Truck Driver City Crush 2017

[Nguyet Edmondson]

Studentsgraduating from college this spring are entering perhaps the toughest, most uncertain job market in generations. In this series, we meet recent grads, who share the frustrations and fears they face as they set out in search of work.

Self just completed a degree in business administration at National American University, a for-profit college in Rapid City, S.D. The 28-year-old Air Force veteran worked his way through college in less than four years, driving trucks to pay his way. He also had financial help from the military.

"There was one very large firm that would be my ultimate dream job," Self says. "I applied to it Thursday, I believe. Monday morning, before 8 a.m., I already had the rejection letter, and that one was the biggest crush."

He may struggle for a while. The economy is improving, but it could take years for the labor market to fully recover. And while the average job search used to take three months, economists say it's now closer to a year.

GJEL Accident Attorneys is a California Truck Accident Law firm with a 99% success rate. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving a semi-truck or commercial truck we can help you get the compensation you deserve.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, the experienced truck accident lawyers at GJEL Accident Attorneys are here to help. We know this is a stressful and uncertain time. You may be dealing with:

We take pride in our track record of success. With a 99% case success rate and over $950 million recovered for our clients, we have the expertise and determination to fight for the justice you deserve.

GJEL Truck Accident Lawyers were just rated a top truck accident law firm by Best Lawyers for 2021, 2022 and 2023. We have also recovered over $950 million dollars with a 99% success rate for victims who were injured in semi-truck accidents. Truck accident cases can be complex, so it is important to have an experienced truck accident injury lawyer on your side.

We also have experienced truck accident lawyers that understand what it takes to win your case, including gathering the right types of evidence, working with expert witnesses from the commercial trucking industry, and establishing that the truck driver is legally at fault for the accident:

If the truck driver was totally at fault, you should receive full compensation for the costs of your medical treatment. This includes costs for time spent in a hospital, copayments for visits to your doctor, prescription drug costs, and the cost of any ongoing physical therapy or other care you had to undergo as a result of the accident.

If you had to take time away from your job to recover from the injuries you sustained in the accident, you may receive an amount equal to what you would have earned during that time. Some truck accident victims are permanently disabled or have a reduced capacity to work in the future. In this case, you may be entitled to monetary damages for lost future earnings.

If your vehicle or other property was damaged in the accident, the trucking accident injury lawyer will help you to get compensation for the fair market value of your property at the time of the truck accident.

Ascertaining the identity of potentially responsible defendants in a commercial trucking accident case can be challenging. Particularly in cases where the truck involved in the accident might be under-insured in light of the injuries and damages that occurred to the Plaintiffs, identifying all responsible defendants is of the utmost importance.

If you were seriously injured in a truck accident in California, contact our truck accident lawyer to discuss how to secure compensation for injuries and other losses. Because semi-truck accidents can be highly complex and almost always involve one or more commercial insurance policies, you should never try to negotiate or settle a truck accident injury claim on your own.

Unfortunately for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers of passenger vehicles, accidents involving large trucks are extremely common and often cause serious or fatal injuries. In 2014 alone, close to 4,000 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes in the United States.

Both the federal government and the individual states keep track of all types of motor vehicle accidents. The statistics about truck accidents are often categorized separately from passenger vehicle accidents.

In 2016, 4,440 commercial trucks were involved in fatal crashes. This was a 2 percent increase compared to 2015. The rate of fatalities from these large truck accidents in 2016 was 0.144 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by all motor vehicles. In 2016, there were an estimated 119,000 injury crashes caused by commercial trucks in the United States.

Commercial trucks were involved in more than 475,000 crashes reported to the police in 2016. Of those accidents, 0.8 percent involved a fatality and 22 percent involved an injury. Of the fatal accidents, 61 percent occurred in rural areas. About 27 percent of the fatal accidents took place on an interstate. Only one vehicle, the commercial truck, was involved in 22 percent of the crashes. Most accidents involving commercial trucks included two vehicles.

Of the fatal truck accidents, 37 percent happened at night from 6:00 pm until 6:00 am. About 23 percent of injury accidents involving commercial trucks took place during these hours. Most of the accidents took place on weekdays.

Rollovers happened in 5 percent of the fatal crashes involving large trucks in 2016. About 8 percent of fatal accidents happened in work zones. In fatal accidents involving commercial trucks, 91 percent of the fatalities were not occupants of the truck. Most of the accidents involved one death, with an average of 1.12 deaths per fatal accident involving a large truck in 2016.

There are over 16,000 truck accidents in California each year and truck accidents account for 3% of all traffic fatalities in California. In a collision with a commercial truck, most passenger vehicles will bear the brunt of the damage. Commercial trucks fill the interstates, thoroughfares, arterial roads, and byways, and their drivers are often overworked and under-rested.

When a semi-truck or other large commercial truck is involved in an accident, there may be many contributing factors at play. These are just some of the most common causes of truck accidents in California.

Although state and federal laws require drivers to get rest for certain amounts of time during every long shift, unscrupulous trucking companies sometimes put pressure on their drivers to drive even though they are fatigued or exhausted. Driver fatigue leads to poor decision-making and slowed response times, and is a major cause of trucking accidents in California.

Truck drivers are often required to drive at a lower speed than drivers of passenger vehicles. When truck drivers fail to abide by posted speed limits or drive too fast for road conditions, the consequences can be devastating.

Modern commercial trucks are highly sophisticated machines with advanced equipment on board. Despite technological advances in the trucking industry, equipment failures are still a major contributing factor in truck crashes.

State and federal regulations require commercial trucking companies to adhere to specified load sizes. When a truck is carrying too much weight, braking time can be affected and this can lead to devastating accidents.

Commercial truck drivers and their employers follow strict alcohol and drug testing rules that are required by federal law. Nevertheless, drug and alcohol abuse among truck drivers remains a major problem and is often a contributing factor in serious truck accidents.

Almost all of these common causes of trucking accidents are preventable or can be controlled with proper safety measures. If you believe that one of these contributing factors played a role in your truck accident, contact a truck accident lawyer right away to discuss your case.

According to federal statistics, 73 percent of fatal semi-truck crashes involved the encroachment of another vehicle or a person in the lane occupied by the truck. About 23 percent of the fatal crashes involved the erratic movement of the truck or some loss of control not caused by the presence of any other vehicles or pedestrians. About 74 percent of fatal truck accidents and 76 percent of non-fatal crashes involved a collision between a moving truck and another moving vehicle.

Commercial trucks weigh much more than passenger cars, even when the trailer is not at capacity. A typical box truck or city delivery truck weighs 10,000 to 19,500 pounds. A furniture truck, city refuse collection truck, or truck tractor weighs between 26,000 and 33,000 pounds. Cement trucks and trucks with sleeper cabs weigh at least 33,001 pounds. A pickup truck, SUV, or minivan weighs less than 6,000 pounds. This means that commercial trucks weigh two to five times as much as the heaviest passenger vehicles.

Truck drivers are often overworked. Their long hours on the road may result in fatigue. A tired driver is an unsafe driver. Some trucking companies may be lax on the maintenance and upkeep of their vehicles. Maintaining a fleet of commercial trucks is a costly endeavor, and attempts to cut costs might result in vehicles that are unfit to be on the road.

The size of commercial trucks also makes them less safe when compared to other vehicles. They need more time and distance to come to a complete stop. If the truck has a full load in the trailer, it needs more time to stop. Commercial trucks also require more space to turn. They are not as maneuverable as passenger vehicles. The length of the trailer creates a large blind spot around the vehicle, which also causes safety problems.

Commercial trucks may carry hazardous materials. About 4 percent of the commercial trucks involved in fatal accidents and 2 percent of those in non-fatal accidents in 2016 carried hazardous materials. In 16 percent of all commercial truck crashes involving an injury or fatality, hazardous materials were released from the truck. In more than 60 percent of those cases, the hazardous material released was gasoline, diesel fuel, or oil. These materials are flammable. The release of flammable materials and other hazardous materials puts the lives of other drivers, first responders, and the community at risk.

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