When you live in Tennessee, you see commercial trucks every day – they’re all over the place. And after this past winter with so much unexpected ice and snow, a lot of them were literally all over the place. Perhaps these harsh winters play a role in why the U.S. Transportation Department is reporting higher numbers of large truck-related fatalities each year.

According to the Insurance Journal, “the number of people killed in large-truck crashes increased for the fourth straight year, bucking a trend of overall improvement in U.S. highway safety. Fatalities rose to 3,964 people last year, which includes truckers, pedestrians and the occupants of vehicles that collided with the big rigs.” The article chooses to focus on driver fatigue, but there are many reasons why a commercial truck driver might get into a serious, if not deadly, crash.

What typically causes truck accidents?

Trucks are massive vehicles that move at high speed down our nation’s highways and roadways. There are countless different causes for truck accidents, but some of the more common causes include:

• Driver negligence, inexperience, distraction
• Faulty truck equipment and inadequate preparation
• Poor maintenance
• Manufacturing defects
• Dangerous road conditions
• Bad weather conditions

When the reasons behind an accident are unclear, we sometimes need to work with other people whose expertise lies outside our realm of experience. Not only does this ensure that we build a thorough case, but it lets other people look at the accident from different perspectives and with “fresh” eyes, so that we don’t miss anything. They help us by reviewing the police reports and reconstructing the scene of the accident to determine how and why it occurred. This accident reconstruction allows us to rule out any possibilities of our clients being at fault – and if they do share the blame, at least we can prove that the majority of the fault lies with the truck driver or his/her company.

If you have been injured in a trucking accident, you should talk to a personal injury attorney so that you can get an idea of what your case might be worth, and receive some guidance about possible next steps in bringing a personal injury lawsuit, a products liability lawsuit or even a wrongful death lawsuit.

For more information about our legal services, we invite you to contact Banks and Jones. As one of Knoxville’s premier personal injury law firms, we are dedicated to providing you with the one-on-one attention your case deserves and needs for its greatest chance at success.