Las Vegas Truck Accident Lawyer Near You

Large commercial trucks, such as semi-trucks, present certain inherent dangers when they are on the road. For example, a big rig’s size and weight can cause significant damage and severe injuries, even when the crash was at a relatively low speed. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), trucking accidents resulted in approximately 4,014 fatalities in 2020. Of those fatal accidents involving large trucks and passenger cars, 68% of the people who died in the wreck were the people in the cars. Sadly, this is unsurprising considering the inherent danger semi-trucks present when sharing the road with passenger cars. When trucking accidents do not lead to death, they can result in severe injuries including serious neck and back injuries, internal organ damage, and traumatic brain injuries. Here are some back injury settlements with surgery or without surgery. Like all motor vehicle accidents, many factors may lead up to, or cause a trucking-related crash. While identifying all the factors responsible for a particular semi-truck crash may require a significant investigation. Some of the more common causes include:

• following too closely
• speeding
• distracted driving
• driver fatigue
• driver inexperience
• excessive or improperly loaded cargo
• improperly maintained trucks
• driving in conditions unsafe for commercial vehicles
• driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• unsafe lane changes by the truck driver
• poor or defective design of the truck or trailer

Below is a more detailed discussion of some of these causes.

Exhaustion is a common reason for crashes involving semi-trucks.

For this reason, there are federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulations in place that dictate truck drivers have an eleven (11) hour maximum driving limit per work shift and must take a break of at least 30 minutes after 8 hours of driving.

Additionally, other HOS rules place greater restrictions such as the number of hours a truck driver can work in a seven or eight-day period and how many hours must pass between each shift.

These hours must also be documented on either paper or electronic logs.

Nevada, like all states, requires drivers of Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMV), such as semi-trucks, to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License or CDL.

This type of license has special requirements and must be obtained in addition to a driver’s personal driver’s license, usually a Class C license.

However, just because a driver has obtained their CDL does not mean that they have the training and experience to operate a large commercial vehicle, such as a semi-truck or tractor-trailer, in all circumstances. It only means that they were able to demonstrate the minimum requirements necessary to obtain a license.

Indeed, lack of driver training and experience is a common cause of trucking-related crashes, even though the truck driver had a valid CDL. Moreover, Nevada has multiple classes of CDLs and several specific endorsements which may be required, depending on the weight of the vehicle, its cargo, and other factors.

So, while the truck driver who caused the crash may have a valid CDL, they may not have the necessary classifications and/or endorsements needed to drive that specific semi-truck with the type or size of the load it was carrying.

Semi-truck drivers often feel pressured to drive in excess of the speed limit in order to meet their delivery or pick-up deadlines.

Of course, this can come at a great cost as the weight and size of a large commercial truck can make it extremely dangerous to others on the road when it is traveling in excess of the speed limit.

Regrettably, speed is a common cause of trucking accidents.

It is important to know that truckers who speed can be found guilty of reckless driving, and if you suspect that a trucker who hit you or someone you know was speeding, that you report it to the police.

Nevada has issued a state-wide ban on handheld devices and texting while driving.

Furthermore, handheld cell phone use while driving a commercial vehicle is banned at a federal level. Yet truckers, like many other drivers, continue to use their cell phones and other electronic devices while driving.

If you were hit by a semi or other commercial vehicle and suspect the truck driver was on his phone, be sure to inform our office when you contact us.

There are steps our attorneys will take right away to help ensure any evidence of the driver’s phone use is preserved.

In some instances, wrecks are caused by truckers driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Commercial drivers are held to a stricter standard when it comes to DUI laws. In Nevada, the legal blood and alcohol, or BAC, the limit for CMV drivers is (0.04%). That is half the amount of the legal limit for all other drivers over the age of 21. There can be significant ramifications for a commercial truck driver who causes an accident while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. For more information regarding your rights after being hit by a driver who is under the influence, please see the DUI Accident page on our site. Call us at (702) 291-8007 or contact us online for assistance with getting started on your trucking accident-related claim.