Why Trucks are More Dangerous Than Cars: Memphis Truck Accident Lawyers Explain Avenues for Liability You May Not Have Thought About

As motorists, we share the road with many different types of cars, trucks, bikes, pedestrians, SUVs, buses, vans, and sometimes—usually not for the better—animals.  Of these vehicles, trucks—particularly commercial tractor trailers—have the greatest weight and, therefore, the greatest momentum.  These eighteen wheelers can carry a payload bringing the total weight of the truck approximately 80,000 pounds or more.

This means the energy and momentum of this 80,000 pound truck will need to be absorbed by the impacted vehicle and, very likely, the driver.  Comparatively speaking, the average passenger car will weigh 3,000 pounds which generates significantly less energy and moment to diffuse.

Thus, there is a significantly higher risk of serious injury or death in a Memphis truck accident, compared to other types of Tennessee car accidents.  Yet, the general principle of the law itself is the same.  This is to operate your motor vehicle in such a way without negligence as to carelessly or recklessly cause harm to another.  Essentially, the law requires one to drive as a reasonably prudent person under similar circumstances, regardless of the type, make, year, or weight of a vehicle.  These factors are known to most lawyers, and this is what you need an experienced Memphis truck accident attorney to distinguish your arguments from the rest.

However, if you are injured in a Memphis truck accident, there are certain other factors that need to be evaluated.  For instance, just like other motor vehicles, trucks are required to have insurance policies that are significantly higher than those owned by other vehicles.  This offers a greater amount of money to compensate an injured individual to help them recover from their injuries, pain, and suffering they endured.

Further, Tennessee law is not going to be directly on point for many nuanced issues.  This is because federal regulations govern an extensive amount of trucking law.  This includes everything from amount of hours in a row, to the size of headlamps, to proper maintenance, what is a safe and adequate load limit for a truck, and even who is at fault for certain violations.

In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was enacted in 2000 to improve the safety of commercial vehicles and save lives.  The regulations they have promulgated can be here and are quite extensive and important for any Memphis truck accident attorney to know about, understand, and use.

In addition, truck drivers are required by law to have driver logs, or diaries, which account how much time they were sleeping, eating or otherwise taking a break, and how long they were driving for.  Most trucks now are also equipped with “black boxes.”  These boxes keep valuable information about the truck, including vitals such as speed, the breaks, headlights on, and similar facts at the moment of an impact.

Similarly, with the advent of E-Z pass and other computer-automated tolls, these devices can also gauge the speed of a tractor trailer as it passes between two tolls booths.  The data from these devices is discoverable and could be able to help prove your case should speed be a factor.

Here at Bailey and Greer, PLLC our Memphis truck accident attorneys understand how to effectively pursue your claims.  Our legal team has a proven track record of compassionately representing our clients injured in car accidents which is included in our testimonials page.  Please contact us today to receive your free case evaluation by dialing locally to 901-680-9777 or toll-free to 877-819-4414.  Remember, you only have one year from the date of the accident to commence your action to recover compensation.