Commercial trucks are complicated motor vehicles, and like other vehicles they require regular maintenance. Trucking companies should regularly inspect their fleet and send dangerous trucks to the mechanic’s shop. Unfortunately, maintenance is expensive, and in today’s economic climate many trucking companies are cutting corners. Call Chance, Forlines, Carter & King, PC if you were injured in a truck accident. Insufficient vehicle maintenance could be to blame, as an Atlanta truck accident lawyer explains below.
Regular Inspections Required
Because commercial vehicles are so dangerous, they require regular inspection. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires that truckers inspect their vehicle before getting into it. Any deficiencies noted in a prior report must be fixed before pulling onto the road.
Every trucker must also perform a post-trip inspection, which should cover the following:
- Brakes
- Lights and reflectors
- Tires
- Wheels and rims
- Steering
- Windshield wipers
- Horn
- Rear-view mirrors
- Coupling devices
- Emergency equipment
A trucker must perform this report at the end of the day and identify deficiencies.
Mechanical Defects and Truck Accidents
Many accidents are caused by negligent truckers, but defects can be an alternative explanation. When critical components fail, these trucks can go out of control and crash into motorists or pedestrians. Some of the most common mechanical failures include:
Brake Malfunction
Large trucks like tractor-trailers need considerable room to come to a complete stop. Given their size and weight, the braking system must be in perfect working condition. Any failure can lead to overrides, rollovers, and other tragic accidents. Some of the causes of brake malfunction include airline leaks and worn brake pads.
Blown Tires
Long hauls put incredible stress on tires, which regularly blow due to underinflation, overinflation, or poor maintenance. Some tires are simply too old, regardless of tread depth. When the rubber in tires ages, it hardens and is more prone to cracking. A blown tire can send a truck careening into oncoming traffic, leading to devastating accidents.
Windshield Wiper Defects
A trucker who can’t see in inclement weather is more likely to drive outside of their lane and hit another motorist. Windshield wipers can fail to clear rain from the windshield, leading to a collision.
Faulty Steering System
The steering mechanism is central to the proper functioning of a big rig. When the steering system does not work as planned, then a trucker has no ability to keep their truck in their lane.
Coupling Failures
A trailer is joined to a tractor at the coupling. If this device is faulty or worn down, then the trailer could disengage or swing uncontrollably, mowing down smaller vehicles in adjacent lanes.
Lighting Malfunctions
Lights help a trucker see, particularly at night and during fog. Lights are also necessary to signal to other motorists the trucker’s intended actions, such as making a turn. When the lights are defective, then it is difficult for other motorists to practice defensive driving.
What to Do if a Mechanical Defect Causes Your Accident
Many injured motorists will have no idea whether a defect on a big truck is to blame for their accident. What they remember is driving down the road when a much larger vehicle crashes into them. They are now in the hospital or recovering at home with significant injuries.
Call an experienced Georgia truck accident attorney. A lawyer at our firm can jump in and begin investigating the cause of the crash. Accident victims and their families should remain focused on recovery, but a lawyer can reach out to the truck’s owner to request evidence, including:
- Pre- and post-trip inspection reports. These should be saved. If there is no report—or if it is “missing”—then we have some proof the truck had a defect, but the trucking company refused to pull the truck from the fleet.
- Any black box data on the truck, which could provide clues about mechanic defects.
- Mechanic’s records if the truck was taken into the shop recently. We want to see what was fixed and double check repairs were performed properly.
It is critical to reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. Records can go missing, and the trucking company could quickly fix a defect and then claim nothing was wrong the day of the crash.
Contact Us Today
Georgia law empowers accident victims to seek financial compensation after truck accidents, but victims should not delay. There are important deadlines to meet, and gathering evidence must happen quickly. Call Chance, Forlines, Carter & King, P.C., to speak with one of our truck accident lawyers.