Atlanta sees more than its fair share of delivery trucks zooming in and out of neighborhoods, across Interstates and down city streets. While these vehicles play an important role in our economy and can make life convenient, they can also pose a threat to other drivers. These trucks are larger in size, meaning that when they’re involved in a wreck they can cause extensive devastation, oftentimes leaving other motorists seriously injured or even dead.
But how do these delivery truck crashes occur? It’s a good question that deserves scrutiny, since you won’t know how to best to protect yourself from a delivery truck wreck or know when you can pursue legal action if you don’t know what causes these wrecks. So, let’s dive in and look at some of the most common causes of delivery truck accidents.
The main causes of delivery truck accidents
There’s a host of factors that can contribute to a delivery truck crash. Here are some of the most common that you should be on the lookout for and that could give you grounds to pursue a personal injury lawsuit:
- Distraction: Just like with any other drivers, delivery truck drivers are susceptible to distraction. This is especially true given that they often have to consult navigation devices and delivery schedules while looking for streets and addresses. And taking their eyes off the road for even a few seconds can cause them to miss changed traffic patterns or blow past a stop sign or traffic signal, either of which can lead to a catastrophic crash.
- Speeding: Since delivery drivers are often on tight timelines and they want to spend time at home after work, they tend to drive too quickly. Since speed is a major contributing factor to car accidents, this increases the chances that they’ll cause a wreck that may leave you or your loved one seriously hurt.
- Improper maintenance: Like other big rigs, delivery trucks should be routinely inspected and repaired. When delivery drivers and their employers fail to do that, then faulty brakes, worn tires and poor headlights can lead to a collision.
- Poor cargo securement: Some delivery trucks carry a lot of packages, several of which are heavy. Yet, sometimes delivery drivers roll down the street with their side or back doors open. This can cause a package to fall from the truck and strike other vehicles. Even if those vehicles can dodge the package, their evasive maneuvers could cause them to collide with another car.
There are, of course, other causes of delivery truck accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured in one of these crashes, then you need to gather as much evidence as possible to support a personal injury claim. Talk to witnesses, take photographs, gather documents, track your damages and detail how your accident injuries have negatively impacted your daily life. If you do that, then you may better position yourself to obtain accountability and recover the compensation that you need and deserve.
Fight to hold a delivery truck driver responsible for their actions
Even if it’s obvious that the delivery driver was responsible for your crash, the burden is still on you to prove your case. So, don’t sit back, procrastinate and expect that everything will work out in the end. You have to be proactive in building your case and protecting your future. If you want to learn more about the best way to do that, then we encourage you to continue reading up on how to navigate one of these cases and position yourself for success.