Roadside Safety Check Prevents Serious 18-Wheeler Accident
Aug 25, 2012
Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) August 24, 2012 – An ounce of prevention can prevent a serious accident. This case proves it.
“If the police had not been out checking tractor trailers for various infractions of the law, the rig in this story could have seriously injured or killed someone. There are times when an ounce of prevention may avert a disaster. It did in this instance,” added Brooks Schuelke, an Austin personal injury lawyer with Perlmutter & Schuelke, L.L.P.
The big rig trucking down the highway was pulled over into a traffic safety check point. As it turned out, it was a fortunate thing, because the inspecting officers discovered 25 safety violations, including defective brakes, a shredded tire, four bald tires and a broken trailer cross member. Eight of the violations were serious enough to pull the truck off the road.
“If that vehicle had not been taken off the road, there is no telling what could have happened further down the road. With four bald tires, a shredded tire, and defective brakes, that 18-wheeler would be an accident looking for a place to happen,” Schuelke stated.
When big rigs meet smaller vehicles, the results are never good. If someone does make it out alive from a wreck of such magnitude, they are often severely injured, and their lives will never be the same again. They may face years of recovery, or never recover from their injuries.
“The trucker was cited by the police for vehicle maintenance violations and for being over his industry regulated hours of service. The trucking company was cited for the brakes and tires, and other assorted violations. What is disturbing is the light fines they received. The driver was fined $276, and the trucking company $620. These are hardly punitive, and not likely to stop them from trying to patch together their vehicles to keep them running. This is a serious loophole in monitoring trucking safety violations,” Schuelke pointed out.
Without proper safety regulations, and stiffer fines in place, as well as truckers and companies that follow the rules, the trucking industry is likely to remain a leader in fatal accidents. “Even with checkpoints set up to monitor drivers and equipment, they can’t catch everyone,” he observed.
To learn more or to contact an Austin personal injury attorney or Austin injury lawyer, visit http://www.civtrial.com.
Perlmutter & Schuelke, LLP
1717 W. 6th Street, Suite 375
Austin, Texas 78703-4868
Call (512) 476-4944
