Everyday people share the road with the logistical giants of the highway, the 18-wheeler. Because of the necessity of providing the populace with its food, fuel, and other logistical items, 18-wheelers are seen every day on our nation’s highways. With their presence on the highways comes responsibility, a responsibility to transport goods safely. This responsibility to provide safe logistics is extended to those who drive, those who own, and those who hire the 18-wheelers.
With the increase in Texas’s population in the past decade and in the future, the efforts to provide logistics can cause these companies to overextend themselves and put their drivers into positions to violate laws by cutting corners to compensate for the increased demand. The U.S. Department of Transpiration has enacted regulations to give guidance and standards to the trucking industry. For example, the regulations limit the total time the driver can safely operate an 18-wheeler, specific requirements of how loading is to be done and stringent maintenance/inspection standards. These regulations are found under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Rules and Regulations section found at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/rules-regulations.htm.
The Rules and Regulations of the FMCSA are a tool that an injured party can use to ensure that negligent trucking companies are held responsible for the injuries that were caused by an 18-wheeler. Even with this set of laws many injured people miss their opportunity to be made whole again because they feel that accidents just happen. They do, but what the injured person does not realize is there could be fault by the company because of violating the rules mentioned above. These rules are in place to provide a safe driving environment on the nation’s highways and the companies who violate them are breaking the law.
Not every injury will be actionable, but the law does provide areas where trucking companies are liable for the injuries their trucks and drivers cause. Due to the complexity and intricacies of 18-wheeler accidents, it is best for an injured person to contact an attorney as soon as possible. This is important to insure a proper investigation takes place regarding the accident involving the 18-wheeler.
If you or someone you know has been injured by an 18-wheeler, contact the attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.