Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys Talk About Accidents Caused by Defective Parts

A recently filed wrongful death lawsuit claims that a component of the braking system of a tractor-trailer caused a deadly crash when it failed. The accident, which occurred in 2015, killed a woman and injured her infant son. The wrongful death lawsuit was brought against the manufacturer of the brake part, Meritor WABCO Vehicle Control Systems, and other parties.

The lawsuit claims that the brake part has undergone forensic testing and that test results show that the Meritor modulator valve was defective, as defined by Alabama law, at the time of the accident. The plaintiff in the lawsuit, the husband of the deceased and the father of the injured child, seeks compensatory and punitive damages for her wrongful death, product liability, negligent and wanton maintenance of the tractor trailer, and failure to warn of defects.

Tractor trailers are designed to be driven long distances on a regular basis. Because of this, the safe operation of any tractor trailer involves regular checks of all of the parts of both the tractor and the trailer. Many components of a truck wear out fairly quickly, and must get replaced on a regular basis, so regular checks ensure that worn out parts get replaced before they fail on the road. If a part fails while the driver is on the road, an accident could occur.

Sometimes safety checks are not performed regularly, or repairs are not made as soon as they are needed and accidents occur. Sometimes these checks are done by the driver of the truck and at other times, mechanics inspect the trucks. At other times, accidents happen when parts fail without any warning or in spite of vehicle checks that could not reveal the defect that caused the crash. When a tractor-trailer is involved in an accident which may have been caused by a mechanical defect, multiple parties could each be partially or fully responsible for the injuries and the damages that were caused by the crash. When there are multiple defendants, the lawsuit can become rather complicated as the parties try to blame each other for the accident and absolve themselves of responsibility for as much of the damages as they possibly can.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Helping Mississippi Trucking Accident Plaintiffs and Their Families

Trucking accident cases involving mechanical defects can be lengthy and complicated. Accident victims and their families may be kept waiting for much-needed compensation while the potentially responsible parties point fingers at each other and argue over who is responsible for how much of the damage that was caused by the crash. This can be frustrating for accident victims and their families, but they do not have to go through it alone. If you were injured or someone that you love was killed in a trucking accident where there may have been a mechanical defect, Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys could help you navigate the complicated trucking accident claims process so that you can devote your time and energy to healing your injuries or recovering from your loss. If you have questions about Mississippi trucking accidents, please call the dedicated Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577 to set up an initial consultation.

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Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys Talk About School Bus Accidents

A recent crash involving a school bus and one other vehicle recently blocked both lanes of traffic on Highway 57 in Jackson County for a few hours. The Mississippi Highway Patrol reported that there were students on the bus when the accident occurred. Fortunately, there did not appear to be anyone injured.

School bus accidents do not always end as safely as this one did. Last year, there was a school bus rollover accident where students were injured, and some school bus accidents do result in serious injuries and even death. Whenever there is a school bus accident, it is not surprising that parents think about whether they are doing the right thing when they send their kids out to catch the bus to school every weekday morning. Fortunately, school bus accidents are not all that common, and research indicates that they are in fact the safest way for kids to get to and from school. Riding to school in a private vehicle is actually seven times more dangerous than riding to school in a school bus.

If you can think back a few years to when you were in school, and you rode the school bus, you might remember that there were not any seat belts on the buses. You might think that certainly, school buses would have seat belts now, especially with all of the focus on car seats for children up to ages that are well beyond the ages that children were required to use them when you were younger. It might surprise you, then, to learn that in most places, there are still not any seat belts on school buses. This is not an oversight; it is actually a deliberate choice by school bus manufacturers who have studied many different types of school bus design and have decided that the no-seatbelt design is the safest for a few reasons.

School buses are designed to keep passengers safe in a much different way than other types of passenger vehicles like cars and SUVs are. School buses are made with padded, high-backed seats. These seats serve a purpose – they divide the interior of the bus into compartments, which reduces the amount of passenger movement during collisions. The large size of a school bus distributes any impact from a collision across a wide area. These and other design features help to keep kids safe on school buses, and parents can feel good about that.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Assistance for Accident Victims and Their Families

If you were involved in any type of motor vehicle accident, contact Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys right away. An attorney can help you using their knowledge about the automobile accident claims process to help you pursue a claim for recovery from the party or parties who are responsible for your injuries or your loss. Call the compassionate and experienced Mississippi Automobile Accident attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (800) 707-9577, to schedule a free consultation.

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Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys Talk About Accidents Involving Multiple Trucks

A recent accident involving three tractor trailers and other vehicles claimed the life of a UPS truck driver. The accident occurred on Interstate 20 in Newton County. The driver of one of the trucks and his passenger got hurt in the wreck, and the driver of the third eighteen-wheeler was not injured. This accident started out with one rear-end collision, and a third truck crashed into the back of the second truck. The driver who died in the crash was driving the third truck.

Tractor trailer accidents are often both severe and fatal. Because eighteen-wheelers are so large and so heavy, any accident involving one or more of them can cause fatalities, serious injuries, and massive amounts of property damage. Unfortunately, accidents involving multiple tractor trailers can happen at any time. However, the risk of those accidents happening is higher during morning and evening commute times, when the roads are crowded with trucks and other vehicles. When trucks are traveling near each other, there are several ways that they might collide with each other. Sometimes, as happened in the accident mentioned above, one eighteen-wheeler rear-ends another and sometimes other trucks or vehicles hit with the first two trucks. These rear-end collisions often cause a lot of damage to the trucks. Also, the driver of the truck that collides with the rear of the first truck can become trapped in the cab of their truck, resulting in serious injuries or death from injuries, fire, or an explosion. Pile-up or chain reaction accidents are another way in which multiple eighteen-wheelers can collide. Side impact accidents are another possible multiple-truck accident scenario, especially when tractor trailers are driving close to each other.

Whenever there is a trucking accident, there is often a complicated set of facts. This can make it difficult for accident victims and their families to pursue claims for damages. The reason for the complexity is that trucking accidents involve more parties than the drivers and any passengers who may be at the accident scene. Some tractor trailers are driver-owned, but many others are owned by trucking companies and are covered by commercial insurance policies. The trucking company and insurance company are parties who have interests in the outcome of the accident investigation, so whenever an eighteen-wheeler gets into a wreck, the trucking company calls its insurer to notify them of the crash and the insurer often immediately dispatches a team of investigators to the accident scene.

The “accident response teams” that respond to accident scenes on behalf of insurers and trucking companies are not neutral parties. If you are ever at the scene of a trucking accident, remember that those individuals represent interests that may be contrary to yours. You are free to refuse to speak with them until you have consulted an attorney.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Helping Trucking Accident Victims and Their Families Recover After Injury or Loss

If you were involved in a trucking accident, contact a Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorney right away. Your attorney will help you deal with accident investigators, and they will use their knowledge about trucking industry laws, commercial insurance policies, and truck accidents to help you pursue claims for recovery from the various parties who are responsible for your injuries or your loss. Call the dedicated and experienced Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC today at 1 (800) 707-9577, to schedule a free, initial consultation.

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Progress in Medical Certification of Truck Drivers Making Roads Safer

Our trucking accident attorneys recognize the importance of ensuring that commercial truck drivers are medically fit to operate tractor-trailers, which can weigh as much as 25 times more than a passenger car. While federal law has long required medical certificates confirming that a truck driver is medically fit as a condition of keeping a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), this safety requirement offered limited comfort until recently because no significant standards were imposed for who could sign off on the driver’s fitness. However, changes in recent times by federal regulators to impose standards on who can certify a commercial driver as medically fit promise safer Mississippi roadways.

The benefits of this change in trucking safety regulations are worth revisiting because of the potential impact on roadway safety. Until the recent change, drivers could seek medical certification from virtually any individual within the medical field including a nurse practitioner or chiropractor. Further, there were no standards in terms of how the examination should be conducted nor what types of impairments or conditions would be found to disqualify a truck driver.

A 2008 congressional investigation revealed the even more troubling finding that a third of all medical certificates reviewed by law enforcement during vehicle stops could not be confirmed as authentic or accurate. The person who signed off on the inspection either did not exist or would not confirm ever conducting an examination. The process was so informal that there was nothing to prevent truck drivers from copying the name, contact information, and medical license number of a doctor off the web to falsify the form. Since the forms were rarely verified, truck drivers could engage in this form of fraud with little risk of being detected.

The danger posed by having a truck driver on the road who suffers from a serious medical condition can hardly be understated. Because of the average age of truck drivers and the amount of time they spend engaged in the sedentary activity of driving, there is a high prevalence of obesity-related health conditions in the trucking industry, such as sleep apnea and diabetes, which can render a truck driver unconscious. A University of Pennsylvania study found that 28 percent of truck drivers suffer from sleep apnea. The seriousness of the problem was revealed by the fact that the congressional investigation referenced above found that 560,000 truck drivers were receiving full medical disability benefits.

Prior to the changes, there was no electronic data base where the certificates could be reviewed, so law enforcement officers were required to rely on paper forms produced by the truck driver. The lack of a computerized system left law enforcement officers without a way to verify that the medical certification was valid. Even if an officer attempted to contact the doctor who signed the certificate, medical privacy laws prevented the medical professional from disclosing information about the driver’s medical condition without a signed waiver.

Fortunately, changes have targeted medically unfit truck drivers. In December 2008, a federal law was passed requiring all states to merge medical certificates and commercial driver’s licenses into a single electronic record for each driver, but states were given three years to comply with this requirement.

Arguably, the most significant change was implemented in May of 2014 when drivers were compelled to have their medical examination performed by a qualified health professional listed with the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. The law imposed standards for training and testing of medical professionals seeking to qualify for the registry. The US DOT medical examination was also defined to include health conditions that affect driver safety-related to respiratory and muscular functions, vision, hearing, and cardiovascular disease. Because the prospect of an 80,000 pound tractor-trailer combination being driven by a medically compromised driver is a terrifying prospect, these changes are generally welcomed by the commercial trucking safety.

If you have been injured in a tractor-trailer accident in Jacksonville or the surrounding areas, our Mississippi Trucking Accident Lawyers have successfully represented many big-rig collision victims in obtaining compensation for their injuries. At Barrett Law, we are here to help. Contact our firm today at 800-707-9577 to schedule your free consultation, so we can answer any questions you may have regarding filing your claim.

 

 

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FMCSA Sets Higher Standards for Random Drug Testing of Truck Drivers Than for Rail, Vessel and Aviation Segments of Economy

When vehicles weighing thousands of pounds and traveling at freeway speeds collide, the result can by permanent debilitating injuries and fatalities. The danger increases when one of the vehicles is an 80,000 pound fully loaded tractor-trailer. When the driver of the forty ton big-rig is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the potential danger posed to others on Mississippi roadways rises to alarming levels. Despite this frightening reality, commercial drivers often opt to use drugs to cope with pressures at home, boredom on the road, and fatigue behind the wheel. Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) continues to regulate the trucking industry by imposing screening procedures that target intoxicating substances, the threat to public safety caused by impaired truck drivers has not disappeared.

 

The magnitude of the problem is reflected by the continued priority that the federal government places on substance abuse testing of tractor-trailer operators. While federal safety regulators impose random drug testing on many people employed in the transportation industry, the level of testing by the FMCSA exceeds similar testing by the Federal Aviation Commission, Federal Railroad Administration, and other agencies under the auspices of the Department of Transportation (DOT).

 

The FMCSA found that random drug sampling in 2015 remained at the same 50 percent rate as the prior year. This level of testing requires trucking companies to perform one random drug test for every two drivers. If the trucking company employs 250 drivers, for example, the company will be required to administer 125 random drug tests. This fifty percent standard is double that set by the federal government for most other transportation agencies during the same period, which include the following: Federal Aviation Commission, Federal Transit Authority, United States Coast Guard, Federal Railroad Administration, and the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

A worldwide study of the use of intoxicating substances by truck drivers that was published in the Occupation and Environmental Journal was noted by the FMCSA in comments to Reuters, “Safety is our number one priority and the FMCSA has strict requirements on pre-employment screening and random and post-accident drug and alcohol testing….”

The study also found that certain truck drivers were more likely to be prone to test positive for drugs or alcohol. Offending drivers were more typically young and inexperienced. Offending drivers were also prone to working nighttime shifts and navigating longer routes. The companies that employed these drivers also tended to be small to medium firms as opposed to large trucking companies. The authors of the study speculated that perhaps larger trucking companies can provide higher salaries and better working conditions. They also suggested that larger trucking companies might be less prone to demand longer driving times and short rest periods, which provide a motivation to use amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, and other controlled substances that fight stress, fatigue, and boredom.

Despite federal regulations that mandate screening for intoxicating substances and random drug testing, commercial carriers that disobey these requirements continue to permit drug-impaired truck drivers to navigate our roadways. If you or your love one is injured by a drug-impaired truck driver, you may have a legal claim for damages against the negligent truck driver and/or the indifferent trucking company that fails to conduct required screening, to report infractions, and/or to implement appropriate disciplinary action.

If you have been injured in a commercial trucking accident in Jacksonville or the surrounding areas, our Mississippi Truck Accident Lawyers have successfully represented many victims of negligent truckers and commercial carriers in obtaining compensation for their injuries. At Barrett Law, we are here to help. Contact our firm today at 800-707-9577 to schedule your free consultation, so we can answer any questions you may have regarding filing your claim.

 

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Mississippi Trucking Accidents: Negligent Selection and Hiring

When drivers and passengers are involved in a multi-vehicle collision, there is always a risk of severe injury or wrongful death.  If one of the vehicles weighs 25 times more than the other vehicle, the consequences can be even more serious for occupants of the smaller vehicle.  Given the high risk of catastrophic injury associated with tractor-trailer crashes, victims are well-advised to understand the theories that make companies liable for collisions caused by the negligence of truck drivers.  Companies receive legal advice from insurance carriers and attorneys regarding ways to shield themselves from liability for the injuries caused by commercial drivers.

A common strategy employed by many businesses involves classifying drivers as independent contractors.  If a truck driver causes an accident because of exhaustion after ignoring hours of service rules, the trucking company will argue that the plaintiff in a trucking accident lawsuit must seek compensation from the so-called “independent contractor.”  This can present a serious dilemma for plaintiffs because a true independent contractor, such as an “owner-operator” typically will not have nearly as much coverage as a trucking company or a company shipping products.

Given the financial incentive to maximize profits, companies often develop practices designed to move goods to their destination at the lowest cost.  Compliance with safety rules does not necessarily permit the greatest possible reduction in cost, so companies cut corners.  Truck drivers with poor driving records and/or a history of alcohol or drug abuse typically cannot command the same pay as a good driver.

Our experienced Mississippi trucking accident attorneys can help you pursue a claim even if the trucking company contends that the driver is an independent contractor.  The classification given to a driver by a company is not the final word on whether the truck driver is really an independent contractor.  If the company exercises a sufficient degree of control over the driver, the so-called independent contractor status can be exposed as a fiction.  Careful discovery and analysis of documents and testimony regarding the degree to which the company manages the driver can persuade a court to determine that an employer-employee relationship exists.  This finding is important because the liability of a careless or inattentive truck driver can be attributed to the company under the doctrine of respondeat superior, which literally translated means “let the master answer.”

Even if the negligent truck driver that causes your injuries is an independent contractor, the company with whom he contracts can still be financially responsible for his lack of care.  Generally, a company can be liable for physical injury to third parties caused by its lack of reasonable care in employing a careful and competent contractor.  This principle extends not only to a trucking company that uses independent contractors to navigate its routes but also to a retailer that hires an individual owner-operator to transport loads.  Our Mississippi trucking accident lawyers gather evidence to determine whether the company failed to adequately screen a driver before authorizing him to operate an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer.

Trucking companies sometimes hire drivers (even as an independent contractor) without an adequate background check regarding the driver’s past traffic citations, failure to comply with trucking safety regulations, alcohol or drug abuse issues, employment history, and collisions.  We are committed to holding companies accountable when they endanger public safety by cutting corners during the hiring process.

If you have been injured in a trucking accident in Jacksonville or the surrounding areas of Mississippi, our Mississippi Trucking Accidents Lawyers have successfully represented many tractor-trailer accident victims in obtaining compensation for their injuries.  At Barrett Law, we are here to help.  Contact our firm today at 800-707-9577 to schedule your free consultation, so we can answer any questions you may have regarding filing your claim.

 

 

 

 

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Mississippi Trucking Accidents Caused by Air Brake Failure

Defects and malfunctions are a factor in close to five percent of all fatal crashes involving tractor-trailers.  While there are many vehicle-related issues that can contribute to a trucking accident, unsafe brakes constitute one of the most dangerous types of malfunction that can cause a large truck to collide with other vehicles.

Since semi-trucks are much heavier than passenger cars, vans, and pickups, truck drivers require a much longer time to stop when confronted with a road hazard.  Because of their size and weight, large trucks are equipped with a different type of braking system than passenger cars.  Generally, large trucks come equipped with compressed air brake systems whereas passenger cars rely on hydraulic brake systems.

A compressed brake system is comprised of several components, including an air compressor driven by the engine, control panels, a compressed air storage tank, services brakes, and parking brakes.  When a truck driver pushes down on the brake pedal, pressure is generated and propelled into the brake chamber.  The air slows the rotation speed of the wheels of the tractor-trailer.  Although this type of braking system is more efficient at reducing the speed of heavier vehicles, air brake systems can fail without adequate and timely maintenance.  When air brakes on a large truck fail, the prospect of an 80,000 pound vehicle streaking down the highway out-of-control can be a terrifying sight.

The vast majority of tractor-trailers are equipped with a backup braking system designed to avert collisions when a big-rig cannot stop or slow properly.  Despite this form of redundancy and the general reliability of air brake systems, trucking accidents involving brake failure cause a significant number of motor vehicle accidents.  In most instances, the brakes fail on a large truck because the operator’s driving places too much stress on the brakes, or the driver fails to properly engage the braking system.

Even when problems exist with the air brake system, the brakes offer some resistance which allows the truck driver to gradually bring the vehicle to a stop.  However, mechanical or maintenance issues can interfere with the efficient functioning of the brakes.  If these problems are not detected and rectified prior to leaving on a route, minor errors by the driver can exacerbated stress on the brake system when an emergency occurs.

Commercial drivers need to anticipate that air brakes and backup brake systems will not functioning at full capacity all the time.  Drivers can reduce the risk of a trucking accident if they reduce the amount of stress and wear on the braking system by avoiding riding on the brakes on sharp inclines or stopping short.  Safe driving practices can prevent situations that necessitate placing excessive stress on the brakes, such as traveling at a safe speed, observing a proper following distance, and anticipating potential road hazards that necessitate slamming on the brakes.

Brake sensitivity also commonly is a factor in many large-truck crashes, particularly when drivers use too much force engaging the brakes.  This mistake is common among less experienced drivers who utilize excess pressure when activating the brakes.  When novice drivers must navigate wet and slippery Mississippi roadways, the risk of a jackknife accident caused by applying the brakes too quickly and rapidly increases significantly.

If you or your loved one is injured in a commercial trucking accident, you are invited to contact the experienced Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law to learn how we can help.  Our tractor-trailer accident lawyers have been representing accident victims throughout Mississippi for over 75 years.  We offer personalized legal representation and zealous advocacy.  We provide a free initial case evaluation so call us today at (800) 707-9577.  No Recovery No Fee!

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Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys Discuss Accidents Caused by Shifting Loads

A truck driver was recently killed in a single-vehicle accident on Highway 9. The wreck occurred when the eighteen-wheeler that he was driving went off of the road. As the truck left the roadway, it went over two ditches, hit a power pole, crashed through a fence and eventually came to a stop near a tree. The driver of the truck was trapped inside of his truck and tragically died before he could be freed from the wreckage by rescue workers.

While this tragic eighteen-wheeler crash is still being investigated, it has been noted that it is possible that the accident may have happened when the load that the driver was hauling shifted. The shifting load may have caused the driver to lose control of the truck. The eighteen-wheeler was carrying a load of aluminum coils at the time that the accident occurred. Shifting loads have been implicated as the cause of some tractor trailer accidents. Cargo on a flatbed or in a trailer can sometimes move around as the truck moves along the road. When cargo moves, the weight of the load shifts, and the shift of the weight can be dramatic enough to cause the driver to lose control of their truck.

Truck drivers can reduce the likelihood that cargo will shift during transit by securing loads properly. Also, keeping loads to a safe weight can reduce the chance of a crash. Some trucking accidents caused by shifting cargo do still occur even when loads are a proper weight and are secured well, but taking those precautions reduces the risk dramatically.

There are some things that can contribute to tractor trailers being on the road with overweight or improperly secured loads. Although truck drivers are supposed to look over their trucks to ensure that they are loaded properly, some drivers may take the time to do so every time they go out onto the road. Sometimes, trailers are loaded by workers before the truck driver picks them up. In these situations, the driver is often expected to just attach the trailer to their truck and be on their way. This seems like an efficient way to manage shipping operations, but it does create some room for error as far as safety is concerned. Accident risk from unsafe loads also increases when drivers are pressured by their employers to load their trucks to maximum capacity or even beyond it, in order to increase profits.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Representing Mississippi Trucking Accident Victims and Their Families

Trucking accidents have the potential to cause death, injury, and large amounts of destruction. If you were hurt in a trucking accident or if someone that you love died in a tractor trailer wreck, the Mississippi trucking accident attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you. Our team of Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys is dedicated to helping you and your family, so please call our office today at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule a free consultation.

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Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys Discuss the Dangers of Hazardous Materials

When tractor trailers crash, there is always the potential for a great deal of destruction in addition to serious and even fatal injuries. One recent accident in Lawrence County illustrates how the damage caused by a tractor trailer accident can be even greater than usual, depending upon what the truck is carrying. In that accident, a tanker full of gasoline flipped over. After the accident, multiple roads in the area where the accident occurred were closed for many hours while emergency crews from multiple agencies worked to contain the gasoline with foam, prevent fires and explosions, and remove the wreckage from the roadway.

Fortunately, the human cost of this accident was small in comparison to what it could have been. Property damage and environmental damage were the greatest concerns associated with this particular accident. The truck driver, who was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, received only minor injuries. Officials say that more serious injuries or death could easily have resulted from a crash like this.

The accident appears to have been caused by brake failure. Because of that, this crash serves as a reminder of the potential for tractor trailer wrecks to be caused by, e.g., design defects in the manufacture of a truck or its component parts and improper truck maintenance. The construction, care, repair, and daily inspection of the trucks that are used to carry so many things on so many roads every day are all factors that can affect the accident risk associated with these trucks.

Accidents involving tractor trailers are often very serious because they are both large and heavy vehicles. Additionally, the cargo contained by some trucks, like the aforementioned tanker full of gasoline, can be very dangerous if it is released from the truck during an accident.  Gasoline and other hazardous materials can cause death, serious injuries, environmental damage and property damage. Even substances that are not flammable or explosive can pollute water supplies, corrode road surfaces, or release toxic fumes.

Many Americans do not know just how often accidents involving hazardous substances occur. In the ten year time period between 2004 and 2013, over three thousand accidents occurred which involved trucks and hazardous substances. Over ninety people died, hundreds of people were hurt, and the estimated cost of property and environmental damage associated with these crashes is in excess of four hundred and fifty million dollars.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Helping Mississippi Accident Victims and Their Families

Trucking accidents can cause a lot of damage, both in terms of death and serious bodily injury and in terms of property damage. When hazardous cargo is involved, there is an even greater potential for injury and loss. If you were injured or someone that you love was killed as the result of an accident involving a tractor trailer, the experienced and dedicated Mississippi Personal Injury Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC would like to help you. Please call us today, at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys Talk About the Risks of Hazardous Cargo

Some trucks that are on the road contain cargo that is hazardous. These trucks pose all of the usual dangers of other tractor trailers and trucks on the road, plus the additional danger that would be created if the hazardous cargo were to be ejected or spilled from the truck in an accident. Trucks that haul hazardous materials have a great deal of potential to cause death, injury, and physical and environmental damage than other trucks hauling benign substances.

The accident scenarios that involve hazardous materials are just as varied as reports of accidents involving other types of trucks.  In some accidents involving tractor trailers, the trailer disconnects from the cab. Ordinarily, that could result in the trailer tipping over and spilling its contents on the road or in the surrounding area. The same thing can happen with a truck full of a hazardous substance, and one such accident did occur in Nashville, Tennessee. When the trailer full of sulfuric acid disconnected from the truck, the acid spilled out and hazmat teams had to clean it up quickly in order to reduce the likelihood of harm and to contain the threat to the public. When the driver of a tanker filled with hazardous material fell down an embankment and into a creek, a lengthy cleanup process was required to restore the area where the spill had occurred.

Hazardous materials are substances which can harm people, the environment, and animals, if they are released.  Hazardous materials have properties like toxicity, radioactivity, corrosiveness, explosiveness, and flammability. They are often transported in tanker trucks or tractor trailers which carry colorful placards that describe the hazardous characteristics of their cargo. Various types of materials can cause different types of damage. Poisonous substances can produce fumes which can harm people in the surrounding area. Poisonous substances can hurt people at the accident scene if they come into contact with them, and they can cause long-term environmental damage if they get into the soil and/or water in the area. Explosive materials could cause severe damage to a large area, depending upon the type and amount of explosive substance that is involved in the accident. Radioactive substances can have a far-reaching effect on the health of people, plants and animals if they get into groundwater flammable material create a great danger to everyone who is near the including the emergency personnel who respond to the accident.

Barrett Law PLLC:  Protecting the Rights of Those Who Are Hurt by Hazardous Cargo  

Hazardous cargo from trucks can cause serious injuries and fatalities, in addition to the injuries and deaths that are caused by the accident that causes the cargo to fall or spill out of the truck. If you have experienced an injury or a loss in connection with a Mississippi trucking accident, the experienced and dedicated Mississippi Trucking Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC are here to help you. Please call us today, at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule your free, initial consultation.

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