Truck drivers of large commercial trucks have a duty and responsibility to ensure that they appropriately and consistently monitor their surroundings in order to ensure the safety of other motorists on the road. If a truck driver fails to notice an approaching vehicle or fails to check their mirrors or blind spots, a catastrophic accident could easily occur, causing serious injuries or even death.
If you suffered injuries due to a commercial truck driver failing to monitor their surroundings, learn how a Los Angeles inadequate surveillance lawyer can help you build a personal injury case. Contact our legal team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800)-794-0444 for a free consultation.
Types of Inadequate Surveillance
Truck drivers of commercial vehicles must always carefully monitor their surroundings while driving. Anytime they change lanes, merge, go through an intersection or make any kind of a turn, they should check all mirrors, surroundings, and blind spots to ensure that they can make the driving maneuver safely. Unfortunately, according to The Large Truck Crash Causation Study published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 14% of all accidents with large commercial trucks occur due to inadequate surveillance. The following are some examples of how a truck driver could cause an accident due to inadequate surveillance:
Failure to Understand “No-Zones”
A “no-zone” around a large commercial truck are the blind spots where motorists simply disappear from the view of the truck driver. There are also other “no-zones” in the front or back of a commercial truck that also are challenging for a truck driver to see clearly. Many accidents involving commercial trucks happen with other vehicles located in these areas. A truck driver should always continue to monitor these areas and stay alert for other motorists, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians.
Lack of Defensive and Safe Driving
Truck drivers should always operate their commercial trucks in a safe manner and in a defensive way. Driving defensively ensures that a truck driver will always keep a safe distance from other vehicles, never drive over the speed limit, always obey all traffic signs and regulations, never drive while fatigued or distracted, and constantly stay alert for any possible danger.
Inadequate Surveillance in Intersections
Intersections cause some of the most catastrophic accidents due to head-on collisions and T-bone accidents. Truck drivers should take extra precautions when approaching an intersection, going through an intersection, or making a turn. Large commercial trucks make very wide turns and often need to be in more than one lane of traffic to do so safely. Therefore, a truck driver must carefully survey and monitor the surroundings to ensure that the maneuver can occur safely.
Driving While Fatigued
Driver fatigue is common among truck drivers due to their rigorous schedules and pressure to deliver goods as quickly as possible. While there are federal Hours of Service Regulations that require commercial truck drivers to receive certain periods of rest, in many cases, truck drivers simply do not follow these regulations and drive while drowsy. Drowsy or fatigued driving could easily result in inadequate surveillance and failing to make safe and careful decisions while driving. If you believe that your accident with a commercial truck was directly a result of a truck driver driving while fatigued or drowsy, learn how a Los Angeles fatigue lawyer can help you understand the documentation you need to build a solid personal injury case.
Driving While Distracted
Truck drivers should not consider driving to be a peripheral or passive activity. If a truck driver texts while driving, checks their GPS, drinks, eats, or attempts to make a phone call, an accident can occur due to their inadequate surveillance of the roadways.
Wrongful Death
The wrongful death article of California’s Code of Civil Procedure states that family members of a loved one have the legal right to bring a claim on behalf of the wrongful death of their loved one due to someone else’s negligence. In many cases, inadequate surveillance by a truck driver can lead to catastrophic accidents where a victim dies from their injuries. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and other motorists in the blind spot of a large commercial truck may suffer a collision with a large commercial truck if the driver fails to adequately survey and monitor their surroundings.
If your loved one suffered injuries leading to their death due to a truck driver’s inadequate surveillance, you may have the right to bring a claim to receive compensation for the remaining funeral costs, medical expenses, pain and suffering of your loved one, property damage, and loss of consortium. The compensation received from an insurance company or a judge or jury will never bring back your loved one. However, it will help assist in paying for unexpected expenses that remain through no fault of your own, or through no fault of your loved one.
For a free legal consultation with a Inadequate Surveillance Accidents Lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (800) 794-0444
How a Los Angeles Inadequate Surveillance Lawyer Can Help
If you suffered injuries or losses due to an accident involving a commercial vehicle’s negligence in monitoring their surroundings, you may have the right to file a claim for those damages. If your loved one died due to their injuries suffered from the inadequate surveillance of a truck driver, you have the legal right to bring a wrongful death claim on their behalf.
A Los Angeles inadequate surveillance lawyer can issue a spoliation letter to the truck driver and trucking company to preserve all evidence related to your inadequate surveillance personal injury claim and help you understand your legal rights. They can also preserve the evidence and documentation needed for your personal injury case. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800)-794-0444 for a free consultation.
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