Item: Flaxman Law Group
Rating: 5
Author: Clara Barman

Winds Can Cause Trucking Collisions in Hollywood and other Cities

Published on: November 21, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Many trucking accidents are caused by driver error, mechanical failure, and road design issues in Hollywood and other Florida cities. Surprisingly, though, winds can also cause trucks to veer out of control. Earlier in November, two semi-trucks in Jacksonville were toppled off a bridge by winds. In that case, the accident caused only minor injuries and no damage to the bridge itself. In other situations, the outcome is not so good.

Professional truck drivers are taught how to drive in high winds. In some cases, winds can reach speeds higher than a truck is traveling. In cases where strong winds exist, drivers can sometimes avoid collisions by slowing down and proceeding with caution. Drivers need to pay extra attention to high winds when traveling along roads without many trees and when traveling on bridges. On bridges, the force of winds can knock a truck into the water. On roads without trees, there is no wind barrier and the wind may be enough to push the truck into another lane. At the very least, high winds in these situations can make it harder for a driver to remain in control of the vehicle.

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Tips for Documenting Your Injuries After a Tractor Trailer Accident

Published on: October 22, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Protecting your interests after a collision with a big rig or tractor trailer involves documenting your injuries and the details of your accident. Documentation can help you if there is an insurance dispute or if you are sued. Good documentation can also help you if negligence played a role in your accident and you need to prove that. To properly document your injuries and collision after a tractor trailer crash in Hollywood or your community, you will want to:

1) Have a friend or family member help.

In many traffic accidents involving a commercial truck, the injuries are very serious and anyone who is injured may be rushed to the hospital. If you have been in this type of serious accident, you may lose consciousness or be in severe pain. Having a friend or family member at the hospital can help. A trust friend or family member can ask questions on your behalf, take notes about your condition, and can start the documentation process.

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Would You Be Prepared for a Trucking Accident?

Published on: October 15, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

No one expects to be in a trucking accident in Hollywood or their community. Yet, every day these types of traffic collision change the lives of injured individuals and their families. Trucking crashes cause not only painful injuries and long recovery times, but in many cases these types of accidents also cause financial distress as well as anxiety, depression, and general upset. How prepared you are for this type of life-changing collision depends on your answers to a few questions:

1) Do you have a good doctor and adequate medical coverage?

Having a good family doctors means that you have someone overseeing your care. If you are in a serious traffic collision near your Hollywood home or while traveling, you may be rushed to the nearest emergency room. Your follow-up care, however, will often involve your family doctor and having someone you trust by your side can help.

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How Liability is Decided in Trucking Accidents in Homestead and Other Florida Cities

Published on: October 3, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

If you are injured in a trucking crash in Homestead or anywhere in Florida, you may be rushed to the hospital or you may need to contact your insurance carrier if you have sustained some vehicle damage. Behind the scenes of a trucking accident, however, there is a lot of work being done, and understanding how the process works can help you secure fair compensation and justice in your case.

Truck carriers and drivers are protected by teams of attorneys and by larger insurance companies. When an accident involving a commercial truck takes place, these companies take action right away. An investigator or insurance adjuster is usually sent to the scene very quickly. The aim of these experts is to investigate the cause of the accident and to determine liability. Since they are working for the trucking company, they often want to reduce the liability of the trucking company and reduce the amount of money the insurance company will need to pay out. The investigation will usually involve securing evidence that includes:

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Award-Winning Truck Drivers Offer Safety Advice

Published on: September 19, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

At the recent National Truck Driving Championships sponsored by the American Trucking Associations, truck drivers were recognized for their skills and their dedication to the job. The truckers were also asked about their ideas for improving trucking safety and preventing trucking accidents. According to the winners, the best way to make our roads safer is to:

1) Encourage drivers to take the intuitive for safety.

One thing that sets the winners of the National Truck Driving Championships apart is that they enjoy learning and expanding their skills. When speaking to the media, some of the winners said that taking part in the championships expanded their skills and made them feel like part of the industry. When drivers are enthusiastic about their skills and see themselves as part of a team, some of the problems that plague the industry – such as driver shortages and high turnovers – may be less of a problem.

2) Improve working conditions for drivers.

Safety experts have already stated that one way to cut down on trucking crashes in Miami and other cities is to improve working conditions in the industry. Better pay and better hours could go a long way towards preventing fatigued driving in Miami and other communities by allowing drivers the lifestyle needed to rest and stay healthy on the road. The winners of the National Truck Driving Championships noted that their truck carriers helped them get more family time at home, something that they appreciated. Some safety advocates have noted that raising wages and not linking wages to tight deadlines would reduce the chances that drivers cut corners to make deliveries on time – at any cost.

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Health Solutions Can Help Prevent Trucking Collisions

Published on: August 29, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

There are many things that contribute to trucking accidents in Hollywood and other communities. Driver error, mechanical failure, and poor road design, for example, all contribute to their fair share of traffic crashes each year. However, one factor that causes many collisions is often overlooked: driver health.

The reality is that chronic health conditions can have a big impact on how safely truck drivers can handle their jobs. In addition, the very job itself can have a negative impact on health. The sedentary nature of the job, the stress of the job, and the fast food that is often available on the road can put drivers at risk for obesity, diabetes, cardiac issues, and other serious health concerns.

How Serious is the Problem?

Studies point out that truck drivers may have a higher risk for some health conditions. A study published the American Journal of Industrial Medicine concluded that 68.9 percent of truck drivers studies were obese and 17.4 percent were morbidly obese. In comparison, the general population has an obesity rate of 30.5 percent, with 7.3 of the country being morbidly obese. The same study found that truck drivers are twice as likely to be smokers when compared with the rest of the population and are more than twice as likely to suffer from diabetes. According to the study, truck drivers have a higher risk of psychiatric illness, back pain, and musculoskeletal problems. They are also more likely to get delayed treatment or lack access to treatment.

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Are Trucking Collisions on the Rise?

Published on: August 15, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Just how concerned should we be about trucking collisions in Hollywood and other Florida communities? According to recent statistics and safety experts, there may be reason for worry. Accidents involving semitrailers, big rigs, and other large trucks not only tend to be more serious than accidents involving smaller vehicles, but they tend to occur with troubling frequency. In many cases, these collisions are caused by tire blowouts in Hollywood and other communities as well as by other preventable causes.

Statistics released by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show that fatal truck crashes occur about 11 times, on average, across the country each day. This means that these collisions cause about 4,000 deaths each year. In addition to the fatalities, there are about 100,000 injuries – some of them permanent and devastating – occurring because of these roadway crashes each year. Even more troubling is the fact that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has stated that the number of fatalities caused by commercial trucks has increased since 2009. In fact, the agencies reports that the number of fatal truck accidents increased by 18% between 2009 and 2012. What is even more troubling is that in the same time frame, fatal car crashes declined 1.74 percent and the number of commercial trucks decreased 2.86%, which means that we might expect to see fewer trucking crashes, not more.

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How Truck Driver Shortages Could Affect Your Safety in Hollywood and Florida

Published on: August 13, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

When there are too few qualified truck drivers on the roads, could that increase the risk of trucking collisions in Hollywood or your community? Some safety experts think so.

A recent New York Times article pointed out that truck driver shortages are notable. Even with an overall unemployment rate of 6 percent across all sectors, there is a qualified driver shortage of about 30,000 drivers – and the amount of drivers needed is only expected to increase. A large part of the problem, as the article points out, is because wages for truck drivers are actually lower today than they were in 2003, once we adjust for inflation.

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The Facts of a Trucking Life Could Contribute to Fatigued Driving

Published on: August 5, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Many laws have been passed over the past twenty years to address the issue of fatigue driving and truck accidents. However, what these laws do not address is the fact that truck driving as a job creates some risk factors that contribute to fatigued driving in Homestead and other communities. For example, truck drivers need to contend with:

1) Deadline-focused work. Truck drivers need to deliver their cargo by a specific time, and sometimes deadlines are tight.

In some cases, drivers may have a financial incentive to get to their destination on time or may even be worried about their jobs if they fail to make deadlines (no matter how unreasonable those deadlines are). If truck drivers are keeping an eye on the clock, they may not take the time to rest properly and may push themselves to keep going, even when they are tired.

2) Changing shift work. Some studies have shown that shift work can lead to fatigued driving and car collisions.

Truck drivers may be at risk because they may need to drive at different times of the day, even at night, when roadway crashes are more common. Drivers of bid rigs and tractor trailers may also need to work different shifts throughout the month, which creates an additional risk as drivers get used to a new schedule.

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Concerns About Fatigued Driving in Fort Lauderdale and Other Cities Continue

Published on: July 29, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

A current debate about hours of service regulation rules is really a long-standing argument about how to best reduce the number of fatigued drivers on Fort Lauderdale roads and other roadways across the country. Earlier this year, new federal hours of service rules were passed which reduced the weekly hours long-haul truck drivers worked. The same changes also requires truck drivers to take nighttime rest breaks.

Some safety advocates say that the nighttime breaks are crucial to help prevent fatigued driving and resulting traffic crashes in Fort Lauderdale and other cities. They point to research that has shown shift work can lead to sleep issues and greater fatigue when compared with work that allows employees to sleep during regular night hours.

Critics Slam New Hours of Service Rules

Opponents of the hours of service changes, however, say that the mandatory nighttime rest breaks put too many commercial truck drivers on the road during rush hour – an increase in traffic that could contribute to roadway accidents in Fort Lauderdale and other cities. They also say that drivers should ultimately decide when they should rest.

Fatigued driving leads to traffic crashes

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