Manchester Truck Accident Attorney
With major interstate highways like I-93, I-89 and I-95 cutting through the state, along with numerous other U.S. routes, turnpikes and state highways, semi-truck and tractor-trailer traffic is ubiquitous in Manchester, Concord, Nashua and other towns throughout much of New Hampshire. Logging trucks, big rigs and 18-wheelers are vital to our economy and industry, but their presence creates an ever-present danger to the passenger vehicles that share the road with them. Truck accidents often result in severe injury or death to the occupants of the smaller passenger vehicles. Because truck accidents are potentially so costly to the trucking company insurers, these cases are typically either quickly settled before the victim has had an opportunity to talk to a lawyer, or they are fiercely defended by national insurance companies and their insurance law firms.
At the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC, our Manchester truck accident attorneys have decades of experience handling all manner of car accidents in New Hampshire, including experience with complex and challenging truck accidents involving the most serious injuries. Learn more below about truck accident dangers and common issues, and call our office if you’ve been hurt in a truck accident in Manchester or anywhere in New Hampshire.
What makes truck accidents so dangerous?
A fully-loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. That’s about 16 times heavier than even the largest SUVs and more than 26 times heavier than compact cars. With that much weight and force bearing down on a passenger vehicle, even a relatively low-speed collision can cause significant damage to a passenger vehicle and severe injury to the car’s occupants.
The enormous weight of a semi-truck also means the big rigs need additional reaction time and stopping distance to respond to changes in traffic patterns, obstructions in the road or other emergency situations. Passenger vehicle drivers don’t always understand the additional room that 18-wheelers need, so it’s up to truck drivers to be alert and practice safe driving practices at all times, including leaving sufficient space between themselves and other vehicles on the road.
The size and shape of tractor-trailers also contribute to their danger on the road. All cars have blind spots, but for a semi-truck, blind spots occur on both sides of the vehicle across multiple lanes of traffic, as well as in front of the cab and behind the trailer for multiple car lengths. Semis must also make wide turns into adjacent and sometimes opposing lanes, and cars caught next to a truck during a turn can get squeezed and face considerable danger. Safe truck driving requires being aware of these limitations and taking care before executing any turn or lane change.
What are the most common causes of truck accidents in New Hampshire?
Truck driver error is a leading case of truck accidents in Manchester and throughout New Hampshire. Drowsy driving and fatigued driving are contributing factors in many truck crashes, and for good reason. Federal regulations that are supposed to ensure safe truck travel allow truckers to be on duty for 14 hours at a stretch, including 11 hours behind the wheel. In addition, a trucker’s workweek can be seven or eight days long before a 34-hour rest period is required, and truckers can work for 60 or 70 hours during those weeks. These punishing schedules are ripe for creating fatigue in drivers, leading to distracted driving accidents or outright falling asleep at the wheel. What’s worse, truck drivers notoriously flout the federal regulations and drive even longer than the rules allow!
Another major cause of truck accidents is the poor condition of the trucks themselves. Trucking companies have an obligation to their drivers and others on the road to maintain their fleets in good working order, but they don’t always do so. In fact, annual roadside inspections commonly result in thousands of trucks being immediately pulled from service due to faulty brakes, unsafe tires and wheels, improperly secured cargo and other vital safety issues. Given that these inspections only pull over a fraction of the commercial vehicles on the road, the actual number of unsafe semi-trucks on the road at any moment is truly staggering.
Our Manchester Truck Accident Lawyers can Help
Truck drivers and trucking companies have been known to falsify their records and logs to hide the fact that they are not complying with federal safety rules. At the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC, we know how to investigate and uncover the facts of a truck accident and build a strong case that proves the truck driver or trucking company liability. Our lawyers have the skills, resources and determination to go up against the largest trucking companies and their insurers and hold them accountable for the damages caused by their negligent failures.
Call Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC after a New Hampshire Truck Accident
If you’ve been hurt in a truck accident in Concord, Nashua or throughout New Hampshire, call the Manchester truck accident attorneys at the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC for a free consultation at 603-624-7200 or 800-984-3151.
