Drivers of 18-wheelers are often pressured by their employers to drive non-stop without sleep for 24 hours or more to get to their destination on time. This can result in severe fatigue to the driver, reckless driving or driving at excessive speeds. Additionally, 18-wheelers have difficulty stopping their vehicles while going downhill and brake failure or mechanical failure are not uncommon. Although there are strict legal requirements for ongoing service of 18-wheelers, many employers will ignore these safety standards by poorly maintaining their vehicles to save costs, causing serious potential hazards for their drivers and occupants of passenger vehicles or pedestrians.
Texas Jury Awards Men $1.5 Million in 18-Wheeler Truck Wreck Lawsuit
2/9/07 - CNN.com
An Ellis County jury has awarded two Austin men $1.5 million as compensation for injuries they received in an 18-wheeler wreck two years ago, attorneys for
Heygood, Orr, Reyes, Pearson & Bartolomei announced today. (read
more...)
Auto insurers play hardball in minor-crash claims
2/9/07 - CNN.com
If you are injured in a minor car crash, chances are good that you will be in the fight of your life to get the insurance company to pay all the medical
costs you incur - even if the accident was no fault of your own. (read more...)
Dallas Jury Awards $174,114 to Driver of Rear-Ended Vehicle
1/11/07 - VerdictSearch
A Dallas County jury awarded $174,114 to the driver of a pickup truck that was struck by a tractor-trailer while the pickup truck was pulled over on the highway. (read
more...)
Semi Truck Drivers Often Carry Rap Sheets
12/10/06 - The Dallas Morning News
Turner Yarbrough drove his 18-wheeler into Dallas one afternoon in August 2004, hauling a load of medical waste. A 15-year veteran of the road, he was a crack cocaine user with a long criminal record. (read
more...)
18 Wheels and Countless Dangers
9/17/06 - The Dallas Morning News
Trucking companies often put non-English speakers, felons, addicts in driver's seat, but rarely take blame in fatal crashes. (read
more...)