One crazy weekend…

And this is how it began. I t all started Friday night when a few friends of mine talked me into driving out to Arizona to visit for the weekend and go to a concert there. I really didn,t take much convincing now that I think about it but non the less, convince me is what they did.  So i went to be early to prepare for the 5 PI  hour drive that awaited me the morning that followed. 4:00 AM rolls around and I finally head out on my quest for Arizona. I hope in my little Hyundai Elantra, to save me gas rather than driving a V8 Silverado with mud tires, And head on my merry way. Nothing but me, My car, and my Ipod on the open road. Well I am now about 3 hours into my drive and the sun is starting to come up, Its peaking over the mountain and shining in my eyes. I suddenly see something in the road and swerve to miss what ever it may be and my tires run over some dirt on the shoulder area. I try to correct it and pull it back onto the highway, but I over correct and lose control. My car spins out across the highway and I roll off the side. Not once, twice or three times but four times! I can still hear the sounds around me, I tell ya, that was one heck of a ride. Once I finally stop rolling I realize I landed topside which is a good thing but I see the engine smoking. I unhook my seatbelt and climb out the driver side window. I take one look at the car and realize I shouldn,t have been able to climb out. I check myself for scratches and I find one on my left arm that looks more like a carpet burn. Luckily a couple truck drivers stopped and made sure everything was fine, thank God they did, my cell phone was thrown from the car during one of my acrobatic rolls. Well after all the police reports, insurance claims and towing expenses I finally got to go home and rest. The moral of this story is always wear your seatbelt. I usually am partial to it, I am not one to always put it on, weather I,m a passenger or the driver. I know it,s annoying to hear at time and it gets in the way. But I do have to say, the seatbelt is what saved my life. So buckle up out there and be safe.  Read More

What makes it even more crucial for you to pursue your own 18 wheeler trucking accident investigation is that the trucking company and other players in the accident will almost certainly be conducting one of their own. Should the case go to trial, not only will they have all the evidence they need to defend themselves, they may even be covering up other evidence as they go.

There are recorded cases where companies have legally obtained evidence and destroyed it so that the victim could not use it against them. For example someone can easily go to the wrecking yard and buy the remains of your car, which may contain crucial clues that would lead to a verdict in your favor. In this case, a temporary restraining order would protect key pieces of evidence like this.

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What is a Tractor Trailer Underride Accident?

Tractor-Trailer underride accidents occur when a passenger vehicle, usually the front of the passenger vehicle, enters below the base of the trailer of a large truck (e.g., 18-wheeler). This is particularly possible with small family passenger cars (as opposed to a mini-van or SUV). Unfortunately, the height of the front of the car is insufficient to contact the bed of the truck, often 10 to 20 inches below the bed of the truck. This puts the bed of the truck right at the head-chest level of the passengers within the car. Injuries in these accidents tend to be catastrophic, if not fatal.

Why doesn’t the driver just slow down to prevent an underride accident?

A tractor-trailer truck is pretty big… so why doesn’t the car driver see the tractor trailer in time to prevent a underride accident?

Unfortunately, perception and reality meet too late in these circumstances. Often the driver is fooled into thinking that the roadway is clear. Simply, the passenger car driver does not have adequate warning of the impending trailer underride danger.

What is being done to improve driver perception or trailer safety?

Since 1993, trucks must have a special type of reflective tape on the rear and sides of the trailer. Since 1996, trucks must also be equiped with a rear underride guard (strong metal structure) at a height of 22 inches above the ground, so that it will easily come in contact with the engine block of a small car, and thus prevent the car from underriding the bed of the tractor truck trailer. However, it is sad news that many trucks have not been retrofitted. Thus, many tractor trailer trucks manufactured before 1996 are on the road without these two critical safety features. In addition, even ones that have had these features installed may have insufficient protective qualities, such as an inadequate amount of reflective material or a rear underride guard that is too weak to prevent underride of the passenger vehicle.
What are other factors that play into a rear underride accident Weather. Especially fog, snow, or rain that reduces the distance of visibility. Fog and snow are a huge problem, since they often mask the grey or white color of many trucks.

Driver carelessness. If the driver is momentarily inattentive, they may not see a trailer that has been inadequately pulled to the side of the road, or a trailer that is across the highway as the result of a u-turn or a wide turn in the case of a truck entering a roadway.

The positioning of the truck may cause a trailer underride accident.

Road conditions. Slick road conditions increase the stopping time for a car approaching a tractor trailer underride situation.

Surrounding (ambient) lighting which can reflect off of the truck and cause the truck to blend in with its surrounding, forming a sort of accidental camaflouge, especially on a silver truck. In fact often the reflective red/oraqnge colors match the neon lights from surrounding businesses.

Road lighting. A lack of road lighting can make it very difficult to see the outline of the tractor truck’s trailer. Especially a dark colored trruck trailer such as a dark blue, brown or black trailer. This makes it nearly impossible for the driver of the passenger car to see the truck in time to stop and prevent a trailer underride.

Dirty tractor trailers case accidents. When dirt collects on the reflective tape, it becomes inefficeint at reflecting light and loses its protective warning qualities. Frequent washing of the truck is a must to give the passenger car driver a chance to prevent a side underride accident with the tractor trailer!

What is the most common danger that creates a Tractor Trailer Underride Accident?

Truck driver making a u-turn or a wide-turn. This is not a sudden u-turn. Rather, this is a situation where often the truck has made it already half way around. In fact, the cab of the truck is often facing the oncoming traffic. That fact makes it even more deceiving to the oncoming traffic, since they belive that the truck is already facing them, with the trailer straight behind it, rather than reality – with the tractor truck’s trailer stretched across the oncoming car’s path of transit.

About the Author

by: Michael Monheit, Esquire of Monheit Law, P.C. Toll Free: 866-761-1385
Truck Accident Lawyer