Trucking Away: Keeping Safe on Charleston Roads

In recent years the number of fatal automobile accidents in the Charleston area has been on the rise. Now it is more important than ever to use caution when driving whether traveling on country roads, interstates, city streets or through parking lots. Accidents can occur when you least expect them and can often times involve people who spend much of their time on the road.

Tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, and other large trucks are involved in more than 400,000 accidents a year. When a normal car is in a collision with an 18-wheeler, which can easily weigh 40 tons, it is not difficult to guess that the damage to the car will be significant. Many times truck drivers are on the road for much longer than they are allowed to be under the hours-of-service regulations that are part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. When these drivers are on the road for extended periods of time they begin to make mistakes, and these mistakes can cost innocent people their lives.

In November 2010, a logging truck was in an accident with a Greyhound bus that resulted in the driver of the bus and thirteen other passengers being hospitalized for serious injuries. This month facts have surfaced that the driver of the truck was officially charged by the highway patrol for improper lighting on his vehicle.

Miller|Conway are Goose Creek attorneys servicing the greater Charleston area who can help if you or someone you know has been injured in an automobile accident. Truck drivers who are guilty of driving for too many hours or who have been found to be negligent can be charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault, or making a false report about their duty status.  If you have been injured in a truck or automobile accident, contact our offices today.