Should The Trucking Company be Responsible for a Tire Blow out that Injured Three in Newport News, VA?

Trucking companies must by law maintain safe trucks. Drivers also have a duty to maintain their vehicles and check for potential hazards such as worn tires and faulty brakes.

This is important advice for any vehicle owner, but it’s particularly crucial for big rigs and tractor-trailers because of their weight and the high potential for serious injury or a loss of life in a truck crash that we see often as Newport News truck accident injury lawyers.

A recent accident in Newport News illustrated the dangers when equipment fails on a truck. On November 17, 2012, a tractor-trailer cab driver lost control of the truck when it blew a tire on I-64 in Newport News. He sideswiped a Chevrolet Cobalt.

The truck driver was flown by Nightingale to Norfolk Sentara Hospital for treatment of serious injuries, according to police. A passenger in the truck was also taken to Riverside Hospital. Their condition is unknown at this time.

The driver of the Chevy Cobalt was transported to Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News.

If the blow out was caused by a maintenance issue that the driver or the trucking company failed to rectify, they could be held liable in a claim made by those injured in the crash.

Examples of trucking company errors include:

• Negligent maintenance: Tires on truck must be replaced when necessary and it’s important that tire pressure is checked and lights and wipers are working. Other parts can also cause dangerous situations. Rear bars that are intended to prevent cars from sliding under a tractor-trailer in an accident must work properly.
•  The hiring of truckers: This is another key litigation area. If a driver has a bad driving record or a history of drug, alcohol use, or a sleep disorder or lack of training, a truck company can be held liable for injuries.
• Loading: Overloaded trucks are a serious public safety hazard. Trucking companies must work to strict loading limits. Loads carried by a truck must be properly secured to avoid accidents and injuries caused by objects falling onto the road and causing an accident risk.
• Failure to prevent driver fatigue: Trucking companies have to abide by detailed federal trucking laws that dictate how long a driver can be behind the wheel.  Dispatchers who work for the firms should know how far a trucker can safely drive in a day. They have a duty to ensure that their drivers are fit for the road at all times.

If you have been hurt by a defect on a truck, an undisclosed load or a negligent truck driver contact our experienced Newport News truck accident injury lawyers for a free consultation.

The Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Hampton, VA truck accident injury law firm, Cooper Hurley, handles automobile, truck, and motorcycle injuries as well as other cases such as slip and fall cases, wrongful death and medical malpractice. John Cooper and Jim Hurley have over 40 years of combined experience in handling truck injury accident claims. Attorney John Cooper has been named to Virginia “Super Lawyers” since 2010.

Cooper Hurley represents people hurt in accidents in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News and throughout VA, and always put the best interests of our clients first. Our motto is “Your Injury, Our Fight.” The firm is recognized by other lawyers as “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, a national attorney rating service, for our top level of legal skill and highest ethical standards.