Des Moines Truck Accident LAWYER

Commercial vehicles can cause devastating physical injuries in the event of an accident. These accidents can leave victims with severe physical consequences, such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and perhaps wrongful death. Please review the following information to learn more about accidents caused by:

• Truck Driver Operating Mistakes

• Employer Violations

• Intoxicated Driving

• Defects With The Truck

Truck Driver Operating Mistakes

Commercial trucks are huge. They're much more powerful than most other vehicles on the road, except perhaps for other commercial trucks. Truck drivers, like any other motor vehicle operator, have a legal obligation to exercise reasonable care for the safety of others when driving their trucks. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen.

Collisions with trucks can be caused when truck drivers, among other things:

• Drive fast, aggressively, or recklessly

• Make turns without signaling

• Operate their trucks without accounting for adverse weather conditions

• Drive with an improper load

• Drive with an improperly secured load

• Exceed load limits

• Drive while fatigued

• Lack proper certification

Trucking Employer Violations

Employers of truck drivers can also be negligent if the driver causes a truck crash. Oftentimes both the employer and the driver can liable for the same crash. Some of the more common trucking employer violations include:

• Negligent hiring, supervision, or retention of truck drivers

• Forcing truck drivers to operate in excess of maximum hour regulations

• Putting unsafe trucks on the road

• Failing to properly train truck drivers

• Allowing truck drivers on the road without proper certification

Intoxicated Driving

Operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated is dangerous under any circumstances. The danger is magnified when the motor vehicle is a huge truck. Truck drivers that operate their trucks under the influence of drugs or alcohol are putting the lives and safety of everyone they encounter on the road. Trucks are hard enough to operate, including checking blind spots, maintaining a proper speed, adjusting to weather, road, and traffic conditions, braking, turning, and handling, 

Truck Defects

All the care in the world by truck drivers and trucking employers won't make a bit of difference if the truck itself is not safe to be on the road. Like any other motor vehicle, trucks require regular and proper maintenance to be safe. The failure to properly maintain something as large and dangerous as a truck can have catastrophic consequences if the unsafe truck causes an accident. Common safety issues with trucks concern tires, brakes, trailers, and trailer connections.

What Are My Rights To Monetary Compensation?

Iowa law provides strong remedies if you or a loved one is injured in an accident. You may be able to recover money damages for, among other things, past and future medical expenses, past and future physical and mental pain and suffering, and past and future disability or loss of function of the body. If the accident caused a death, an additional series of money damages for wrongful death may also be applicable. We invite you to take a moment to browse additional information about money damages that we've provided on our Personal Injury And Wrongful Death page.

There are several different types of potential defendants in a trucking collision case. Along with the truck driver, in appropriate cases you may also seek monetary compensation from the truck company or employer, the manufacturer of any defective trucking equipment that caused or contributed to the truck accident, the people responsible for improper or unsafe maintenance or repairs (or the complete lack thereof), and any business entities affiliated with the employer, such as franchises or parent companies.

Erbe Law Firm 
2501 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50312
(515) 229-0202

Erbe Law Firm has proudly served clients throughout Iowa since 2005 from our Des Moines law firm. We look forward to hearing from you to see whether we can do the same for you.