What are some common causes of truck rollover accidents?
Large trucks are a frequent sight on Pennsylvania roads. Not only are they on the roadways, they are sometimes on the news. Trucks are often involved in deadly and newsworthy accidents. Their large size can turn even a minor incident into a deadly accident scene. A rollover accident was recently the subject of a blog post on this blog. In that accident, a truck rolled over before hitting another car. In that accident, people were seriously injured.
Rollover truck accidents are among the most dangerous. According to a study by the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, rollover truck accidents have a variety of causes. In some cases the truck driver is at fault. When the negligence of a truck driver causes a rollover accident, injured victims have legal rights.
According to the study, the most frequent contributing factor in rollover truck accidents was speeding. Speeding is negligent. According to the study, 45 percent of rollover truck accidents involved speeding.
Lack of attention, whether caused by distraction or fatigue, was the second most common cause of rollover accident involving trucks. Ten percent of truck rollovers can be blamed on inattentive, negligent driving.
Mechanical problems are another common cause of rollover accidents. These include brake and tire failures and improper loads. If these problems were known by the driver or the truck company prior to the accident, driving the truck with the mechanical problem would constitute negligence.
Whether a rollover accident is caused by driver negligence or mechanical failure, those who are injured have the right to sue the truck company for compensation. An experienced Pennsylvania truck accident attorney can help injured victims evaluate their options.
Source: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, “Analysis of Large Truck Rollover Crashes,” A. James McKnight, Ph.D. & George T. Bahouth, D.Sc., 2008