Traveling on Montana’s highways, whether it is on your daily commute or a vacation road trip, means that sooner or later you will be travelling alongside a semi-truck. This is not always a safe endeavor. A truck driver may be fatigued or improperly trained in handling their vehicle. They may be incentivized by their employer to drive as fast as…Read More
Everyone in Montana must practice defensive driving, but this is especially true for drivers of semi-trucks. A truck’s sheer size and weight can cause significantly more damage if they are involved in a wreck. Moreover, some semi-trucks carry hazardous materials, which could be dangerous if they spill on the roadway due to a crash. However, truckers do not always drive…Read More
Truck accidents can be costly for victims. A recent study conducted by a state medical school revealed that it is possible that health issues, even minor health issues, can increase a truck driver’s chances of a truck accident when they have 3 or more health-related issues. While the skill and experience of the driver can be factors that contribute to…Read More
As we discussed in our last post, there are a number of ways in which negligence by semi-truck drivers and trucking companies can cause an accident. One form of negligence is a failure to properly secure the truck’s cargo. A cargo that shifts while the truck is in motion, or that falls from the truck, can have disastrous consequences on…Read More
A collision between a semi truck and a passenger vehicle is rarely an unavoidable event. Typically there is some form of negligence involved. This negligence can be on the part of the truck driver, the driver of the other vehicle, the truck company responsible for the rig’s maintenance, or any combination of these parties. Most drivers in Montana know that…Read More
In a collision between a large tractor-trailer truck and a small passenger vehicle, people in the smaller vehicle often suffer serious injuries. If the truck driver was negligent, under Montana law the injured victims have the right to sue that driver for damages. But, what about the truck driver’s employer? When do injured truck accident victims have the right to…Read More
It does not take much imagination to picture what can happen when the tires or brakes on a semi truck fail on a busy Montana highway. To help prevent accidents caused by negligent truck maintenance, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations include provisions governing truck maintenance. The federal regulations apply to trucks in interstate service with a gross weight over…Read More
For Montana residents, large semi trucks are a familiar sight on our highways. For drivers of passenger cars and pickup trucks, sharing the road with these behemoths can sometimes be intimidating. In a collision, they can destroy a smaller vehicle and leave its occupants dead or seriously injured. In order to promote semi truck safety, federal trucking regulations have been…Read More
When a large semi truck collides with an automobile, a pickup truck or an SUV, the outcome is often tragic. The smaller vehicle does not stand much of a chance against the overwhelming size and weight of the semi. Not surprisingly, these accidents often result in serious injuries and death. Data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)…Read More
A head-on collision between a pick-up truck apparently driven by a teenager and a semi-trailer truck has killed three young men and left a fourth in critical condition. As is the case with most car-truck accidents, details on the accident and its cause were not immediately clear. The pick-up truck was apparently carrying four teenagers. It was heading south on…Read More