Big Rig and Semi Freeway Rollovers

Commercial trucks are some of the most important vehicles on the roads of America today because they ship tons of food, clothes, and other items from manufacturers to retailers for consumers to purchase. As long as these trucks are on the roads then the country’s economy is in good shape to a certain extent. As important as these trucks are to the country’s economy, these trucks are also some of the most dangerous vehicles on the roads. Big rig and semi truck accidents are responsible for 5,000 deaths and 130,000 injuries on the roads each year. Freeway truck accident rollovers can occur because of a high rate of speed, the stability of the truck’s load, and how the center of gravity of the truck is affected by travel.

How these Accidents Happen

The most common places for truck rollovers to occur are on freeway and highway exit and entrance ramps because the truck driver has underestimated how sharp the curve of the ramp is while also taking the ramp at excessive speeds. More often than not, the shifting of the truck’s load is a result of the rollover and not the explicit cause of the rollover even though the shifting of the load can cause the rollover on rare occasions. Other causes of truck rollovers include the following:

• Driver fatigue
• Driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol
• Reckless driving
• Underestimating the curve of an exit or entrance ramp
• Speeding
• Driver was driving while emotionally distressed or angry
• Driver abruptly maneuvered truck to avoid another vehicle
• Under-inflated tires
• Poorly maintained brakes
• Cargo improperly distributed in the trailer
• The cargo shifts when the driver makes turns

Liability

The majority of cases involving freeway truck accident rollovers place the liability solely on the drivers of the trucks. The reason for this is that almost all rollovers can be avoided if the driver of the truck had taken extra caution and care when operating his or her vehicle. When the case appears in court the plaintiff, or injured motorist, must be able to prove that the driver of the truck had a duty of reasonable care to the plaintiff and that that duty of reasonable care was breached due to the negligence of the truck driver.

Injuries and Compensation

Victims of freeway truck accident rollovers can suffer head trauma, broken bones, severed limbs, fractures, comas, concussions, and sometimes even death. Victims of these accidents can sue the truck driver and/or the trucking company for a variety of items including but not limited to the following:

• Pain and suffering
• Medical bills
• Hospital bills
• Loss of wages
• Loss of consortium
• Repair costs
• Legal fees
• Court fees
• Funeral costs

Obtaining Legal Help

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a freeway truck accident rollover, contact an attorney immediately for expert legal advice regarding your case. A freeway truck accident rollover attorney will be able to obtain all of the evidence needed to prove that the defendant in the case is liable. The attorney will also be able to alleviate some of the stress associated with filing a lawsuit on the part of the plaintiff because he or she will fill out and file all of the necessary paperwork with the courts instead of leaving it up to the plaintiff to do on their own.