South Carolina Truck Accident Lawyer / SC Tractor Trailer Injuries

Anyone who’s driven past an 18-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or other large truck on a busy highway knows they could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Personal cars, trucks and SUVs are engineered to withstand a crash with other private vehicles -- not with a large truck, which can be up to 20 times their size. When trucks collide with smaller vehicles, they bring all of that extra weight to bear on the vehicles -- and, inevitably, on the people in them. Regardless of who caused the accident, the occupants of the car are almost always killed or seriously injured. Studies by the federal Department of Transportation show that while trucks make up three percent of the vehicles on American roads, they were involved in 12 percent of fatal accidents in 2005. And an alarming three-quarters of those deaths were the deaths of people in other vehicles. If you have been injured in a truck wreck in South Carolina call 1-866-410-5656 or contact us online for a free consultation.

Truck drivers are supposed to be skilled, trained professionals with special credentials that allow them to safely pilot their huge vehicles. But statistics from the National Transportation Safety Board show that driver error is the leading cause of large truck accidents. In fact, the agency found that fatigue alone was responsible for up to 40 percent of all truck accidents. That’s why the law strictly regulates how much time a truck driver can spend on the road at once. But, under pressure from clients or their parent companies to keep a tight delivery schedule despite the inevitable delays, many truckers choose to drive past the point of fatigue. Others turn to illegal substances to stay awake during their long hours on the road. Still other drivers never earned a legitimate trucking license in the first place, a growing practice that many companies knowingly ignore. Choosing profits over safety, these impaired drivers and their parent companies ignore the law and endanger every American who shares the roads with them.

Even when truck drivers are doing their job right, trucking equipment failure can also expose the drivers and passengers around them to undue hazards. Studies by the National Transportation Safety Board showed that defective brakes and wheels were both major safety problems in the trucking industry; one study found that 46 percent of randomly inspected trucks had to be taken off the road until their brakes could be fixed. Defective or improperly inflated tires can cause a large truck to crash and roll over at high speeds, causing a horrifying multi-vehicle crash. Missing lights, reflectors and mirrors have also turned up, which can pose serious problems at night. And if heavy or hazardous cargo is improperly secured, it can fall onto the road, devastating the surrounding motorists and possibly exposing everyone around to the effects of toxic chemicals.

For most people, an accident with a large truck is a rare and shocking catastrophe. But for trucking companies, crashes are just part of their business. Moments after an accident, a representative from trucking company may arrive with settlement documents they ask shocked accident victims to sign. Don’t be tricked! Protect your legal rights by calling the Louthian Law Firm. We have represented injured South Carolinians since 1959; we know all the common tricks used by trucking and insurance companies. For a free consultation, call us today at 1-866-410-5656 or fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.

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Columbia SC Truck Accident Lawyers Disclaimer: The trucking accident, tractor-trailer injury, big rig accident or other legal personal injury information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor the formation of a lawyer or attorney client relationship. Further communication with our attorneys through the website and email may not be considered as confidential or privileged. Any results set forth herein are based upon the facts of that particular case and do not represent a promise or guarantee. Please contact a Columbia South Carolina personal injury attorney at the Louthian Law Firm, P.A. for a consultation on your particular personal injury matter. This web site is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the state of South Carolina.

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