Semi-trucks are everywhere on Washington State roadways and while the role of semi-trucks serve a good purpose, being involved in an accident with a semi-truck can be fatal. Trucking accidents frequently result in catastrophic or fatal injuries, such as spinal cord injuries, amputations, fractures, burns and brain injuries. It has been estimated that about 80 percent of all accidents that involve semi-trucks have fatal results. Most of these tragedies involving semi-trucks occur during the daylight hours and are caused by truck driver error.

Driver Error

One of the most common causes of semi-truck caused fatalities in Washington State is the result of driver error. The driver of a large, commercial truck is also at risk of causing an accident by continuing to drive on poor road conditions, with poor vehicle performance or during bad weather. Most accidents that are caused by driver error are due to:

• Drug and/or alcohol use
• Fatigue
• Rollovers due to a variety of driver errors

Drug and/or Alcohol Use

Truck drivers in Washington State are not permitted to use any controlled substance, unless it has been prescribed by a licensed physician and then only if the medication will not have any effect on the driver’s ability to safely operate the commercial vehicle. However, according to several studies, a vast array of trucking accidents involved semi-truck drivers who were taking prescription and/or over-the-counter drugs. Federal regulations require trucking companies to test their truck drivers for drug and/or alcohol use as a condition of being hired as well as periodically while the driver is on duty. If you have been involved in and injured an accident and you think the truck driver was impaired, it is essential that you demand a blood test for drugs and alcohol and that you speak with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

Fatigue

About 18 percent of semi-truck accidents that have been studied, were shown to be caused by driver fatigue. When a truck driver in Washington State is fatigued, it causes them to be inattentive, fall asleep, ignore the signs of possible dangers and/or panic, which may lead to overreacting in a dangerous situation. Truck drivers are required to follow federal regulations that state a commercial truck driver can only work a maximum of 14 hours a day, during which time they can only drive for a maximum of 11 hours and they must be off duty for a total of ten consecutive hours before a new shift. Fatigue is one of the most common causes of fatal semi-truck accidents, but it is also the most preventable cause.

If you are involved in an accident with a semi-truck, a personal injury lawyer will be able to help you determine and possibly prove that the truck driver and/or the trucking company were in violation of federal regulations regarding hours. The attorney can get a copy of the truck drivers logs to help determine if they were indeed on the roadways longer than allowed.

Semi-Truck Rollovers

A semi-truck rollover is also a primary cause of fatalities and serious injuries in semi-truck related accidents. A rollover is frequently caused by driver error, such as:

• Inexperience
• Fatigue
• Improper distribution of truck loads
• Taking curves too fast
• Driving too fast (most driver error related accidents in Washington State involve trucks that are driving too fast for the conditions)

Accidents involving passenger vehicles and semi-trucks are typically fatal. If you or a family member has been injured in a semi-truck related accident in Washington State, there are several ways your personal injury attorney can gather evidence that may prove driver error. The majority of trucking companies use devices known as electronic event data recorders, which record a large amount of information about the operations of the truck, including patterns of speed, how long the driver was on the road, how fast the truck was going and when the driver used the brakes. Speaking with an attorney as soon as possible increases the chances of ensuring data from the equipment is preserved.

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