Commercial trucks are the largest vehicles on the road, clocking in at over 25 times the weight of the average passenger vehicle. When a truck is in a rollover accident, any nearby vehicles can be crushed. Truck rollover accidents are the single highest cause of truck accident fatalities, several common mistakes cause these deadly accidents.
If you’ve survived a truck rollover accident, you likely have two thoughts: relief at having survived, and a determination to hold those responsible accountable for their actions and get the help you need to recover. On the other hand, if you’ve lost a loved one to a truck rollover accident, the grief and trauma you and your family are going through cannot be expressed with words. At Sorey & Hoover, LLP, we provide personalized care and legal representation for victims and their families, and we have the knowledge and experience to take your case through settlement or court to get you the compensation you deserve.
Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck rollover accidents can happen due to several factors, many of which are due to negligent or reckless driving by the truck driver or others on the road:
- Turning maneuvers: Sudden turns at high speeds can easily cause a truck to tip on its side.
- Tripping: If a truck veers into a median or any other impediment in or at the edge of a road, it can easily trip and roll.
- Poor vehicle maintenance: Failing brakes, old and worn tires, and many other failures related to lack of maintenance can cause a truck rollover.
- Defective parts: Defective parts, weathered tires, brakes, or other systems can lead to a truck rollover.
- Unbalanced loads: Loads must be adequately balanced after each pickup and delivery, or a turn that would otherwise be safe can result in a roll.
- Distracted driving: Texting while driving and any other distraction that takes a truck driver’s attention off the road can result in a reckless maneuver or collision that flips a truck on its side.
- Driving under the influence: Truck drivers who are drunk or impaired by drugs (prescription or otherwise) have lowered reaction times and can be delusional, causing them to make tragic mistakes behind the wheel.
- Fatigued driving: Drivers who have driven more than the legal limit of hours or who don’t get sufficient rest are a considerable risk facing a sudden road condition, hazard, or traffic situation where a sudden turn is needed, causing a rollover.
- Dangerous weather conditions: When drivers drive through heavy rain, snow, or sleet – the risk of a truck sliding out of control is much higher. Drivers are required to evaluate the risk of weather conditions and only drive when safe to do so, and at speeds that reflect the increased danger. Rollovers can easily occur if a truck slides into a median, guardrail, or any other roadway impediment.
- Inadequate or insufficient road maintenance: Unsafe roadways can cause rollover accidents without any negligence on the part of the driver or trucking company.
- Reckless driving: Sudden turns while speeding is one of the top causes of rollover accidents.
Determining Liability in a Rollover Accident
Truck rollovers are often due to the negligence of one or more parties. If it’s a defective part, you may have a case against the manufacturer in a product liability suit. In other cases, the driver or the trucking company didn’t follow regulations or committed acts of negligence.
The job of a truck accident attorney is to investigate your accident and determine who and what is responsible for the accident, and then hold those responsible legally accountable for their actions. More than one party may be liable, and these cases are often complicated and require hard work.
In cases where a victim is partially responsible for the accident, the victim can still recover compensation so long as the court rules that they were less than 51% responsible. For example, if the victim who suffered severe head injuries in a truck accident is found 30% responsible because they were speeding, the victim can still pursue 70% of the total damages.
Why Choose Sorey & Gilliland, LLP?
Our veteran personal injury attorneys at Sorey & Gilliland, LLP, have decades of experience representing victims of trucking accidents in Texas. We offer personal, client-centered legal services, and we’re devoted to helping our clients through these challenging times. You deserve the best by your side, so call us today at (903) 230-5600 to schedule a free consultation. We’ll answer your questions even if we don’t take your case, and nobody pays us legal fees unless we win.
