Truck accidents are complicated. There may be multiple liable parties.

Negligence on the part of truck drivers is an unfortunate reality in many semitruck accidents, but the truck driver’s actions aren’t the only thing that needs to be considered when determining liability for a crash.

One of the best ways to figure out what led to the crash is to look at the circumstances of the accident. This often comes with an investigation, but it might behoove you to take a look yourself. Here are some potential causes to review:

Mechanical issues

Mechanical issues are dangerous for any vehicle, but especially for a large commercial vehicle. All components of the truck and trailer have to be in good shape or they risk failing while the truck is in motion.

Some of the issues are more serious than others. For example, the button to roll the window down not working isn’t likely to result in an accident. However, if the brakes fail, or the locking mechanisms that hold the truck to the trailer fail, there is a good chance there will be a crash. The tires can also be a source of danger. Even if the truck doesn’t directly hit someone, shrapnel from a tire blowing out could be deadly.

Other drivers

People tend to forget that semitrucks can’t stop on a dime. Instead, they must stop slowly over a great distance. This is why no driver should dart in front of a semitruck. When this happens, other motorists may be put at risk.

Driving where a truck driver can’t see the vehicle, which is often called the “no zone,” is also dangerous. Another issue is when drivers try to cut on the right side of a semitruck that is in the process of turning. In all of these cases, the semitruck driver might be blamed, but the other driver may have actually been at fault for the crash, and these matters need to be investigated in case your collision with a truck was at least partly caused by the driver of a third vehicle.

Trucking company policies

We live in a society that doesn’t like to wait. Some retail companies offer two-day or overnight shipping on items. It takes the power of semitrucks and sometimes planes to make that happen. The dangerous part of this is that sometimes truckers are under significant pressure to make unsafe decisions, like committing hours-of-service violations or speeding to make a delivery on time. In fact, some deadlines for truck drivers are simply unrealistic, and a trucking company may be held liable if bad policy leads to an accident.

For more on these matters, please see The Lucky Law Firm‘s overview of truck accidents in Louisiana.