No one wants to tussle with a truck when it comes to getting into an accident on the road; in fact, most of us have a great respect for truckers and even look up to them as the road warriors, the protectors of the highways, and even the good Samaritans as they flash their lights and tell us when to pass or offer comfort in numbers while traveling in the dark of night—often within a classic convoy. There are enough hazards on the road though, even without large trucks around, as other motorists pose many dangers from distracted driving, drunken driving, speeding, failure to follow traffic rules, signals and signs, and even pose other issues such as drowsiness, lack of experience, and more troublesome behavior.
As long as traffic is flowing easily and all goes smoothly, truckers may seem like a benign force. When 80,000 pounds of metal is coming at a 4,000-pound car though, little good can come of the situation. Lives can be lost, and serious injuries may be sustained, causing long-term harm that may be difficult or even impossible to recover from. Most likely the trucking company is liable if the trucker got into an accident due to negligence, or if there was an equipment malfunction or problem with a cargo spill.
Because lives may hang in the balance depending on good driving skills, trucking companies must be extremely careful about who they hire to haul goods across a city, state, or even the country. For most, the process is rigorous. The truckers must submit to background checks, driver’s license checks, they must be trained properly, and may go through a program offered by the trucking company itself.
In most cases, any criminal history means individuals are not suitable for hiring; that is not a hard and fast rule however, and as trucking companies become desperate to put drivers out on the road to get inventory where it needs to go, they may be relaxing hiring requirements, and in some cases they may even be seeking out felons or less than credible drivers who are in need of jobs and money. The bottom line is the trucking companies are in great need, and they may loosen standards so much that lives are endangered in the end, resulting in catastrophe.
If you have been injured in a car or truck accident due to the negligence of others, this is not the time to go it alone! Attorney Sgt. Pike has developed a system to combat the various forces in the trucking industry attempting to defeat the rights of those wrongfully injured or killed. Based on his training and experience as a Special Forces Operator (Army Green Beret), Attorney Sgt. Pike activates the Truck Accident Response Team or T.A.R.T. ™ immediately after being hired in appropriate cases. T.A.R.T. ™ then deploys to the area of the crash.
Please call the law offices of Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC as soon as possible at (713) 748-7453 or visit AttorneySgtPike for a no obligation case review.
