A Texas truck accident attorney helps people who have been injured due to negligent truck drivers. These attorneys, unfortunately, also represent a lot of people who have lost someone in a truck accident. Watch for the following signs to make sure you know when a truck may become a deadly hazard.
Blown Tires
The better part of a truck tire is a common sight on the side of freeways. When a semi is going at full freeway speed with a heavy load, the drivers may not even notice that they’ve lost a tire. Watch out for trucks that have tires that seem to be about to go. They may be shaking a bit, or there may be rubber starting to fly off the tire toward the back and sides of the vehicle. When the tire does finally go, it can be a serious hazard to the vehicles surrounding the truck.
Swaying Trailers
If the trailer behind a semi is swaying, stay as far away from it as possible. You don’t want to be anywhere near it should the trailer sway into your lane of traffic or come unhitched from the truck. The best thing to do is to slow down and let the truck get well ahead of you and to keep your eye on it as long as you are behind it.
Tight Traffic
If you’re in a situation where traffic is moving but it is also very congested, try to stay away from the sides of semis. It’s best to either get ahead of them or to stay behind a bit. Any one of their tires can kick up rocks and road debris and, in rare cases, the driver may not notice your vehicle and accidentally sideswipe you.
A Texas truck accident lawyer may be able to help you if you’ve been hurt by a trucker. In some cases, there is negligence involved. The trucker may have acted negligently in their driving or they may not have maintained their vehicle as is required. The attorney will have to establish this in court. It’s advisable to meet with an attorney soon after the wreck; there may be limitations on how long you have to file a claim and only an attorney will be able to tell you for sure if these limitations apply to any legal actions you may want to take against the company.