According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there are more than 500,000 tractor trailer accidents each year, resulting in nearly 130,000 injuries and nearly 5,000 deaths. When the average passenger vehicle weighing 3,596 pounds confronts a commercial truck weighing as much as 80,000 pounds, the outcome is inevitable. The truck driver usually escapes with minor injuries while the occupants of the passenger vehicle are seldom as lucky – they are either seriously injured or killed.
South Carolina's highway system is the fifth largest maintained highway system in the United States. This network of more than 64,000 miles of secondary and farm-to-market primary state and U.S. highways, and five interstate highways, gives businesses access to resources and markets both in state and out. In the Charleston region alone, there are three interstate highways, three major U.S. highways and seven major state highways.
The Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC represents clients involved in truck wrecks throughout South Carolina. JGLF's mission is straightforward: Help the Client. Joe Griffith's broad legal experience, methodical case evaluation approach and vast research resources allow us to provide sound legal advice and to make informed legal decisions regarding your case.
What causes tractor trailer accidents? Here are some of the most common causes:
- Driver fatigue (1 in five truck drivers admit to falling asleep at the wheel)
- Driver error
- Impaired driver judgment (drugs or alcohol)
- Improper load (load shifting)
- Failure to inspect or maintain the truck cab
- Failure to inspect or maintain the truck trailer
- Truck agency negligence (e.g., failing to run background checks on truck drivers)
- Truck parts defects (including tires -- tread separation, brakes, headlights, taillights, trailer hitches, and other truck parts)
- SUV and truck rollover
- Defective roadways and highways
Tractor trailers, also known as 18-wheelers or semi-trucks, are heavy, large pieces of machinery that routinely travel at speeds topping 60-70 miles per hour. Truck drivers are under constant pressure to move cargo -- so much so, that 16-hour days are not uncommon.
When these trucks are in accidents, insurance companies begin investigating almost immediately. Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC does, too. Neck and back injury, quadriplegia, paraplegia, loss of limb, and brain injuries are only some of the serious injuries commonly associated with tractor trailer collisions.
While insurance is designed to cover some costs, it cannot address all the economic damage that a vehicle related accident may cause. Sometimes in truck accidents the insurance company will deny a claim to protect the driving record of the truck driver. Truckers must follow specific state and federal regulations. It is important to retain a law firm that understands these regulations. Whether it is your insurance company or the guilty party’s, insurance is a business whose goal is to limit their costs, not help you.
If you have been injured in an accident involving a tractor trailer or 18-wheeler and need a skilled trucking accident lawyer, please contact the Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC. JGLF strives to educate its clients as to the nuances involved in litigation in order to make them as comfortable with and knowledgeable about the litigation process as possible under the circumstances. Client satisfaction is JGLF's number-one goal, and the law firm stands ready and capable to provide its clients the highest caliber of professional service with a personal touch and a friendly attitude.
Call Joe Griffith Law Firm today, at 843-CALL-JOE (843-225-5563), or contact JGLF via the online form.
