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We've all been there. Anyone who is a driver or even a passenger in an automobile has at one time or another found himself or herself in an uncomfortable position when it comes to sharing the road with giant 18-wheelers. Whether it's having headlights creeping up to within a couple feet of your back bumper while traveling 65 miles per hour on the highway, getting boxed in between three or four trucks trying to pass each other, or worrying about a giant cylinder falling off a flatbed trailer as you go by, sharing the roads with tractor-trailers can be scary. Unfortunately, all too often, as the nation's highways become more congested, and as the shortage of qualified tractor-trailer drivers becomes more severe, these uncomfortable situations result in catastrophic accidents.
In the thirteen-plus years I worked as an underwriter, claims adjuster, senior manager and president at insurance companies dedicated exclusively to insuring trucks and tractor-trailers, I have seen and experienced the results of thousands of motor vehicle accidents involving cars and tractor-trailers or other heavy trucks. Some of them have been mere fender-benders, while others have been deadly. Sometimes the truck driver was at fault, while other times the driver of the car was negligent. Sometimes the facts are such that it is hard to determine fault, and other times outside factors such as road conditions or mechanical failures are a significant factor in causing an accident to occur.
As an attorney in the practice of representing people involved in accidents involving tractor-trailers and trucks, I have started this blog for several reasons. First, and maybe most importantly, is to use this forum to highlight steps that motorists can take to avoid collisions with tractor-trailers and trucks altogether. In many cases, regardless of ultimate "fault," there are proactive steps that motorists can take to keep themselves out of risky situations. Though these blog entries, I will try to illustrate examples of situations I have seen where accidents may have been avoided, and pass on those tips.
This blog will also address steps that motorists can take after they have been involved in an accident with a heavy truck or tractor-trailer. In addition to these accidents often being especially catastrophic for those in the car, there are other aspects of truck accidents that differ from a car-on-car accident in terms of physics, government regulations, insurance, etc. As a former underwriter, claims adjuster, senior manager and president of truck insurance companies, my goal as an attorney is to use my experience and first-hand knowledge of the insurance process to your advantage.
As a reader of this blog, if you have any questions, or if you or a friend or loved one have been involved in an accident and are seeking representation, please e-mail or call any time.
