By: John Hipskind Smiling At The Camera John Hipskind

Belleville Failure to Maintain a Truck Lawyer

After a Serious Crash, You Need a Belleville Truck Accident Lawyer

When it comes to commercial trucking, vehicle maintenance is important. You could say it’s a matter of life and death. Unfortunately, trucking companies have strong motivation to neglect truck maintenance: more profit.

TRUCK ACCIDENTS

Truck drivers and trucking companies have a legal duty to maintain their trucks to ensure the safety of everyone on the road. Yet vehicle equipment failure is associated with 10% of large truck crashes, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). When these equipment failures are due to a company’s failure to maintain and people get seriously hurt, the company can certainly be found liable for its actions.

For a free consultation with a Belleville truck accident lawyer about your situation, call (618) 641-9189 today. John Hipskind and Brady McAninch used to work for prestigious St. Louis defense firms, handling claims on behalf of nationwide insurance companies. We know exactly how truckers and their insurers fight to keep from paying accident victims what they deserve, and we have the tools and experience to fight back and win.

Consequences of Failing to Maintain a Truck

While accidents are often blamed on driver error, sometimes the culprit is something the driver did (or didn’t do) before ever getting behind the wheel. Common equipment failures that can cause accidents include:

  • Brake failures (the top equipment failure factor in FMCSA’s study)
  • Tire blowouts
  • Loose wheels or lug nuts
  • Steering issues
  • Unsecured hoods
  • Trailer attachments coming undone
  • Faulty cargo tie-downs
  • Suspension part failure

While a previously unknown manufacturing error is another possible cause, most truck accidents due to equipment failure can be attributed to the driver or company’s failure to inspect and maintain the truck.

Regulations on Truck Maintenance

FMCSA states that a truck carrier must have a program to “systematically inspect, repair, and maintain, or cause to be systematically inspected, repaired, and maintained, all motor vehicles and intermodal equipment subject to its control.” FMCSA also states that parts and accessories “shall be in safe and proper operating condition at all times.”

Unsurprisingly, the specifics on how trucking companies are expected to follow these regulations depend on a variety of factors, and are intertwined in other FMCSA regulations and manufacturing facts and figures.

While you definitely don’t need to be an expert on trucking regulations, you should know that trucking companies are expected to have inspection and preventive maintenance scheduled, to have cut-off points at which they replace parts, and to have well-kept records of all maintenance and inspections. Together, these actions show that the company has made a consistent and strong effort to maintain their trucks. Or not.

Getting Representation After a Truck Accident

We see many large truck crashes on state routes heading towards the St. Louis area, including 13, 15, 158, 159, and 161. These crashes tend to be even worse on Highway Forty, I-270, I-55, I-70, I-255, and historic Route 66.

In the unfortunate event that you were involved in a crash with a truck, there’s no doubt that you want the liable party held responsible. There’s a strong possibility that your crash was caused by a driver or his or her company’s failure to maintain the truck, and you need someone to find out.

Our Belleville truck accident attorneys have experience in failure to maintain cases, are well-versed in maintenance regulations, will be able to review the trucking company’s maintenance and inspection records, and will fight for the compensation you deserve.

Failure to maintain accidents are completely preventable, and we understand how that makes these cases even more frustrating. At Hipskind & McAninch, LLC, we’ll do our best to keep you informed and involved, while easing and simplifying the process so that you can focus on getting your life back on track.

We’re dedicated to your case, we have a five-star reputation, and you don’t pay us a dime until we win. Give Hipskind & McAninch, LLC, a call at (618) 641-9189 for a free consultation, where you can get to know us and we can get to know your case. There is no time limit, and if you have follow-up questions, we’ll be happy to answer them for you.