Flatbed Truck Accident Causes
The term flatbed truck generally refers to a truck or tractor trailer with a flat open bed used for hauling a wide variety of materials and equipment. Some flatbeds are mounted permanently to the frame of the truck while others are pulled and are detachable. With the detachable variety, there are two styles. The first is a standard flatbed where the bed in located above the wheels. The second is the lowboy style where the bed sits closer to the ground. Standard flatbeds are used for hauling logs, building materials, machinery, and many other materials. Lowboys are generally used for moving construction vehicles such as track loaders and cranes as well as large heavy machinery. Read on to find out what kind of negligence can lead to a flatbed truck accident.
The Ignored Necessary Precautions That Lead to Flatbed Truck Accidents
Of the approximately one half million truck accidents in the United States each year, a large percentage involves flatbeds; either by collision or from improperly secured cargo. Many of the accidents involving flatbed truck are directly related to the type of cargo they are hauling. These loads can make the truck unstable by a creating a high center of gravity, the tendency to shift forward or laterally, or becoming loose and falling to the roadway. Truckers transporting materials on flatbeds are required to make periodic stops to check the security of the load. There are strict requirements for the securement of materials on flatbed trailers such as the number and type of tie downs and the places to which they are attached.
Despite the diligence of most drivers to maintain a secure load, mistakes do occur. These mistakes often lead to tragedy. If a flatbed is carting steel beams, or logs, and stops abruptly, the load can slide forward into the cab causing injury and even death to the driver or other occupants. That same load could also slide to the rear on an incline, directly into another vehicle. An improperly secured load may shift on a turn causing the truck to jackknife or even roll over. In other situations, the cargo can spill onto the road and become deadly debris to oncoming traffic. When a smaller vehicle and a large flatbed truck collide, the car or SUV will always be the recipient of the worst damage. The smaller vehicle often winds up beneath the bed of the trailer due to the difference in height. In the worst cases, the truck overturns on top of another vehicle or dumps its cargo in front of oncoming cars. When an accident occurs with a loaded flatbed on a busy highway the outcome is rarely anything less than horrific.
Determining Negligence in a Semi-Truck Accident Claim
Flatbed truckers do not always receive the required, extensive, training regarding the securement of every type of load properly, for the safety of themselves and others on the road. Avoidance of periodic load checking to save time is foolish and can lead to unnecessary injury, death and property damage. If you were injured, or someone you know was injured or lost their life due to a flatbed truck accident, it is important that you contact a truck accident attorney right away. The fault in the accident may lie with the driver, the trucking company, a third party in another vehicle or the crew that loaded the trailer. An experienced truck accident attorney can peel away the layers of accusation and determine the true responsibility in the accident.
The truck accident attorneys at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA have helped many victims of truck accidents recover significant awards for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering. If you or someone you know was hurt by a trucker, it is important that you act right away before the facts become obscured. Call and speak to a truck accident attorney today. There is no charge for an initial consultation and no fees until you win.
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
727-451-6900
https://dolman.fuelm.dev/legal-services/truck-accident-attorneys/
