Hazards in Logging Truck Accidents in North Carolina

Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Matt Arnold answers the question: ” Is a tractor-trailer accident the same as an automobile accident?”

 

A recent logging truck accident in North Carolina has highlighted the hazards associated with heavy, overloaded vehicles hauling poorly secured logs that hang 20 feet off the rear of the trailer.

According to researchers at the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conversation (DFREC), logging trucks were responsible for at least 576 fatalities between 2007 and 2015, and more than 11,000 injuries from 2007 to 2016.

A series of motor vehicle collisions occurred in North Carolina and South Carolina after a logging truck crash in Chester County, according to The Charlotte Observer. The accident reportedly caused significant traffic delays in York and Lancaster counties.

 

logging-truck-Charlotte-Monroe-Lake-Norman-Personal-Injury-Law-Firm-300x225Logging Truck Accident Causes Traffic Delays in North Carolina

The road accident involving a logging truck and another vehicle occurred on U.S. 21 near Landsford Road, causing delays and detours. It is unclear if the fog had anything to do with the crash, but because of the poor visibility, injured people had to be transported by ground rather than helicopter.

I-77 northbound traffic toward Charlotte was congested for hours from the state line all the way to Rock Hill. There were reportedly delays of at least 35 minutes on Interstate 77 northbound near the state line.

Logging truck crashes are not uncommon in Charlotte and other parts of North Carolina. These crashes often result in life-threatening and permanent motor vehicle injuries.

If you crashed into a logging truck or trailer, speak with our Charlotte car accident attorney at Arnold & Smith, PLLC. Discuss your crash with our lawyers to bring a personal injury claim and seek compensation.

 

Dangers in Logging Truck Accidents

Log trucks represent only about 1% of vehicles regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and, according to researchers at the DFREC, only five national insurance companies cover logging trucks in their policies.

The following safety hazards are responsible for many log truck crashes in North Carolina and all across the U.S.:

  • Driver inexperience or lack of qualification. Log truck companies usually pay logging truckers less than other truck drivers, which is why these companies often employ people with little to no experience driving log trucks and lack of qualification in terms of training, safety records, and others.
  • Poor vehicle maintenance. Newly manufactured log trucks are a rarity in our country, which is why most logging truck companies operate old, poorly maintained trucks and trailers with high mileage. In addition to that, log trucks are operated and loaded in rough conditions that cause mechanical failures. Unless these trucks are inspected and maintained properly, they can lead to catastrophic road crashes.
  • Bad lighting. It is not uncommon for flashing amber lights, taillights, side reflectors, and load lamps on log trucks to have inadequate light capacity and be obscured by mud and dirt.
  • Overloading. Since logging trucks are some of the most unregulated and unsupervised trucks on our roads, many of them exceed weight and log length limits, which is why you may have seen logs hanging 10 to 20 feet off the rear of the log truck.

If your vehicle collided with a logging truck, do not hesitate to contact our Charlotte car accident attorney at Arnold & Smith, PLLC. It is important to act promptly to determine the cause of the log truck accident and find evidence of the driver or logging company’s negligence.

Call at 704-370-2828 or complete the contact form to schedule a free case evaluation.

 

Schedule a free consultation with our attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, to determine whether or not you are entitled to compensation under the product liability theory. Call at 704-370-2828 or complete our contact form. Now taking cases throughout the Charlotte region with offices in Uptown Charlotte, Mooresville and our new location in Monroe.

 

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The skilled personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to maximizing the financial recovery and obtaining justice for every personal injury client injured by another party’s negligence. The issues our personal injury clients may be facing include, but are not limited to, slip and fall injuries, wrongful death, product liability, catastrophic injuries, dog bite claims, car and truck accident injuries, motorcycle injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI), nursing home negligence, spinal cord injury, boating accidents, and defective medical device injury. Our personal injury attorneys understand the devastating impact such an injury can have on a person’s life, and that the effects so often go beyond physical pain and suffering. The personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to helping clients determine the strength of their claims, and to aggressively pursuing the means necessary to achieve the best possible end result for each client’s particular situation.

 

Source:

https://cofe.org/files/2017_Proceedings/Neila%20Cole.pdf

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/south-carolina/article235496522.html

 

 

Image Credit

https://www.freeimages.com/photo/logs-1492697

 

 

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