18-Wheeler Accident Attorneys

Louisiana Truck Accident Lawyers

The legal weight for an eighteen wheeler is 80,000 lbs. That’s 40 tons. The average automobile weighs about 5,000 lbs. The average length of an 18 wheeler varies generally between seventy and eighty feet. Obviously, big rigs present a very serious danger to all of us. But, big rigs are essential. Our country cannot function without them.

There are many reasons eighteen wheelers are dangerous, starting simply with the fact that they are very large and heavy in comparison to the typical passenger vehicle. When this simple fact is combined with any of the many frequent contributing factors, the result is often horrendous. Some of the common contributing causes of wrecks involving eighteen wheelers include:

• Driver fatigue
• Driver failure to consider blindspots
• Poor driver training
• Equipment malfunction, primarily the brakes
• Driving under influence of drugs or alcohol
• Debris or articles in the road
• Excessive speed, following too closely, improper lane change, or other failures to obey simple rules of driving
• Failure of tires as a result of excessive wear or inappropriate inflation
• Unsecured cargo or freight shifting in the payload section

Another harsh reality of motor vehicle collisions involving big rigs is that the resulting injuries are usually severe or fatal. Over 500,000 trucking accidents occur every year in this country, out of which approximately 5,000 result in fatalities. In fact, 18-wheeler trucking accidents account for one of every eight traffic deaths.

If you have been injured in a wreck involving an eighteen wheeler, call us. We can help.