Because of the terrible nature of so many heavy truck collisions, it’s important for a person injured in one of these crashes to have legal representation by a truck accident injury attorney in Des Moines, IA. The trucking company’s insurance company may attempt to persuade this person to accept a low settlement, but that individual may deserve much more.
Four Common Causes of Heavy Truck Collisions
A truck accident injury attorney in Des Moines, IA is familiar with the most common causes of these accidents when the fault is of the trucker or the employer, and not of the passenger. One is driver error, which can lead to jackknifing, rollover and blind spot accidents. A second is neglect of equipment maintenance and repair by the company owner. That can result in tire blowouts, brake failure and steering issues. The third is improper loading of flatbed trailers, which can lead to lumber or other products coming loose and falling off the trailer.
Many trucking companies will not hire drivers with less than two years of professional experience. Others, however, are desperate for drivers because of a large shortage of workers in this occupation. They may hire new drivers who have not been trained adequately and then send them into difficult situations, like driving on mountains in icy conditions or blizzards.
The Need for Prompt Action
Deciding to schedule an appointment for a consultation with an organization like Dutton & Drake as soon as possible is important. The lawyers will need to start gathering evidence to support the case. They will need police records and statements from witnesses. They want to get an expert witness out to the scene promptly, before any evidence, such as skid marks, completely disappears.
The trucking company’s insurer will typically move almost immediately to do this after an accident. They may attempt to find a way to blame the driver of the passenger car, even if that person was not responsible for what happened. Any possible misstep, such as traveling a bit above the speed limit or having a cell phone in hand could work against the victim.
