As I write this post, I have one eye on the television reports of the damages in Florida and Alabama caused by Hurricane Sally. Many side roads and city streets are completely under water and portions of Interstate 10 are closed due to water accumulation and high wind. In fact, there has been a report of a semi truck that was overturned by high winds on the I-10 freeway near Pensacola. Thankfully, no injuries were reported but this accident could have been prevented had the driver decided to wait until conditions improved.
Hurricane Sally’s wind and rainfall has resulted in major railroads closing freight terminals from New Orleans to Pensacola and airlines have temporarily suspended service to southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. At The Doan Law Firm, this leads us to consider why a truck was on the highway in weather conditions so severe that airlines and trains were not operating.
In our experience, many truck accidents are related to tight delivery schedules that a driver must make or face a penalty for a late delivery. This has led many drivers to “cut corners” regarding traffic laws and to drive when weather conditions would pose a hazard to the truck driver and other vehicles. Should a delivery truck or “big rig” be involved in a weather-related accident, it could be considered negligence on the part of the driver and the driver’s employer!
Truck drivers have the duty to make sure that they can safely operate their trucks on our highways. Every driver is required by law to conduct a pre-trip inspection of his vehicle to make sure it is safe to operate. The driver must also use his or her judgment as to whether or not to drive through areas where weather conditions (e.g. high winds or road flooding) may be present. In the accident mentioned above, a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph wind and highway flooding certainly qualify as “adverse weather conditions”!
If you were injured in an accident involving a commercial truck that was operating in poor weather conditions we invite you to contact The Doan Law Firm to arrange a free, no-obligation, review of the facts in your case and a review of the legal options that may be available to you with our commercial truck accident injury lawyer.
When you contact our firm there is never a charge of any kind for our staff to review your case or for you to speak directly with our commercial truck accident lawyer. After speaking with our commercial truck accident lawyer, should you decide to file a lawsuit we are willing to assume full responsibility for all aspects of preparing your case for trial in exchange for an agreed-upon percentage of the final settlement that we are prepared to win for you.
At The Doan Law Firm we don’t plan to simply win your truck accident case, we plan to win big to get you the compensation that you deserve!