Determining Fault in a Devastating Rear End Semi Truck Accident
When a passenger car rear-ends another car, it usually results in a minor fender bender. However, when a fully loaded, 80,000-pound 18-wheeler fails to stop and crashes into the back of a smaller vehicle, the outcome is devastating. A rear end semi truck accident frequently results in crushed vehicles, spinal cord injuries, and fatalities.
Because of their immense weight, commercial trucks require up to 40% more stopping distance than standard cars. Despite this known fact, truck drivers frequently engage in reckless driving behaviors that make stopping in time impossible.
In standard rear-end collisions, the trailing driver is almost always presumed at fault. However, trucking companies are notorious for blaming the victim. They will claim you 'cut them off' or braked too suddenly without a working tail light to avoid paying out a massive settlement.
Primary Causes of Truck Rear-End Crashes
Your lawyer must prove that the truck driver breached their duty of care. The most common causes of these massive collisions include:
To meet unrealistic delivery deadlines, truckers often ride dangerously close to the bumper of the car in front of them to force them out of the passing lane. If traffic slows down, the truck cannot stop.
Commercial air brakes require precise calibration. If a company skips maintenance, the brakes will overheat or fade, especially on downhill stretches of highway, leading directly to a crash.
A driver who is falling asleep at the wheel or looking down at a dispatch device has a delayed reaction time. By the time they look up and hit the brakes, it is already too late.
Proving Your Case with Black Box Data
To defeat the insurance company's defense, your attorney will download the truck's Event Data Recorder (the black box). This computer records the exact speed of the truck, when the brakes were applied, and the throttle position at the moment of impact, providing undeniable proof of the driver's negligence.