What Is an Oversized Load?
An oversized load is a commercial truck that is bigger than state laws allow. In Lancaster, commercial trucks should not exceed 53 feet in length, 13-and-a half feet in width, and eight feet in height. A trucking company must be issued a special permit to haul an oversized load.
Risks for Overweight Trucks Lancaster
When a truck is overloaded, it increases the risk of an accident. An overweight truck in Lancaster can encounter the following issues:
- Poor stability: trucks that are too heavy could tip over when turning; this can also happen if the cargo is not evenly distributed or properly secured.
- Malfunctions: excess weight on truck tires can cause them to blow out or flatten. A truck that is too heavy may also need more time to brake, or the brakes may fail because they are unable to resist the weight of such a heavy vehicle.
- Difficulty maneuvering: when traveling on uneven or sloped roads, the driver of an overweight truck might have difficulty keeping the vehicle in the right lane, getting enough momentum to travel uphill, or keeping a safe pace and distance from other cars when going downhill.
Heavier vehicles can do more damage in a collision, so overloading a truck is not worth the risk of an accident.
Injuries Caused by Overloaded Trucks
Unfortunately, oversized truck accidents often result in fatality. Other injuries that can occur after a collision with an overloaded truck include burns, broken bones, fractures, amputation, head trauma, brain damage, spinal cord damage, internal bleeding, and more.
These injuries greatly impact the injured person’s quality of life. While some people may want to move on as quickly as possible after a serious accident, they should not forfeit their potential rights to compensation. Working with a Lancaster attorney can ease the legal process of recovering damages and give the injured person valuable peace of mind.
Liability in an Overloaded Truck Accident
The responsible party in an overloaded truck accident in Lancaster is determined partly by the cause of the accident. Was it willful negligence on the part of the trucking company? Did a vehicle part fail or malfunction?
If the truck was overloaded, the trucking company could bear some element of fault. Penalties for cargo weight violations can be as small as a ticket or as significant as jail time for the driver and hefty fines for the trucking company.
People injured in overweight truck accidents in Lancaster need to prove that the driver’s failure to do his job caused their injuries and that those injuries include compensable damages for. A weight violation can be considered a failure to do one’s job, also known as a “breach of duty.”
What a Lancaster Overloaded/Overweight Truck Accident Attorney Can Do for You
A collision with an oversized vehicle can be devastating, and you may not know where to begin when it comes to filing a claim for damages. A car accident attorney should understand the laws that apply to the accident and the rights of the victims involved. They can negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf and might be able to settle quickly.
You should not have to pay the price for a Lancaster overloaded/overweight truck accident that was not your fault. Contact a skilled attorney today to understand your rights.