You’re no stranger to the sight of semi-trucks traveling between the major hubs in the Midwest, but it can be hard to know what went wrong when one of those encounters ended in an accident. Large trucks may be marvels in hauling freight, but those that are operating outside the rules could be trucking negligence.
Illinois sees thousands of cases of injury and property damage from tractor-trailer crashes every year. There are strict federal regulations in place to limit the dangers for these giant carriers, but the equipment doesn’t always live up to important standards. When trucks are operating at a dangerous level of disrepair, you may be the one who has to pay the price.
Driving negligence
These kinds of serious shortcomings, whether intentional or due to oversight, can leave drivers in danger. Federal regulations have strict rules when it comes to trucks operating on the roads, and those that don’t make the grade could lead to a drastic increase in danger.
Vehicle defects of any kind increase the risk of a trucking accident by 200%, according to one study that looked over large truck inspections after a crash. A similar analysis revealed around 55% of trucks in accidents had a least one faulty part.
Risky repairs
Trucks need to be in working order to be able to run freight on the roads, and one or two dings on the inspection could point to negligence:
- Worn brakes
- Steering defects
- Broken signals
- Damaged headlights
- Missing mirrors
When an equipment failure leads to an accident, it’s essential to find who was on the hook for finding the flaw. A driver may be at fault for not reporting the damage. A carrier could be responsible for missing a scheduled inspection. The loading facility may have failed to consider the limitations of the vehicle.
Finding the reason is crucial to uncovering who is responsible for the damages. Make sure you know what the rules are when it comes to missing maintenance, and you may be able to find your road to recovery.
