Our McAlester Oklahoma Truck Accident Lawyers Are Here To Help You!
McAlester Truck Accident Attorney
“Large truck” is a big category. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) defines “large trucks” to include everything from 10,000-pound box trucks used for local deliveries to 80,000-pound tractor-trailers hauling consumer goods, livestock, food, and hazardous materials, and other products across the country.
Despite the differences in their sizes, all large trucks have one thing in common: when they collide with a passenger vehicle, the results can be catastrophic. Determining who exactly is at fault for your crash can be difficult when many different companies may be involved – and when you are already struggling to heal after a serious accident.
That’s where we can help. At Edwards & Patterson Law, our knowledgeable McAlester & Tulsa accident attorneys help injured clients throughout Oklahoma and Arkansas. We’re well-versed in the most common causes of truck accidents, and we work with investigators, medical experts, and accident reconstruction teams as needed to determine exactly what happened and establish the full amount of compensation you’re entitled to receive for your injuries. Contact us today for a free consultation.
- Common Causes Of 18-Wheeler Truck Crashes
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The FMCSA and other federal government agencies closely track truck accident reports each year in order to shed light on what causes most truck crashes. The Large Truck Crash Causation Study reveals that the most common factors in truck accidents include:
- Drug use. Use of prescription, over the counter, or illegal drugs occurs in 1 of every 4 large truck crashes, according to the FMCSA’s data. Drugs can easily affect a driver’s perception or reaction time, leading to a crash.
- Speeding. Twenty-three percent of large truck crashes involve a truck that was either going faster than the posted speed limit or going too fast for conditions when it crashed. Simple physics demonstrates the size of the problem: when an 80,000-pound truck accelerates, it gains substantially more momentum than a 3,000-pound passenger vehicle – and can cause substantially more damage on impact. Due to its weight, a heavy truck also requires much more distance to stop when traveling at high speeds.
- Driver fatigue and distraction. Although federal rules limit the number of hours drivers can be behind the wheel, fatigue still plays a role in 13 percent of all truck crashes, according to the FMCSA. Distraction contributes to 8 percent of all crashes.
- Aggressive driving. Truck drivers who give in to “road rage” cause 7 percent of all truck accidents every year, according to the FMCSA.
In addition to these factors, unsafe equipment or loads, improper certification of drivers, or hidden defects in the truck or any of its parts can also cause a serious accident. While it is important to look at the driver’s behavior in the moments before impact, it is also important to examine how the trucking company, mechanics, or shippers might have played a role in the damage caused.
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- Who May Be Liable for a Trucking Accident in Oklahoma?
- How Our McAlester Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help You
Need Help with your Truck Accident Claim? Talk with a Dedicated McAlester Truck Accident Lawyer.
If you’ve been involved in a serious truck accident resulting in injuries, call a Edwards & Patterson truck accident lawyer. at Edwards & Patterson Law. We offer free case evaluations with no strings attached. Call us today at 877-761-5059 or contact us online. Our team takes will review your Tulsa or McAlester truck accident claim. Our firm takes cases on a contingency basis, which means you pay no attorney’s fees unless you recover monetary damages.