Our Pearland dump truck accident attorneys note that almost anything can cause a crash. In some cases, factors like weather, road conditions, other erratic or distracted drivers, or a momentary lapse of attention on the part of the dump truck driver all combine to cause the crash. One frequent cause of dump truck accidents consists of the driver forgetting to lower the back part of the dump truck, the dump body, into its resting position when he drives off from a pickup or delivery. Then the dump truck driver might crash into power lines or overpasses because he’s unaware he’s hauling a still-elevated dump body behind him.
Dump truck rollovers present another frequent and dangerous problem. When loaded, the dump truck’s center of gravity shifts upward into the load it’s hauling. This awkwardly high center of gravity can cause the truck to tip or roll over on a slightly too fast turn, under bad road conditions, or even when taking a curve in the road. Dump truck designers try to compensate for this tendency when they develop the truck. But if they overcompensate for the expected weight of a loaded truck, then they create a center of gravity problem for an unloaded truck.
When a loaded dump truck does roll over, the results can be catastrophic. A massively heavy dump truck can easily crush other vehicles and their passengers. The truck’s momentum and weight can carry it through some distance. The dump truck’s driver might also suffer severe or fatal injuries from the crash. Whether the truck was loaded or unloaded at the time of the accident you experienced could have a tremendous impact on your injuries and the amount of your compensation claim.
One of the most common types of dump truck accident results from a dump truck’s high undercarriage. In order to be able to stay clear of the road and its obstacles when fully loaded, designers provide dump trucks with a high suspension. This means that passenger cars in collisions with dump trucks might drive wholly or partially under the dump truck before wrecking. While the truck’s undercarriage may pass over the car’s hood, it often collides with the windshield and roof of the car. In many instances, it rips the top of the car right off, which could decapitate the car’s driver and passengers or cause massive head trauma and neck and spinal injuries. The higher the speed of the car at the time of the accident, the worse the resulting injuries from the dump truck underride accident.
Other wrecks result from the dump truck’s relatively low maneuverability and response time. When a large dump truck lumbers out into traffic, car drivers might not adequately account for its wallowing entry into their path. Sudden speed and lane changes to compensate for the presence of the dump truck could result in collisions.
If you have questions about a dump truck collision and injury claim, download our free e-book that gives you the essential steps to take after a wreck involving a heavy commercial truck. It’s free, and you might just find the information it contains to be priceless.