If you are driving or walking and are sharing the road with a truck, you might assume that the truck has loaded its cargo safely and followed federal rules for securing the cargo. If the trucker failed to obey the regulations designed to keep motorists safe from crashes caused by cargo problems, you face a significantly increased risk of injury.
If you do get hurt because of a problem with a truck's cargo, you have legal rights. Since there are many rules and regulations set forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FCMSA) when it comes to safety issues associated with truck cargo, you can often prove negligence easily in cases where a crash was caused by truck loading problems.
This means that with help from an experienced attorney as you make a claim for damages, you should be able to get compensation for your losses caused by the truck crash.
Risks for Laredo Motorists Caused by Cargo Loading Problems
If truck cargo is not loaded safely, motorists could be at risk because:
- Overweight trucks could have a tire blowout. If a truck has been loaded with too much cargo, this could cause tire problems. A tire blowout could result in a truck driver completely losing control of the truck.
- Improperly loaded cargo could cause a roll-over accident. FMCSA mandates that truck cargo be secured so it cannot move around. If cargo shifts as a truck driver is transporting it, the shifting cargo could cause the truck driver to lose control of the truck. Unfortunately, the shifting cargo could also result in a roll-over accident. The Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine has indicated that cargo problems, including unsecured cargo, are a top contributing cause of rollover crashes.
- Unsecured cargo could fly into your vehicle or onto the road. FMCSA also mandates that all cargo be secured when being transported by a commercial motor vehicle. Unsecured cargo could fly off the back of a truck, striking the car behind or around the truck. This could cause the driver whose car is hit to lose control of the vehicle or to become unable to see if the debris blocks the windshield. The driver could also be hit and hurt by the debris if it flies through the windshield.
Because of the serious risks associated with truck cargo problems, Trucking Info indicates that cargo issues are a leading cause of truck accidents. Anyone who falls victim to an accident caused by a problem with overloaded truck cargo should consult with an attorney to pursue legal action against the trucker. It may also be appropriate to pursue a case against the trucking company who had the responsibility of making sure the cargo was securely loaded.