Construction Zone Truck Accidents: Pennsylvania Attorney
A fully loaded tractor trailer weighs more than 20 times as much as the family car. The tractor’s bumper and frame is much stiffer and higher than a car or SUV frame. A large truck is not as maneuverable as a car. The truck takes much longer to stop or slow down. If you were injured or lost a loved one in a Pennsylvania truck accident, contact a lawyer at Mikus Law Associates, P.C.
Truck accidents caused by weather and road conditions (including construction zone detours) often have catastrophic results for other motorists. It is much harder to regain control of a tractor trailer that begins to slide in snow or ice. In a collision between a tractor trailer and a car or SUV the occupants of the passenger vehicle are 50 times more likely to be killed than is the truck driver.
Weather and Construction Zones are Common Contributing Hazards
All of this means that truck drivers should be ultra-cautious when driving in bad weather or when approaching or driving in construction zones. Nevertheless, a disproportionately high number of truck accidents occur in bad weather and when approaching or while driving in construction zones. Why?
The most common cause is driver fatigue. A related cause is that commercial truck drivers are typically paid by the load or by the mile, not by the hour. Both the truck driver and the trucking company lose money if delivery of a load is delayed by construction zones and/or bad weather. The use of Just in Time (JIT) delivery contracts has increased the already considerable financial pressure in the trucking industry to “push the load” even when weather or road conditions would otherwise require that the truck slow down and that the truck driver be extra-cautious. This is a great concept when everything works perfectly. It dramatically increases the pressure on the truck driver to cut corners whenever weather, road conditions or equipment issues would otherwise delay delivery.
Prompt Investigation is Key to Full Recovery of Damages
The trucking company will have its investigation team working on investigation of the crash within minutes of finding out about it. There are many different causes of truck accidents. An experienced truck accident attorney can discuss with you who may be responsible for your damages.
With one call to Mikus Law Associates, you can discuss your case with an attorney-engineer with 30 years of experience representing accident victims. We can make sure that your claim for fair compensation is a fair fight by getting an independent, multi-disciplinary investigation team to work on your case right away.
