Memphis, Tennessee, Truck Accident Attorneys

As anyone who drives the interstates in Memphis knows, sharing the road with commercial motor vehicles is a reality of daily life in a big city. Trucking accidents that result when these oversized 18-wheelers collide with much smaller passenger vehicles can be devastating to those injured and to the families of the victims that are left to pick up the pieces. Each year thousands of unprepared families are given the news that someone they love has been injured or killed as a result of a collision with a tractor-trailer or other large commercial vehicle. The vast difference in size between semis and ordinary vehicles is what leads to the danger faced by hundreds of thousands of Memphis drivers.

Statistics back up observations by many drivers who have noticed an uptick in the numbers of increasingly heavy trucks on the road. According to the Department of Transportation, the number of truck crashes that result in debilitating injuries or fatalities has been on a steady march upward. The federal government said that truck-related deaths increased almost nine percent last year, a huge bump that reflects hundreds of lost lives. In fact, in 2010, 3,675 people lost their lives as the result of collisions with large trucks. This rise in truck-related fatalities corresponds with an almost uninterrupted decline in the number of overall highway deaths. That means that as the roads are getting safer for many drivers, trucks have become an increasingly dangerous menace.

One of the leadings causes of truck accidents in Memphis, Tennessee is driver fatigue. Commercial motor vehicle drivers are carefully regulated by federal and state laws that lay out strict limits on how long drivers are allowed to be behind the wheel in a given day. These safety regulations exist in various forms, chief among them the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act. Despite how critical such regulations are to ensuring the safety of other motorists on Tennessee highways, many trucking companies have created incentives for drivers to flout the law. By providing performance pay that gives bonuses to drivers who make deliveries ahead of schedule, drivers have a financial incentive to bend the rules to the point of breaking. When this happens, drivers and the companies that pay their salaries should be held accountable for the injuries that result from the exhaustion of the truck driver.

Beyond the sometimes confusing regulations surrounding the trucking industry, other special challenges make practicing truck accident law in Memphis different than handling simple auto accident cases. For instance, most tractor-trailers contain “black boxes,” or recording equipment that keeps certain measurements while the truck is in operation. The black boxes are similar to the ones found in airplanes and often contain extremely helpful information to any attorney that knows to look for them.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a Memphis, Tennessee trucking accident, you should consult with a local personal injury law firm who has the skills and experience to handle complicarted tractor-trailer accident cases. The Stroud Law Firm is one such firm. Over the years, we have helped many of our clients who have been the victims of deadly or debilitating truck accidents. We have been there for those who have suffered through physical and emotional strain, the stress of mounting medical bills, and serious financial worry due to lost wages. If you or a loved one has sustained an injury because of a trucking accident, please contact us today to schedule your free consultation.