Wichita Truck Accident Attorneys

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Because multiple parties could be held responsible for a semi-truck accident, determining the cause of the accident it typically key to determining liability.

Common causes of big-rig accidents include:

• Drunk Truck Drivers
• Distracted Truck Drivers
• Tired Truck Drivers
• Defective Parts
• Poor Maintenance of the Truck
• Improperly Loaded Cargo
• Poor/Improper Training of Truck Drivers

There are multiple additional factors that contribute to these types of accidents, which is why hiring an experienced truck accident attorney in Wichita is in your best interest. At Hutton & Hutton Law Firm, LLC, our legal team is experienced in handling these types of claims and know what evidence is required to prove both the cause of an accident and who is responsible.

Federal Truck Regulation Violations

Because of the serious risk, commercial trucks pose in the event of an accident, truck drivers are heavily regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The FMCSA has many regulations on truck drivers, to help protect other drivers on the road. One of these important regulations is called the hours of service regulations. Since tired drivers are much more likely to cause an accident either by a mistake or falling asleep at the wheel, these regulations regulate when a truck driver must rest and take breaks. The hours of service regulations states:

• Truck drivers can work up to 14-hour days. Only 11 of these hours can be spent actually driving, the remaining three hours must be spent on meal or rest breaks.
• After the workday is over, drivers must rest for at least 10 consecutive hours
• Truck drivers must take days off work at regular intervals. If a trucking company is open seven days a week a driver is only allowed to work 70 hours in an eight-day period before taking at least 34 consecutive hours off. If a trucking company is open less than seven days a week than a driver is only allowed to work 60 hours in a seven-day period before taking 34 hours off.

All too often truckers are caught breaking these rules. In rarer circumstances, the hours of service regulations are modified in times of national emergencies, such as in the recent COVID-19 crisis. This is done to help get supplies to certain locations faster.

Truck Accidents Caused By Drunk Driving

State law regulates how high a truck driver’s blood alcohol concentration

(BAC) can be while driving. Laws tend to be more stringent for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers, who are responsible for maintaining the largest vehicles on the road. A CMV can weigh anywhere from 10,000 to 80,000 pounds. In Kansas, truck drivers can’t have a BAC of over 0.04%.

While penalties for DUIs are significantly higher for truck drivers, they are still caught driving commercial motor vehicles with a high BAC or under the influence of some kind of controlled substance. If you were injured in an accident with a drunk or drugged CMV driver, give us a call as soon as possible. Our attorneys at Hutton & Hutton Law Firm, LLC have been helping people seek compensation for their injuries since 1979.

Contact us online or call (316) 688-1166 to schedule a free consultation with us today.