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Trucking Companies, U.S. Government Fail to Protect Drivers From Rear-End Truck Wrecks

One spring day in 2016 outside of West Terre Haute, IN, trucker Jeff Kolkman became distracted inside the cabin of his Green Transportation semi while driving down the highway at 70 mph. By the time he looked up, it was too late. He rammed into the rear of a Toyota Camry at full speed.

Kolkman had a reputation as a safe driver, but a few seconds of distraction by a tablet computer tragically cost him his life, and those deadly moments also took the lives of the three passengers inside the Camry he struck.

The truck Kolkman was driving, a 2016 Volvo semi, could have been outfitted with an emergency braking system widely available in the United States. But it wasn’t. Such braking technology could save hundreds of lives in deadly wrecks throughout the country each year. But too often, it isn’t there to do so.

Every year, hundreds die and thousands more suffer severe injuries in collisions that occur when semi-trucks rear-end smaller vehicles, and the number of deadly truck wrecks in the U.S. has only increased in recent years.

Now concerned citizens, politicians, and activists are asking why trucking companies refuse to implement life-saving automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on all commercial trucks.

Automatic Emergency Braking Systems Can Save Lives

Autonomous emergency braking technology has been readily available for several years in commercial trucks. This technology and other forward collision avoidance systems, which come standard on many newer passenger vehicles, provide a vehicle with the ability to automatically come to a quick emergency stop when the systems detect a hazard. In many cases, these systems can minimize injuries or avert a wreck entirely.

Unfortunately, even though AEB systems are relatively affordable and even save trucking companies money in the long run, many companies only worry about their short-term profits and refuse to implement new safety technologies like AEB systems.

According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, more than 300 people die annually from rear-end truck wrecks while another 15,000 victims suffer injuries each year. AEB systems could prevent many of these tragedies. Yet trucking companies and the U.S. government have both failed to make sure the thousands of trucks traveling our highways each day are as safe as possible.

How Trucking Companies Cause Deadly Truck Accidents

Trucking Companies and Government Agencies Fail to Protect Drivers

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has for years listed mandatory AEB systems among its recommendations on its biennial list of most wanted transportation safety improvements, but so far the necessary organizations haven’t listened. The National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency with the ability to create regulations that would mandate AEB systems in commercial trucks, hasn’t taken action on the matter in years. Despite volumes of their own research confirming the value of emergency braking technologies, the NHTSA has ignored the NTSB’s recommendations on AEB systems, and in recent years the agency has even placed a halt on any new regulations for trucking companies.

Even in the absence of regulation, the affordability and safety benefits of AEB systems should make widespread implementation an easy decision for trucking companies. Instead, the trucking industry continues to drag its feet on AEB implementation and lobby against regulations that would make the systems mandatory.

The value of AEB systems in reducing deadly wrecks and saving lives is so well understood that many other countries are either in the process of implementing or have already implemented mandatory collision avoidance technology on commercial trucks within their jurisdiction.

South Korea, for example, is now requiring all new cars and trucks to include AEB systems by 2021. Likewise, the European Union long ago accepted the need for AEBs, mandating them on all semi trucks sold in the EU by 2015.

With AEBs promising significant results in the fight to make our roads safer, many hope that trucking companies and government agencies can work together to fix the current stalemate on implementation. But until that time, the reality of deadly rear-end truck wrecks remains, and that reality translates into tragedy for thousands of victims every year on U.S. roads and highways.

Contact Seattle Truck Law for Help after a Rear-End Truck Wreck in Washington

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a rear-end truck wreck in Washington state, it’s important to know where to turn for help. Sifting through all the information and evidence after a truck crash requires time, resources, and experience, and without help from a skilled truck accident attorney, the process can be overwhelming.

At Seattle Truck Law, our team of dedicated and focused truck accident lawyers understands how to investigate a truck wreck claim, uncover all the relevant evidence, and build your claim to give you the best chance at receiving fair compensation for your injuries. To schedule your free consultation with an experienced attorney and get answers to your questions, 

fill out our convenient online contact form

Hendricks, M. (2018, September 13). Lethal inaction: As fatal truck crashes surge, U.S. government won’t make an easy fix. 

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article217849815.html

Manufacturers make progress on voluntary commitment to include automatic emergency braking on all new vehicles. (2017, December 21). 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/nhtsa-iihs-announcement-aeb

National Transportation Safety Board. (n.d.). NTSB 2017–2018 most wanted list of transportation safety improvements: Increase implementation of collision avoidance technologies [fact sheet]. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from 

https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/mwl/Pages/mwl2-2017-18.aspx

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal

4 Frequently Asked Questions About Bus Accidents

Thousands of Washington residents ride buses every day. From long-haul trips across the state to everyday errands or even a ride to school in the morning, busses are supposed to be efficient and safe.

However, due to their size and high center of balance, it’s not unusual for 

. When a bus wreck happens and you or someone you love gets hurt, it’s understandable to feel confused and have lots of questions.

In this blog, we’ll try to help by answering four common questions about bus crashes.

Who Pays for My Injuries When I’m Hurt Riding a Bus?

If you’ve been hurt in a crash while riding a bus, you should never have to worry about paying for your medical bills by yourself, especially if you had to miss work or had to pay for damaged property out of pocket.

Who pays for the costs of bus crash injuries depends on the type of bus you were on:

If you were riding a government-funded bus (like public transportation or school bus), you must file a claim with the government.

If you were on a private bus, like a tour bus or shuttle, you’ll file a claim with the bus company’s insurance carrier.

Either way, filing a claim is a complicated process. Different rules apply to each situation, and knowing how to submit the correct information with the right parties at the right time usually requires help from an experienced attorney.

A Jargon-Free Guide to Negligence and How it Affects Your Truck Case

Often, the cause of a bus crash isn’t easy to uncover, and the truth only comes to light after an experienced attorney investigates the case. Many bus crashes involve multiple causes and negligent behavior from more than one party.

If you’ve been injured, it’s important to find out all the causes of the crash so you can identify all the relevant insurance coverage and file the right claims. However, revealing all the causes of a bus crash requires painstaking investigative work. It’s unlikely you can perform this type of investigation on your own, so make sure to get in touch with an experienced bus crash lawyer who can help.

How Long Do I Have to File a Claim in Washington?

In Washington, victims and their loved ones who have suffered personal injuries, damage to their property, or wrongful death have three years after the date of the accident to file an insurance claim or lawsuit. This three-year time period is known as the statute of limitations.

However, there are a few exceptions you should know about:

: There are special rules for filing claims when you were hurt on a government bus or vehicle, including public transportation. In some cases, you may need to file a claim within just a few months. If a city bus or city employee is responsible for your injuries, it’s in your best interest to contact an attorney immediately.

: Sometimes, injuries don’t create pain or other symptoms right away. It can take days or weeks for certain injuries, like internal bleeding or a traumatic brain injury, to cause symptoms that send victims to the doctor. That’s why victims with late-showing injuries have three years from the date they discovered they were hurt to file a claim or a suit, rather than three years starting on the day they became injured (but didn’t know it yet).

: Minors who suffer injuries in a crash can’t file claims on their own, so the three-year statute of limitations doesn’t begin to run until a victim turns 18. Minors can recover compensation while they are still under 18, but a parent or guardian needs to be involved in the claim.

Whether you need to hire a lawyer after a bus crash depends on whether the insurance company is willing to compensate you fairly for your injuries.

Unfortunately, it’s rare for insurance companies to step up and pay victims fair compensation without pressure. A good lawyer can apply this pressure. Your attorney should be able to help you build a strong claim that lets the insurance company know you’re serious about getting justice.

Even if the insurance company offers you some compensation, don’t take any offer before you get advice from a lawyer. The insurance company’s offer might sound good at first, but over time, your medical bills may keep coming, and you might realize the offer was too low. Unfortunately, if you already accepted a lowball settlement from the insurance company, it’s too late, and you can never go back and get more compensation later.

Your lawyer can also help keep your case on track and organized, which is no easy task during a complex bus crash case. An attorney can gather your medical bills, make sure the correct paperwork and other details get filed on time, and help you understand your options. And a great lawyer will help you feel cared for and not alone. If you’re struggling with anything from filing a claim to organizing your bills after a bus crash, you could benefit from the help of an experienced bus crash attorney.

Seattle Truck Law: Fighting for Bus Crash Victims in Washington

If you’ve been injured in a bus crash in Washington, you need to understand your options and get answers to your pressing questions. At Seattle Truck Law, we focus exclusively on crashes involving large trucks and buses, so we know exactly how to handle these complex claims. We’ll meet with you during a free, no-risk consultation to help you understand your legal rights and give you practical advice on what to do next.

To schedule your free consultation, call us today at 

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.

The Most Dangerous Weekend for Driving Isn’t What You Think

When drivers plan for the most dangerous weekends on the road, they probably think of major holidays like New Year’s, the Fourth of July, or St. Patrick’s Day. But there’s another weekend that might be just as deadly as any of them in terms of 

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) International Roadcheck is an annual “targeted enforcement” event where CVSA-certified inspectors conduct a blitz of roadside safety spot-checks, about 17 every minute across North America, for large trucks and buses over a 72-hour period.

The annual event, which started in 1988, is intended “to educate [the] industry and the general public about the importance of safe commercial motor vehicle operations and the North American roadside inspection program,” according to the CVSA.

While this might sound like an admirable effort on the CVSA’s part, the Roadcheck is a trucking safety nightmare.

The Roadcheck Creates More Safety Problems Than It Solves

An alarming number of trucks fail inspections each year, even though the dates are announced months in advance. According to the CVSA’s results for Roadcheck 2018 (the most recent event at the time this article was published), only 78.4% of vehicles passed the CVSA standard (Level 1) safety inspection. This is even though the CVSA schedules the Roadcheck with ample notice to all drivers and provides a checklist on their website that tells drivers exactly how they’ll conduct inspections and what they’re going to look for. When a truck fails to pass the Level 1 safety inspection, the company or driver can face fines and the vehicle can be placed out-of-service.

Failing an inspection under these conditions should be embarrassing — like flunking a pop quiz after your teacher gives you advance notice and posts the questions. Although the 21.6% failure rate is an improvement since the first year the CVSA collected data in 1991, when an astonishing 34.8% of vehicles failed, any failure rate is unacceptable.

The fact that one in five vehicles can’t pass inspection during a planned event raises the question: How many drivers and vehicles are out of compliance on an average day when they don’t know they’re at an increased risk for an inspection, fines, and service interruptions?

However, there are other problems with the CVSA Roadcheck. While these issues may surprise the average person, the dangers are clear and unmistakable for those who understand the trucking industry.

Many drivers who don’t adhere to safety standards take the Roadcheck dates off.

Avoiding inspections during the Roadcheck couldn’t be easier. Drivers who are out of compliance with safety regulations can simply stay off the road or take a “vacation” since the annual event is so widely publicized within the trucking industry.

When these drivers hit the road again the next weekend, they’re often looking to make up time and money, making them more likely to speed and drive excessively long hours. These behaviors put ordinary drivers in danger, but inspectors won’t be there to catch them. Here’s why:

Many inspectors schedule their vacation for the weekend after the Roadcheck, leading to the most under-staffed weekend of the year for safety inspections.

The Roadcheck is a major event for the CVSA that requires preparation, so inspectors aren’t likely to take vacations in the weeks leading up to the event. Instead, many of them take off the weekend immediately after the Roadcheck, which means the roads that weekend are dangerously unsupervised.

Truck drivers and trucking companies know that the weekend after the CVSA Roadcheck will be the year’s low point for inspections. For unscrupulous trucking companies, the low risk for an inspection means an opportunity to break safety regulations without fear. Drivers for these companies take to the roads for dangerously long shifts in vehicles that aren’t fit for service, putting ordinary drivers in harm’s way.

While taking some dangerously under-maintained trucks out of service over the weekend is better than nothing, the CVSA could accomplish much more if they didn’t provide the inspection dates ahead of time. Unfortunately, the CVSA clings to this practice, making the International Roadcheck more of an annual publicity event — with dangerous consequences — than a real push to make the public safer.

Contact Seattle Truck Law if You’ve Been Injured in a Trucking Accident

Keep an eye this year on the dates for the CVSA Roadcheck — a quick Google search should be able to tell you when it’s happening. Although it may not be feasible to avoid the highways completely the following weekend, put a note on your calendar and know the risks. Try to exercise caution and adopt defensive driving habits if you’re out on the road during the weekend after the Roadcheck, especially when driving near large trucks or buses.

If the unthinkable happens and you or a loved one suffers injuries in a crash involving a large truck or bus, Seattle Truck Law Attorney Morgan Adams can help. With years of experience and a sole focus on large vehicle cases, Morgan Adams has the skills and resources required to tackle the complicated legal issues surrounding a truck wreck case. He will advocate aggressively on your behalf.

filling out our quick and convenient online contact form

 if you need help. We offer free initial consultations to help you understand your legal options to no cost, and we handle cases on a contingent fee basis, which means that you won’t pay any attorney’s fees unless we help you recover financial compensation through a settlement or jury verdict.

Weiland, B. (2016). Find out what Roadcheck 2016 means to you [whitepaper]. J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc. Retrieved from 

https://www.jjkeller.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/infoform_10151_-1_10551_35566

Seattle Truck Law is a personal injury law firm with a primary focus on large truck and bus crash cases. We serve clients throughout Washington state.

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4 Frequently Asked Questions About Bus Accidents

The Most Dangerous Weekend for Driving Isn’t What You Think

Trucking Companies, U.S. Government Fail to Protect Drivers From Rear-End Truck Wrecks

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