While the roads are open to everyone, all vehicles are certainly not made equally. There are travelers of all sizes, from those on foot and on bicycles, to motorists driving in cars around 4,000 pounds and truckers powering down the road in 80,000-pound 18-wheelers. Overall, this mix can lead to devastation if there is an accident—or even worse, a multi-car pileup. And although cars have their share of colliding with trucks, when it is the other way around and a truck hits a car, the accident can cause fatalities or terrible injuries—to include paralysis, amputations, broken arms and legs, traumatic brain injuries, and the list goes on regarding what could be a very unfortunate situation on the streets or highways of Houston, or anywhere in the US.
Rear-end collisions are a common type of accident on the road, and generally occur due to carelessness on the part of the driver who hits the other vehicle. Trucks may have a much more difficult time coming to a stop, however, and if the car in front of them has slammed on their brakes suddenly, it could be nearly impossible for a truck driver to stop. Again, if one car is hitting another car, or if a car is hitting a truck, the damage could be minimal. But if a semi is running straight into a car from behind, there is the potential for serious trouble, and for other cars to follow suit as they may not have much lead time to brake either.
While difficulty in coming to a halt may be the main challenge for an unwieldy, heavy semi- or 18-wheeler due to a sudden stop ahead, weather, or other issues, there could be other reasons that trucks run into cars, and they are all typical—but even more dangerous due to the weight. Truck drivers are often overworked and drowsy, even if they are (supposedly) following the rules regarding not driving more than 11 hours in a 14 hour window, and that is a recipe for disaster, along with other problems that could be present like distracted driving, the influence of alcohol or drugs, or relative inexperience—or even lack of training—in truck driving.
If you have been injured in a 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.
