Semi Truck Accident Due To Faulty Equipment - Richard Harris Personal Injury Law Firm Las Vegas

Semi-Truck Accident Due to Equipment Failure

Big rigs, 18 wheelers, or semi-trucks, whatever you call them are large trucks with multi axles that travel our interstate highways and in most cases deliver most of our consumer goods.

These trucks are an amazing feat of engineering but they are not your typical motor vehicle, they have parts and components that are very different from a regular car that need to be in working order at all times.

If at any time one of these items doesn’t work properly a catastrophic accident can be the result.

A few of the critical safety systems on a truck are:

Lighting
Conspicuity
Tires and wheels
Brake systems
Steering and suspensions
Coupling devices like fifth wheels

When safety failure happens like brake failure, headlight defects or malfunction, wheel or tire defects and coupling device failure, serious injury or accidents can occur.

An experienced truck accident lawyer in Nevada can explain what equipment failure may have caused your accident.

If you have been injured in a truck accident due to equipment failure then you need to call The Richard Harris Law Firm today.

Defects & Equipment Failure With Trucks

Truck accidents can be horrible, and even deadly.

But when the accident is casused by faulty equipment it can be very difficult to deal with the insurance companies and the other negligent parties (like the truck and parts manufacturers).

Don’t wait for help, Call Richard Harris Law Firm Today.

Brake Failure and Defects

This is considered one of the most common issues among truck drivers.

Semi trucks use air brake systems that include air compressor, air lines, air tanks and brake chambers to stop the heavy truck.

Brake systems in trucks can rust or wear out over time, or leak out air due to overheating or becoming loose, or just stop working.

It is crucial that brakes on semi trucks work properly at all times.

In spite of the obvious reasons that brakes need to work this is the most common equipment failure among the trucking industry.

Brake issues can cause brake performance to be reduced or to fail altogether.

Weight capacity is a major issue of brake function.

The amount of cargo a truck can carry is predetermined by the manufacturer at the time of production.

This can even cause issues at a loading dock where somebody is injured.

Weight Limits

Trucks are given a maximum weight capacity that they can safely carry.

In some cases a trucking company or distribution center may either intentionally or not overload a truck causing extra stress on an already fragile brake system.

Speeding is another concern, since large semi trucks are already weighed down; speeding with a heavy truck can also cause the brake system to fail.

Big heavy 18 wheeler trucks can’t stop on a dime like a car so when trucks speed and the brakes malfunction this is a recipe for disaster.

Brakes that fail are also one of the main components of 18 wheeler jackknife accidents.

Truck maintenance and inspections are the way to avoid brake defects and issues.

These should be routinely done by trucking companies and if a truck has any brake issues the truck should be removed from the road until the truck is repaired and the brakes are replaced.

This doesn’t always happen however.

Headlight Defects and Lighting issues

Some sections of interstates like the I-15 have very dark areas in the desert.

Trucks need to be well lit to be safe and to keep others on the road safe.

Federal regulations are very specific about the lighting on a Semi-truck or 18 wheeler.

This includes the type of lighting, color, placement of lights throughout the truck, and the amount of lights on a truck.

These specific regulations from the federal government include headlights, turn signals, side markers, tail lights, brake lights, parking and interior lights.

Problems with lighting are among the most common and easily fixable problems truck drivers and trucking companies face.

Lighting can be disrupted due to shock, bad or faulty wiring, connection issues, or wrong voltage can cause lighting issues.

When you can’t see a truck coming in the dark or maybe you’re in a place (like Cajon Pass on the I-15) between Las Vegas and Los Angeles and a truck is coming at you but you can’t see it, that’s when accidents happen.

This can all be avoided if proper inspections are performed by the trucking company as required by law.

Conspicuity

This literally means the state or quality of being clear or bright , conspicuousness.

So semi-trucks or 18 wheelers need to be visible at all times to all others on the road.

If they are not visible this can cause jackknife accidents or under-ride collisions where the smaller car goes under the rear of the truck and the rear of the truck takes off the top of the other vehicle.

And in most cases kills all the passengers inside the car.

In other cases truck lights might not be on due to an electrical problem.

All trucks have on broad computers that notify the driver of any malfunctions.

But if the truck already has an electrical problem, who’s to say that the computer isn’t malfunctioning as well and the driver doesn’t know the lights aren’t working.

This is why semi-trucks are also required to have reflective or conspicuity tape on certain areas of the truck like the side and rear.

Other drivers might not be able to stop in time if trucks are not seen on dark or winding interstates like the I-15.

Tire and Wheel Problems

We always see the shell of tires that have fallen off big rigs on the side of any freeway or interstate.

Tires for large trucks are a specific kind that are federally regulated with special specifications including tire depth, tire load, inflation pressure, and condition.

Tires on trucks are not to have any broken or missing rims, broken or loose wheel or lug nuts, and must be maintained with air pressure and not lose.

Truck tires are made to be regrooved and then to almost shave off while driving to allow the trucks to continue to operate.

This is caused by weight and friction of heat on the roads.

Regrooving tires on big rigs is permissible under certain circumstances, where they retread tires.

Tire defects including low air, leaking tires or worn out tires can cause a truck to have a blowout.

Since truck tires are in some cases the size of your car you can imagine what can happen if a semi has a tire blowout.

A disabled man is sitting in a wheelchair after truck accident

Truck Accident Injuries From Equipment Failure

Weighted trucks should not be traveling our highways with faulty or broken equipment.

This can lead to accidents with severe injuries or even death

Some common injuries associated with truck accidents are:

Broken bones
Lacerations
Internal injuries
Back or neck injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Head trauma or (TBI) traumatic brain injury
Paralysis
Death

Along with injuries that can be severe or even death there may be total property damage to your car vehicle or even damage to a building if the truck hits the building in the course of the accident.

This can be devastating to the injured party as well as others that need to use a vehicle or work in a building that is damaged by a truck with equipment issues.

Every truck accident is unique and no settlement is the same, read more about the average truck accident settlement and what determines a payout.

Compensation Recovered From Truck Accident

A good truck accident injury attorney can get you financial rewards to help with everything from lost wages, medical bills current and future.

Our law firm can also help you with pain and suffering, property damage as well as punitive damages if the court finds that the truck company or manufacturer was negligent.

The size of the award is based on the severity of the accident and injury as well as the negligence of the companies involved.

Your lawyer will negotiate the appropriate settlement and go for the maximum award for your case.