Have You Been Injured in a Dump Truck Crash?
If you or someone you care about has been seriously injured in a dump truck accident, it’s important to consult a skilled attorney about your options for compensation. Dump truck accident victims are often eligible for recovery through filing a personal injury claim or a lawsuit. Though many of these cases are complex, a qualified Baton Rouge dump truck accident attorney can guide you through the process.
Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys is here to help injured individuals and families in Baton Rouge and throughout the state of Louisiana. Our Baton Rouge-based truck accident legal team is deeply experienced in handling serious truck accident cases, including those involving dump trucks. We are prepared to zealously advocate for you as you seek your entitled compensation.
Contact us online or by phone at (225) 999-1111 to find out how we can assist you during a free, confidential consultation.
Why Are Dump Trucks So Dangerous?
When it comes to highly dangerous commercial vehicles, few things pose as serious a threat to road users as dump trucks. These large trucks – technically known as “articulated trucks” due to their unique design – are characterized by their ability to tilt their dump beds automatically and, thus, unload the materials they are carrying (including soil, aggregate, and various other construction materials like tar) directly onto the ground below. While this is certainly a useful capability, it also creates certain hazards.
Some of the reasons why dump trucks are inherently dangerous include their:
- Sheer Size: Dump trucks dwarf most conventional passenger vehicles. They can weigh tens of thousands of pounds more than a car and are much harder to maneuver.
- Length and Design: Dump trucks are lengthy and need a significant amount of space to turn or stop.
- Impaired Visibility: Due to the height of the dump truck’s cab and the location of side mirrors, drivers have massive blind spots.
Because of these factors alone, operating a dump truck on any road – but particularly small and busy roads, such as those on college campuses and in residential neighborhoods and commercial areas – is a highly dangerous undertaking. Nevertheless, trucking companies and their drivers often play a crucial role in causing serious dump truck accidents.
Causes of Dump Truck Accidents
Just like tractor-trailers and other large commercial vehicles, dump trucks can be involved in preventable accidents. These wrecks generally happen as a result of human error—meaning that another person is to blame for your injuries and other damages.
Some of the most common causes of dump truck accidents include:
- Driver Errors: Commercial truck drivers work long hours and often feel compelled to disregard hours-of-service regulations (which are designed to prevent fatigued driving). When behind the wheel of a large, potentially dangerous truck, this is a deadly combination.
- Impaired Driving: Many truckers operate their vehicles under the influence of drugs or alcohol or while in another way impaired. This isn’t just against the law – it’s also extremely dangerous.
- Distracted Driving: Just like anyone else, dump truck drivers often use cell phones (even when they aren’t supposed to) and other devices behind the wheel; this means they aren’t fully paying attention to the road.
- Driving While Unfit / Unqualified: Unfortunately, not all dump truck drivers are actually qualified to operate these large and inherently dangerous vehicles. Some drivers have zero experience driving trucks this size; even more troublingly, some drivers have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) but aren’t actually legally allowed to get behind the wheel.
- Overloaded / Improperly Loaded Trucks: Not only can overloading or improperly loading a dump truck increase the risk of a truck accident, but it can also make any truck crash more devastating. It is vital that all materials are well-secured and the dump truck is safely loaded.
- Lack of Maintenance: Like all commercial trucks, dump trucks need to be properly maintained in order to keep them in working order and safe for the road. Too many trucking companies cut corners on maintenance and other safety procedures, which can lead directly to dangerous accidents.
- Poor Driver Training: Because driving a dump truck is more complicated than driving a passenger car (or even a passenger truck), drivers need to undergo special training in order to legally operate a dump truck. In many cases, however, employers put inexperienced or unqualified drivers behind the wheels of these large, heavy, dangerous trucks – only to be surprised when an accident occurs.
- Traffic Violations: You see people violate basic traffic laws every day that you’re on the road. Sadly, truck drivers are far from being exemptions. Truckers frequently ignore speeding limits, change lanes without signaling, run red lights, and even drive the wrong way. When they engage in traffic violations, the risk of a catastrophic dump truck crash is significantly increased.
Many truck accidents are caused by speeding. A dump truck may easily jackknife or rollover and impact many other vehicles if it is going over the speed limit.
Let Our Baton Rouge Dump Truck Accident Attorney Help You Today
If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a dump truck accident, it’s important to obtain skilled, experienced legal representation as soon as possible. Our attorneys can help you by providing the guidance you need during this difficult time.
Our goal is to assist you in dealing with insurance adjusters and maximize your chances of making a full recovery, either in or out of the courtroom. We have years of experience practicing in local courts, and we understand how to present your claims and support a full and fair verdict if your case goes to trial.
Call (225) 999-1111 or fill out and submit our online contact form to request a free initial consultation with our Baton Rouge dump truck accident lawyer today.