Kentucky residents are used to seeing semitrailers on their roadways. Many monstrous machines travel these interstates, country roads and city streets in order to deliver goods in state and across the country. Unfortunately, as you are likely aware, accidents often result from sharing the road with these vehicles.
Truck accidents happen for a number of reasons. One reason not commonly discussed, though, involves cargo securement issues.
Why it matters
Before transport, one must appropriately secure goods to a trailer bed or inside a cargo hold. Failing to do this will not only result in the damaging of goods, but it can cause items to shift, leading to truck balance issues or causing materials to spill onto the roadway.
Why does this matter?
The federal government, actually. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has strict standards when it comes to the trucking industry. Why? To keep truckers and the general public safe from harm.
What do regulations say about securing cargo?
The FMCSA requires two simple things when it comes to cargo securement. First is that the appropriate ties are to be used in order to keep cargo from shifting. Second is that cargo is not to exceed a truck’s weight limit. Not utilizing the right number of ties, failing to attach them to approved anchor points and overloading a truck can all lead to a truck accident.
If I have suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a cargo-related accident, what can I do?
It is unfortunate that, despite federal regulations, accidents that result from cargo securement issues happen. When they do, the results can be disastrous. If you have suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a tractor-trailer crash, you may, under the right circumstances, seek compensation for your losses. In order for a civil claim against a commercial driver and/or his or her employer to be successful, there is a need to establish that one or the other was negligent in his or her actions, resulting in the crash — which is not necessarily simple.
Get help
The damages that follow truck accidents can be physically, financially and emotionally scarring. An experienced attorney can help you seek damages by first reviewing your case and, if appropriate, filing and litigating any applicable claims in a Kentucky civil court.