Experienced Utah Trucking Accident Lawyers
Operating an 18-wheeler requires a special license and specific training, in part because a 40-ton tractor trailer will destroy any other vehicle in a collision. Large trucks are tightly regulated by the federal government and laws in each state because of those very dangers to the motoring public.
The attorneys of Elegal are intimately familiar with these laws. In the aftermath of a truck accident, we always look at the driver's actions and fitness for duty in solving the puzzle of who or what caused the crash. Too often, those suspicions of wrong-doing prove right. Truck driver fatigue and truck driver errors are among the leading factors in these devastating wrecks.
Based in Salt Lake City, we handle personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits throughout Utah. If your loved one was seriously injured, permanent disabled or killed in a trucking accident, call 801.366.9100 or e-mail us to arrange a free consultation and the prompt, professional investigation demanded in these complex cases.
Truck Driver Fatigue: Too Many Hours at the Wheel
When truck drivers fall asleep at the wheel or become inattentive from drowsiness, the results can be catastrophic. To combat the industry-wide problem of fatigue-related accidents, the federal government limits tractor trailer drivers to 11 hours behind the wheel in a 14-hour shift, and further requires drivers to rest for 10 hours between long hauls.
But over-the-road truckers are paid by the mile or make money by making more deliveries. They have a financial incentive — and often overt pressure or a wink from employers — to exceed the allowable hours of driving.
Our attorneys are skilled at assembling evidence that hours of service regulations were ignored. We obtain driver logbooks submitted to regulators and compare them against the truck's on-board "black box" recorder, truck stop receipts and other data to prove the trucker exceeded hours and/or that the employer falsified the books.
Truck Driver Error or Distraction
Most truckers are conscientious drivers because they take public safety seriously and their livelihood depends upon a clean record. But truckers who are hurrying to meet deadlines, lack experience or simply get distracted are a serious menace. With the help of accident reconstructionists, human factors engineers and other experts, the Elegal team is skilled at tracing driver error as the root of truck crashes.
We have held truck companies accountable for the resulting mayhem when their drivers were speeding, driving too fast for conditions, crossing lanes to make an exit, turning or passing illegally, talking or texting on cell phones, intoxicated or otherwise negligent.
Contact Elegal promptly to discuss your rights and remedies for a preventable trucking accident.