Millions of commercial semis, trucks, and basically cargo vehicles are on the highways and all roads of the US. They carry huge loads of freight and are industrial-grade vehicles. For most of us, these vehicles are simply background on the road. However, they can so easily cause accidents that become catastrophic fast. These accidents can happen due to different reasons, including unsecured cargo.
How Is Improperly Loading Cargo Causing Truck Accidents?
If cargo was not properly lauded, freight can shift while the vehicle is moving. This can cause the driver to end up losing control, which in turn can easily lead to fatal or catastrophic accidents. The commercial truck causes accidents because of improperly handled or loaded cargo in two common ways. They are:
- Poorly secured or unsecured cargo – Cargo has to be properly secured so that it will not shift, fall, or move. Special hardware is utilized for this, like webbing and straps. Basically, the cargo should never move an inch while being transported. Even rear doors have to be properly secured. In the event that something fails and cargo moves, it should never come out of the truck’s back to create a road obstacle or strike a car driving behind the truck.
- Unbalanced cargo – All cargo has to be loaded in a way that balance is a reality. This is especially the case with really large trailers or commercial semi-trucks. When a part of the huge load of a trailer moves to a side, the whole truck can end up falling and crushing anything it meets.
At the end of the day, the party that is considered to be responsible when it comes to ensuring cargo safety is the truck driver. This is why in many injury cases that involve cargo we also see the driver being held liable. Besides them, anyone who loaded cargo, the actual trucking company, and the freight owner might share responsibility for accidents.
Getting Legal Help After Truck Accidents
The complexity of truck accident claims is very high. This is due to the numerous federal and state regulations that concern commercial vehicles. Also, there are several insurers that will be involved, together with many other parties. In a single case, the unsecured cargo truck accident lawyer might file multiple lawsuits and insurance claims for victims to end up receiving the entire possible financial compensation. You most likely couldn’t even identify all the liable parties.
Truck accident attorneys are familiar with absolutely all industry standards. They understand who is involved in the process of delivering cargo and will help victims pursue every single responsible party. This is done in order to guarantee to receive full claim value, including accurate compensation for medications, hospital bills, long-term care needs, vehicle repair, replacements, physical therapy, and absolutely everything that is related to the truck accident.
To sum up, unsecured cargo is much more dangerous than we might expect. It is very important to handle such cases with utmost care. Unfortunately, so many victims are not aware of all their rights. Make sure that you look for a highly experienced truck accident attorney that can help you when cargo plays any part in your accident.