risk. Most truck drivers are well-trained professionals who follow the safety rules regarding record-keeping, hours of service, and cell phone use. However, when a semi-truck is involved in an accident, often the driver is in violation of these regulations. Nearly 33% of all large-truck drivers involved in fatal accidents had at least one prior speeding conviction, compared to less than 20% of passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes.

Some of the truck parts that need to be regularly inspected and maintained include:

• Air Brakes
• Coupling Devices
• Horn
• Hydraulic Brakes
• Lights
• Mirrors
• Parking Brakes
• Reflectors
• Service Brakes
• Signals
• Steering Mechanisms
• Tires
• Trailer Connections
• Windshield Wipers

Our team at Flora Templeton Stuart Accident Injury Lawyers can investigate your case, determine applicable acts of negligence, and pursue the financial compensation you deserve.

Common forms of negligence leading to truck accidents include:

• Failure to conduct a walk-around. This is required by the Department of Transportation and includes a checklist regarding lights, brake lights, tires and safety components
• Failure to follow internal company maintenance requirements
• Failure to check drivers’ driving records, resulting in the hiring of drivers with past moving violations
• Failure to check the driver’s qualifications
• Failure to prevent drivers from overdriving, resulting in driver fatigue
• Drug and alcohol abuse on the part of drivers
• Failure to train drivers

We can check driving records, company records, drivers’ logs, black box/GPS records, police records, urinalysis results, and other records as part of our aggressive representation aimed at obtaining the maximum financial recovery following truck accidents.

People may suffer any of the following injuries:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Fractures
• Facial and head injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Paraplegia or quadriplegia
• Amputations
• Leg and torso injuries
• Burns and lacerations
• Internal injuries

It is important for people who have been involved in an accident caused by a truck  to get experienced and skilled help from a personal injury attorney. A lawyer may be able to recover far more damages for his or her client than the injured client may be able to recover on his or her own.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE: THE DRIVER OR THE TRUCKING COMPANY?

Truck drivers are required to conduct an inspection of their vehicle every time they go out. Semi-truck vehicle maintenance must be conducted on a regular basis. If the driver fails to conduct that inspection or fails to get required maintenance, they should be held accountable for any harm or damage caused.

All trucking companies owe a duty to motorists not to put an enormous unsafe vehicle on the road and to follow the regulations related to maintenance set forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). A failure to follow an FMCSA safety regulation related to maintenance may give rise to a claim of negligence per se (negligence as a matter of law). You may be able to hold the trucking company directly liable for negligence or negligence per se, which is important because in some cases truck drivers do not have sufficient insurance coverage to compensate you for the full range of damages you have suffered. In the end, trucking companies are responsible for their employees. They must be held accountable as well for the actions of their negligent drivers.

Failure to maintain these large trucks can result in a  catastrophic injury to innocent victims on the highways. Kentucky personal injury lawyer Flora Templeton Stuart and her team are ready to fight the big truck insurance companies for you!