Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Colorado

Truck accidents can be caused by various factors. When any of these factors involves some type of carelessness or recklessness, however, truck accident victims can be entitled to compensation for their injuries and losses.

At Dormer Harpring, our attorneys are committed to advocating for injured people’s rights and helping them recover from truck accidents. Our primary goal is to help accident survivors bring their cases to favorable resolutions so they can focus on healing and getting their lives back to normal.

Causes of Truck Accidents: Trucker-Related Factors

Truck driver mistakes and/or misconduct contribute to at least 40 percent of all truck accidents in the U.S.¹ Some examples of trucker negligence that commonly play a role in truck accidents include:

• Speeding – This is the single most common form of trucker negligence that causes truck accidents.² Speeding in large, heavy trucks often leads to crashes because heavy trucks (which can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded) are usually much harder to slow or stop at higher speeds. And when truckers are speeding, there’s a much higher risk of jackknifes, rollovers, and equipment failures.
• Driver distraction – This has been identified as the second most common form of trucker negligence that contributes to crashes.² Driver distraction can cause the same impairments as alcohol can (like delayed reaction times and perception problems).
• Driver impairment – This refers to alcohol and/or drug impairment (including both illegal and legal drugs). While commercial truckers are supposed to be drug tested and subjected to lower legal limits (than noncommercial drivers), driver impairment is still a problem. And it commonly arises when, for instance, drivers feel forced to meet unrealistic delivery schedules and/or when their employers fail to screen them for drug/alcohol use.
• Driver fatigue – This can cause similar issues as impaired or distracted driving. Although hours-of-service rules are intended to prevent driver fatigue, about 13 percent of truck crashes in the U.S. are caused, at least partially, by fatigued truckers.²
• Other forms of driver negligence – These can include failing to abide by any traffic laws, failing to maintain trucks, improperly securing truck loads, violating any federal/state trucking regulations, etc.

Causes of Truck Accidents: Other Factors

In addition to truckers’ actions, other factors can contribute to truck accidents include (but are not necessarily exclusive to):

• Trucking company negligence – This can arise when motor carriers put poorly maintained trucks on the road, hire unqualified drivers, fail to abide by any federal or state trucking regulation, etc.
• Vehicle-related issues – These can result from faulty or defective trucking equipment, as well as failures to inspect and properly maintain trucks.
• Road and/or weather conditions – These can significantly increase the risk of a crash if or when any form of driver (or other) negligence may be at play.

Contact a Denver Truck Accident Attorney at Dormer Harpring

After a truck accident, contact a Denver truck accident attorney at Dormer Harpring to find out more about your potential case and your recovery options.

You can call us at (303) 747-4404 or email us via the contact form on this page to receive honest answers from one of our trusted lawyers.

Our commitment to representing people from all walks of life means that we never charge for a consultation and that our legal fees are “contingent,” meaning they’re based only on the amount we recover.

From offices based in Denver, our attorneys provide exceptional representation to people throughout Denver County, Adams County, Boulder County, Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, and the state of Colorado.

___________________________________________

1: According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

2: FMCSA crash data & statistics