Driver Errors and Semi Truck Accidents
A semi truck/car accident can happen without warning and the results can be life changing for everyone involved. They can leave victims with serious spinal brain and neck injuries; sadly, they often result in fatalities. When pursuing a personal injury claim after a semi truck accident, the key issue is almost always determining who is responsible for the accident. There are many causes for truck accidents and responsibility is not always clear. If you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury in a semi truck accident, then you may want to have a clear understanding of how both truck and car driver errors may contribute to truck accidents.
Causes of Semi Truck Accidents
Understanding how a semi truck and car driver may have contributed to the accident is important. Recently, a study from the American Trucking Associations (ATA) highlights that there are a number of factors that cause truck accidents. These factors include:
- Driver error or failure to act;
- Mechanical failures; and
- Poor road or weather conditions.
Driver Error is the Leading Cause of Semi Truck Accidents
Most accidents do not have a one single cause, however, in most semi truck accidents there will be a primary error or failure that causes an accident. The ATA reports that driver error, or driver fault, was the primary cause of approximately 90 percent of all reported accidents. This means that the most deadly truck crashes result from a driver’s negligence, or failure to drive with the care we should expect, and Florida law demands, when on the road.
Who is to Blame for Semi Truck Accidents?
Truck drivers are not always at fault for collisions between semi trucks and smaller cars. The ATA found that both truck and car drivers share some of the blame for accidents. Truck drivers were responsible for approximately 16 percent of collisions studied, while car drivers were responsible for 71 percent of car crashes studied. Both car and semi truck drivers were found to be responsible for approximately 10 percent of all accidents studied. The study identified several errors that car drivers made that led to semi truck accidents. Drivers cause accidents when they:
- Speed in bad weather;
- Follow a semi truck too closely;
- Drift in their lane;
- Abruptly change lanes;
- Pass too closely to a truck; and
- Do not allow for a semi truck’s wider turn.
Let an Attorney Help
Studies and their results can help us understand how both semi truck and car drivers may contribute to an accident. And while understanding is important, it is also important that victims of semi truck accidents seek help for both their medical and legal harms. If you or someone you love has serious injuries from a semi truck accident, you should discuss your case with a Miami truck accident attorney at the law office of Alan Goldfarb, P.A. We can help you understand the cause of your accident and help you seek compensation for your injuries. Please contact us today to schedule an appointment.
