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Primary Causes of Trucking Accidents

What are the Primary Causes of Trucking Accidents?

According to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, an accident involving a semi-truck or other large vehicle occurred every 4 hours in 2016, the most recent year for which data is available. Commercial vehicles like semis, big-rigs, tankers, and other specialized trucks criss-cross New Mexico’s roadways on a daily basis and can weigh as much as 20 to 30 times as much as a standard passenger vehicle. When they’re involved in accidents, victims can sustain extremely serious injuries, including those that can leave them with long-term medical problems or disabilities.

Fortunately for trucking crash victims, when these accidents are the result of someone else’s negligence, New Mexico law entitles them to compensation for their accident-related losses. The following are some of the most common causes of trucking wrecks. To find out whether you can recover compensation for your accident, you should discuss your case with a trucking accident lawyer in New Mexico as soon as you can.

Driver Error

Driver error is perhaps the most common cause of serious commercial trucking accidents. Some common examples of driver error include:

● Speeding

● Following too closely

● Failing to use headlights at night or in bad weather

● Failing to signal lane changes

● Passing on the right

● Improper braking

● Taking turns too fast

● Distracted driving

Driver Fatigue

Commercial trucking can be a grueling job, involving long hours behind the wheel and long periods away from home. In addition, trucking companies are often incentivized to make deliveries within a certain time-frame, putting pressure on drivers to get as far as possible in a given day. As a result of these and other factors, there are a lot of tired truckers behind the wheel at any given moment, putting everyone on the road at risk. Fatigue can affect a driver’s judgment, reaction time, and awareness, significantly increasing their risk of causing a serious accident.

Impaired Truck Drivers

As scary as it may sound, the reality is that some commercial truck drivers drive their vehicles while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. This is true in spite of federal regulations that impose a much stricter blood alcohol content (BAC) limit of .04 on commercial drivers and the fact that they can face serious professional sanctions should they be found to be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a New Mexico Trucking Accident Lawyer

If you have been injured in an accident with a commercial truck, you may be able to recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, repair bills, physical and emotional pain and suffering, and any other losses you have incurred. For more than 40 years, the lawyers of the Law Firm of David C. Chavez have been helping injured victims recover compensation from multi-billion dollar companies and will never hesitate to take a case to trial. To schedule a free consultation with an attorney, call our office today at 505-865-9696 or contact us online.

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