Truck & Bus Accidents

Long Island & New York City Bus and Trucking Accident Attorney

Foley, Griffin, Jacobson & Faria, LLP, knows that there can be numerous causes of truck and bus collisions with other motor vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians, such as:

• Blind Spots
• Swinging Turns / “S” Turns / Squeeze Play
• Over-Under Inflated Tires / Tire Blowouts / Bald Tires
• Overweight / Overloaded Vehicles
• Falling Debris
• Braking Ability

Blind Spots

Trucks and buses have large blind spots. Usually, the larger the vehicle, the larger the blind spot. We all know about blind spots on the sides of our vehicle. The driver has a blind spot in the rear of the truck, as well as in the front of the truck or bus. Many accidents are caused when either the truck/bus driver does not take into account the blind spot when he or she makes a move, or the other motor vehicle does not take into account the truck or buses blind spot. Either way, if you are involved in an accident with a truck or bus, contact Foley Griffin Jacobson & Faria, LLP, for a free consultation.

Swinging Turns, “S” Turns and Squeeze Play

Trucks and buses make turns different than smaller vehicles. The driver must take into account that the rear wheels ‘track’ differently than the front. Therefore, they must enter a wider turn than smaller vehicles for the front wheels and take into consideration that the turn distance for the rear wheels will be much smaller. When a large vehicle operator fails to take this rear wheel tracking into consideration, the rear wheels can strike other motor vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians with terrible results. In addition to taking into account the turning ratios between the front and rear wheels, the driver of a truck or bus must take into account the blind spot on the right side of their vehicle. The term “Squeeze play” describes an accident involving a right turn that squeezes a car between the truck or bus and a curb. This can occur because the driver is often unable to see cars right next to their vehicle. Also, cars attempting to pass on the right, or driving on the right, but in the driver’s blind spot, are susceptible to accidents from the “squeeze play.”

Braking

Accidents caused by braking, or lack of braking, can occur in several ways, including brake failure, improper braking technique, or stopping distance:

• Brake Failure. Brake failure can occur due to installation, maintenance, age and/or overuse of brakes. It is important to seek the responsible party of this failure, because it can be one of many parties (i.e. tractor or trailer owner, lessee, lessor, mechanic, etc.). In addition, a truck or buses' brakes can heat up from overuse (riding the brakes on a long downgrade, sudden stopping at high speeds, improper loading).
• Improper Braking Technique. Large vehicles should apply their brakes in a way that will reduce their speed by about 5 to 6 mph with each application. Improper braking technique can reduce a vehicles brakes and lead to their failure.
• Stopping Distance / Rear-end Collisions. Because of their size and weight, trucks and buses require a much greater stopping distance to stop than smaller vehicles. Logically, the heavier the vehicle, the greater the distance needed to stop. Obviously, when a driver fails to realize the distance needed to stop, the risk of a rear-end collision increases. However, the heavier the vehicle, the more damage it will cause when it strikes the vehicle in front of it. According to the National Safety Council's Defensive Driving Course for Professional Truck Drivers, the stopping distance for an 80,000 pound tractor trailer, traveling at 30 mph on a dry, level road, is 100 feet. If we double the speed to 60 mph, the stopping distance for that truck doesn't double, it increases over four-fold to 426 feet. If we increase that speed another 5 mph, to 65 mph, the distance needed to stop increases almost another 100 feet, to 525 feet (compared to 316 feet for a car - more than 200 extra feet). Because many drivers of large vehicles do not understand the distance discrepancy between cars and trucks, and drive accordingly, many rear end accidents occur.

Contact a trucking accident lawyer at Foley, Griffin, Jacobson & Faria, LLP, today to schedule a free initial consultation and to learn more about how we will help you negotiate your truck, tractor trailer, or bus accident claim. Se habla español.