Big Rig Accidents Are Incredibly Ugly And Typically Fatal

Little Rock, AR (Law Firm Newswire) April 27, 2011 – It is a no-brainer that accidents involving big rigs are catastrophically horrendous. Those who survive will face a monumental struggle with their injuries.

“It is a harsh reality that 18-wheeler accidents are just plain horrific. Nothing prepares you to see this type of accident and nothing prepares you for what you may have to deal with if you have been in one. The monumental destruction is overwhelming,” said Michael G. Smith, an Arkansas injury lawyer and Arkansas accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Arkansas.

Why do these types of accidents continue to happen on our nation’s roads? “Unfortunately, economics plays a large part in accidents like this. The economics of the trucker trying to make a decent living by pushing the boundaries of the rules they should abide by. For example, truckers are on schedules and if they do not keep them, they do not get paid. Deadlines promote speeding to meet or beat those deadlines. Lack of sleep creeps in because they are pushing the envelope of safety and an accident is about to happen,” Smith said.

Other times the driver may be driving distracted, fiddling with a GPS device, using a cell phone, reaching for something on the floor, watching a movie on a laptop or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Truckers are human and humans do some incredibly stupid things at times.

“Poor trucker training is another reason for accidents. There is no excuse to put a driver out on the highway behind the wheel of a machine that can destroy just about anything in its path. Fact is, some trucking companies are in an all-fired hurry to get more drivers and they just don’t bother to train them right the first time. Also, independent drivers may have little to no training,” Smith said.

Since humans are often the victims of poor judgment, it would go without saying that truckers may display the same failing. Poor judgment may come in many forms from not sleeping when they are required to take down time to going out on the road without proper training. It may also cover taking drugs before hitting the road, prescription or otherwise, to not doing a proper load check. Poor choices and poor judgment like this means an 18-wheeler is being driven without due care and attention. The results could be deadly.

“While it’s a fact that you can’t possibly control what others do on the road, you can at least drive defensively when in the presence of big rigs. It may just save your life,” Smith said.

Learn more by contacting Arkansas personal injury lawyer, Michael Smith at http://www.arkansaslawhelp.com.

Michael Smith
425 W. Capitol Av., Suite 3700
Little Rock, AR 72201
Call: 501.519.4357