LAS VEGAS TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYER

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Las Vegas

Most truck drivers are required to travel for many hours to transport their cargo. This can lead some drivers to become fatigued and although both federal and state regulations require commercial drivers to take regular breaks, many fail to take these precautions.

Truck accidents happen for a variety of reasons, many of which involve driver negligence. Below are some of the most common causes:

1. Fatigue

Truck drivers often push themselves to meet tight deadlines, sometimes skipping mandated rest breaks. Fatigue slows reaction times and impairs decision-making abilities.

2. Speeding

Driving at high speeds can reduce a driver’s ability to react to sudden changes, increasing the likelihood of accidents.

3. Improperly Loaded Cargo

Improperly loaded or unsecured cargo can shift during transit, causing the truck to lose control.

4. Distracted Driving

From texting to eating while driving, distractions behind the wheel can be catastrophic when operating a large vehicle.

5. Poor Maintenance

Failure to properly maintain trucks can lead to mechanical failures like brake malfunctions, increasing the risk of serious accidents.

6. Tailgating and Improper Lane Changes

Following too closely and improper lane changes by truck drivers can result in collisions, especially given their larger size and longer stopping distances.

7. Driving under the influence

Operating a truck under the influence of alcohol or drugs significantly impairs a driver’s judgment and coordination.

Some truck accidents are caused not by a truck driver’s negligence, but by another driver’s failure to take reasonable care when driving near a big rig. The most common unsafe acts committed by drivers in the vicinity of large trucks include:

• Changing lanes abruptly in front of a truck;
• Misjudging a truck’s speed and turning left in front of it;
• Improperly merging;
• Driving in the areas behind and beside a truck where the driver has no visibility;
• Unsafely passing;
• Being blown out of position by air turbulence created by a truck when improperly passing;
• Driving between large trucks; and
• Failing to move a disabled car completely off the road.

These negligent actions by other drivers on the road can create a chain reaction involving collisions between multiple vehicles, including any commercial trucks in the vicinity. Multi-car pile-ups are especially dangerous and are more likely to result in death than other types of car crashes.

The Most Common Injuries Caused by Truck Accidents

Truck accident-related injuries tend to be especially severe due to the larger size of the vehicles involved. For this reason, a truck driver’s negligence can have especially horrific consequences and many victims sustain life-threatening injuries or become permanently disfigured. Commercial trucks weigh thousands of pounds and often carry dangerous cargo. If a truck driver loses control of his or her vehicle, the force of impact can cause heavy cargo, such as cement pipes or lumber to spill onto the roadway, which in turn can cause additional collisions. Most big rigs are also equipped with larger gas tanks that are more likely to cause explosions after a collision. Broken glass and metal shards can also cause deep and severe lacerations, many of which leave permanent scars.

Some of the most common injuries caused by truck accidents include:

1. Spine or neck injuries: The forceful impact associated with larger trucks can cause a victim’s head to snap forward, causing injuries ranging in severity from whiplash and herniated discs to paralysis and nerve damage. While some of these injuries can be mitigated through surgery or therapy, others are often permanent and require that a victim use a wheelchair or other assistive medical devices for the rest of his or her life.
2. Broken bones: A commercial truck’s size means that an impact on another vehicle can be especially forceful. For this reason, broken bones and dislocations are more common in these types of accidents. Depending on which party of the body was injured, broken bones can take months or even years to fully heal and may require painful surgeries and physical therapy.
3. Lacerations: Deep cuts caused by flying debris are also much more common in accidents involving large commercial trucks. Serious cuts may require stitches, staples, or surgery and even then may become infected, requiring heavy doses of antibiotics.
4. Soft-tissue damage: The more forceful impacts involved in truck accidents can also cause serious soft-tissue injuries. Resulting organ damage may cause internal bleeding, which can cause permanent damage or death.
5. Traumatic brain injuries: These types of injuries are especially serious and often have permanent consequences. Trauma to the brain and skull can cause a range of health problems, including memory loss, paralysis, difficulty speaking, and even death.
6. Burns: Explosions are much more likely to occur in truck accidents due to ruptured gas tanks caused by higher impacts. These risks are heightened by the fact that many trucks carry toxic materials that are highly flammable. Burns are especially prone to infection and may require multiple and painful skin grafts.

Modified Comparative Fault

Nevada adheres to the legal theory of modified comparative fault, which means that an injured party who contributed to an accident can still recover compensation for his or her injuries. The amount that an injured party will be able to recover will be decreased by his or her percentage of fault in causing the accident.