Truck Visibility Accident Lawyer

Any kind of vehicular accident is a potentially serious matter that can result in major monetary losses and/or physical injury. Accidents involving large trucks, however, tend to be more destructive than most. It’s not hard to see why—even an SUV or a full-size car is quite small when compared to a semi-truck. The vast differences in size and weight can have tragic consequences for the occupants of the smaller vehicle in the event of a rear-end collision or another road accident.

Drivers of 18-wheelers and other kinds of large trucks have a responsibility to observe safe practices while operating their vehicle, which includes making proper adjustments for poor-visibility conditions such as fog. This doesn’t always happen, though.

If you have been injured in a road accident due to a visibility issue connected to the negligence of a truck driver, you should reach out to Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Our staff of truck accident attorneys has years of litigation experience in the Greater Houston area, and we have a firm grasp of the legal strategies that can help you obtain a sizeable settlement.

Types of Truck Visibility Accidents

The most common kinds of car accidents are due to simple driver error, like failing to obey right-of-way laws or speeding in congested traffic. There is a certain class of auto accidents that can be attributed to visibility problems—that is, a failure to adequately see the presence of another vehicle on the road, usually due to environmental conditions (e.g., heavy rain) or an absence of vehicular safety features (e.g., headlights).

These types of accidents can be particularly devastating because the victims often do not see the impending crash in time to prepare for it. If a semi-truck or another heavy vehicle is involved, the impact can be exponentially worse. What follows is just a selection of visibility accident causes that our truck accident lawyers frequently see.

• Malfunctioning lights – For obvious reasons, it’s important for trucks to have functioning lights, especially for night-time driving. It’s usually easy for drivers to see when their headlights aren’t working right, but an issue with the tail lights isn’t nearly so obvious. Some accidents happen when a vehicle slams into the rear of a tractor-trailer whose tail lights aren’t on and, in these cases, the driver of the trailer can be held responsible for being on the road without this important safety feature in proper condition.
• Poor road visibility – As we all know, it can be hazardous to drive in heavy fog or rain, or when the roads are covered in dust, smoke, or other industrial pollutants. We need to be especially cautious when driving in these conditions—but accidents still happen nonetheless. Many people have been seriously harmed or even killed by a large truck that failed to slow down in stretches of road with low visibility.
• Trucks without conspicuity tape – Conspicuity tape (sometimes called DOT tape) is a type of reflective material attached along the length of a semi-truck. Its purpose is to enable other vehicles to see the truck after dark or in low-visibility conditions. By law, commercial trucks must bear this variety of tape. If the tape is absent, excessively worn, or attached improperly, this could become a major factor in a vehicular collision case, as it could be argued that the failure to comply with this law contributed to the accident.

This should not be considered a comprehensive listing of truck visibility accidents.

Contact a Truck Visibility Accident Attorney in Houston, TX

It can be difficult to prove fault in visibility accidents, so you should collect as much evidence as possible. You should also contact our law office immediately—we’re highly experienced with visibility accidents in the Houston, TX area, and we are eager to hear from you. Call us at 713-574-5089 and ask for a free consultation.