Carrollwood Truck Accident Attorney
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many regulators have prioritized corporate profits above consumer safety. That’s especially true regarding large truck safety regulations. Bureaucrats in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and other agencies have allowed bigger and heavier trucks on Florida roads. Since these regulators have also waived many HOS (Hours of Service) rules, many of these operators are dangerously fatigued. To many bureaucrats, resulting serious injuries are simply acceptable casualties.
In contrast, the dedicated Carrollwood truck accident attorneys at Moore Law put injury victims first. This commitment begins with providing prompt and effective medical treatment. We work to ensure that truck accident victims get the treatment they need when they need it. Then, we work equally hard to collect evidence and build a strong damages claim. As a result, when the case goes to court, we are well-positioned to obtain maximum compensation for your serious injuries.
What Causes Truck Crashes?
We mentioned fatigued drivers and truck crashes above. Driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of car crashes in general and truck accidents in particular.
Fatigue and alcohol affect the brain and body in roughly the same way. Driving after eighteen consecutive awake hours, not eighteen consecutive working hours, is like driving with a .05 BAC level. That’s above the legal limit for commercial operators in Florida.
Some truckers are fatigued even if they had a lot of sleep the night before. Circadian rhythm fatigue is an even worse problem than straight fatigue. Most people are naturally drowsy late at night, early in the morning, and at other times of day. Most truckers are on the road during these times.
Additionally, mostly because they sit for such long periods of time, many truckers have sleep apnea. This condition robs people of deep, restorative overnight rest. Instead, these individuals basically doze all night. As a result, they wake up sleepy, no matter what the clock says.
Fatigue indirectly causes car wrecks as well. To deal with drowsiness, about a third of truckers admit they take amphetamines and other stimulants during the day. These drugs impair judgement. Furthermore when the drug wears off, the user crashes hard and fast.
Other truck accident causes include driver impairment, like alcohol use, and operational errors, like excessive speed. Commercial operators have a higher duty of care than noncommercial motorists. As a result, it’s easier for a Carrollwood truck accident lawyer to prove negligence, or a lack of care, in these cases.
Evidence in Truck Crash Cases
To establish negligence by a preponderance of the evidence, or more likely than not, attorneys frequently rely on a trucker’s Safety Maintenance System report.
The SMS report is basically a multistate commercial operator driving record. The federal government maintains this database, which measures things like:
- Prior substance abuse,
- Crash history,
- Driving record history,
- HOS compliance, and
- Vehicle maintenance history.
The SMS report could be a treasure trove of evidence. Unfortunately, privacy laws shield many items in this record. Attorneys can quickly cut through this red tape and secure this vital evidence.
Usually, SMS reports dram on law enforcement records. So, these reports are often more accurate than judicial records. For example, if Maxine gets a fix-it ticket and addresses the problem, the citation probably won’t appear on her driving record. But the ticket will pop up on her SMS report.
Connect with a Diligent Hillsborough County Lawyer
Injury victims are usually entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced truck accident lawyer in Carrollwood, contact Moore Law by going online or calling 813-510-5400. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.
