Trucking accidents in Mississippi can be extremely dangerous and result in devastating life-altering injuries and all too often fatalities. While there are many causes of trucking collisions involving these enormous forty ton motor vehicles, some trucking accidents are caused by the failure to conduct required vehicle inspections and conduct routine maintenance. Because of the size and weight of these massive vehicles, issues like brake maintenance are critical to the safety of those with whom tractor-trailers share the road. Although tractor-trailers are supposed to be inspected daily and these inspections are supposed to be documented, these inspections may not be conducted or routine maintenance may be ignored. These shortcuts can result in nightmarish scenes of 80,000 pound fully loaded motor vehicles racing down the roadway out-of-control.
Brake failure is a significant cause of Mississippi trucking accidents with the Department of Transportation (DOT) indicating that brake issues account for nearly thirty percent of all Mississippi tractor-trailer accidents. Trucking accidents that involve brake issues can be complicated because a variety of entities may be responsible for the brake failure including the truck driver, the truck maintenance company, the brake manufacturer or even the company that loaded the truck. A common strategy employed by insurance companies when defending against trucking accidents claims caused by brake failure is to attempt to shift blame to another party for the failure of the brakes. At Barrett Law, our experienced Mississippi tractor-trailer accident attorneys carefully investigate trucking accidents so that we can identify all potentially responsible parties.
Federal regulations impose safety standards regarding the functioning of tractor-trailer braking systems. These regulations require among other things that trucks be able to provide a certain brake resistance based on the percentage of the truck’s weight. These regulations also require that tractor-trailers conform to automatic brake adjustment system standards and that they be able to go from 20 mph to a complete stop at a specific rate based on the size of the vehicle. When tractor-trailer brakes do not meet these standards, Mississippi trucking accident victims may have a right to pursue a product liability claim against the brake manufacturer.
Sometimes brake failure is not related to defects in the brakes themselves but rather failure to perform required inspections and maintenance. When a Mississippi trucking accident is caused by brakes that have not been properly maintained, the trucking company, the truck driver, a truck leasing company or other parties involved in maintaining the brakes may be liable for your injuries. Although truck drivers are supposed to maintain records regarding brake safety inspections and maintenance, sometimes these records are not properly maintained or the inspection and maintenance is not performed as required.
Our experienced Mississippi accident attorneys carefully investigate driver logbooks and other tractor-trailer maintenance records to uncover evidence of inadequate brake maintenance. Our experienced Mississippi trucking accident attorneys also frequently work closely with trucking industry experts to help develop the strongest liability claim on behalf of our trucking accident clients. The experienced Mississippi tractor-trailer accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing aggressive representation to Mississippi trucking accident victims for over 75 years. We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.
