For drivers on the roadways in Texas, sharing the highway with large trucks and 18-wheelers can be an unnerving experience. The massive size and weight of these vehicles mean that they can pose a particular threat to smaller cars, light trucks and motorcycles, and a crash could lead to severe personal injuries or even fatalities. This means that it can be important for drivers to be particularly cautious around large semi-trucks in order to protect themselves from negligent or dangerous driving.
There are a number of situations that can lead to commercial trucking accidents, both those caused by truck drivers and those caused by other vehicles on the road. Of course, due to the size of large trucks, even an accident caused by another passenger car can have repercussions for many other drivers and passengers on the roadway. Passenger cars’ driving behavior that can lead to trucking accidents include changing lanes suddenly in front of a truck, attempting to unsafely pass a truck without enough room, driving quickly between several large trucks or failing to speed or slow one’s vehicle when a truck is merging.
However, many other truck accidents are caused by truck drivers’ own negligent or dangerous driving behavior. While commercial truck drivers are often skilled and patient, mistakes and truck driver fatigue can lead to devastating crashes. Some causes of crashes due to truck driver behavior include inadequate safety and defensive driving training, pay systems that encourage long hours of driving and unrealistic schedules that push drivers into excessive speeds.
People who have been injured in 18-wheeler accidents due to another’s careless or dangerous driving may suffer lifelong consequences as a result. Accident victims may benefit from consulting with a personal injury lawyer about their next steps, and an attorney might take action to seek compensation for damages caused by the accident, including lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering.
