San Antonio Overloaded Truck Accident Attorney

San Antonio Overloaded Truck Accident Lawyer Serving Bexar County

Commercial trucks can carry cargo weighing tens of thousands of pounds. If cargo is not loaded or secured properly on a truck, this can lead to dangerous truck wrecks. Because trucks and trailers are so large and heavy, they are likely to inflict severe injuries when accidents take place. People in other vehicles can suffer serious bodily harm, permanent disabilities, or wrongful death due to cargo-related collisions or other types of truck accidents. In these situations, victims may be unsure about who was responsible, and they may be concerned about how to address the financial costs of their injuries and the other ways they and their families have been affected.

To address issues related to cargo or other factors that led to an 18-wheeler accident, victims and their families should work with an attorney who has experience in these types of cases. At Alford & Associates, we have represented clients in a wide variety of complex truck accident cases, and we understand the safety issues that can cause collisions, the forms of negligence that are often committed by trucking companies, and the methods that can be used to ensure that victims will be fully compensated for their damages. We believe in helping regular, hardworking people stand up to large corporations that failed to protect their safety, and we fight to help our clients achieve justice and ensure that they will be able to pick up the pieces after experiencing a devastating injury that was caused by someone else's negligence.

Overloaded Trucks and Improperly Loaded Cargo

Strict weight limits apply to commercial vehicles, and these laws are meant to ensure that tractor-trailer trucks can be operated safely. Unfortunately, some trucking companies may violate these laws and exceed weight limits to maximize the amount of cargo that can be delivered. These practices can threaten the safety of everyone who uses the roads.

An overloaded truck will be more difficult for a driver to control. More time and distance will be needed to slow down, and if a driver does not account for the increased weight, they may be unable to stop in time to avoid a collision, or they may lose control of a truck when traveling at high speeds. Trucks that are overloaded may also be top-heavy, increasing the chances of a rollover accident.

Even if weight limits are followed, the improper loading of cargo may lead to truck accidents. Cargo should be distributed properly in a truck's cargo area to ensure that the driver will be able to maintain the proper control. Cargo that is distributed unevenly may affect the traction of a truck's tires, or an unbalanced truck may be difficult to control when going around corners, changing lanes, or performing other routine maneuvers. These issues may cause a truck to turn over, or a driver may be unable to avoid colliding with other vehicles.

Shifting and Falling Cargo

If items are not secured correctly in a truck's cargo area, they can shift during travel. This can occur if cargo was not tied down correctly, or the straps, chains, or other equipment used to secure cargo may malfunction or break because it was defective or improperly maintained. This can throw off the weight distribution of a truck, causing a driver to lose control of the vehicle. In some cases, unsecured cargo may fall from a truck during transit. Because cargo often consists of large, heavy items, it can cause a great deal of damage and serious injuries to drivers or passengers if it lands on or strikes other vehicles. Items may also land in the road and block traffic, causing major accidents when drivers collide with or swerve around obstacles. On major highways or in busy traffic, this may lead to multi-vehicle pileups.

Contact Our Bexar County Truck Cargo Accident Attorneys

Truck wrecks involving cargo can be very complicated, since multiple parties may have been involved in loading cargo onto a truck and ensuring that it was secured correctly, and multiple vehicles may be affected by accidents caused by dropped cargo loads. Our lawyers can investigate these accidents to determine who was responsible, and we will help victims take the proper steps to recover compensation for their injuries and other damages. Contact us today and schedule a free consultation by calling 210-951-9467. We take calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we will not charge any legal fees until we collect compensation for our clients. Our firm has offices in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Corpus Christi, and we provide legal assistance to clients throughout the state of Texas.