YouTube is chock full of videos of "overloaded truck fails" in which trucks tip over because their cargo loads are too heavy. While these videos are showcased as entertaining, the reality is overloaded trucks are no laughing matter. In reality, as Trucking Info reports: "Year-after-year, overloaded trucks are one of the leading causes of truck-related accidents."
An overloaded truck can have deadly consequences, not just for the driver of the truck but for any motorist who is unlucky enough to be on the road at the same time as the driver. Victims who are hurt because of a truck accident need to make sure they get the help they need from an experienced attorney to hold truck drivers and trucking companies accountable for damages.
There are a number of ways in which overloaded trucks increase the chances a truck will get into a collision. Trucking Info lists the key reasons why overloading is so very dangerous. The problems include:
- Increased risk that the truck driver will lose control of the truck. This added risk exists both when a truck is overloaded and when a load is not properly balanced.
- Increased risk that the cargo will shift. When cargo shifts around on a truck, this throws off load balance. The cargo can move around during lane changes or when the driver makes a sudden turn, making it much more likely that the truck will roll over.
Other problems that can come with overloading or improper loading of a truck include the potential that cargo will fly off the truck and cause a crash to happen.
Truck drivers and trucking companies often underestimate these very real risks, which is not only dangerous but is also a violation of safety rules and regulations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is very clear in its requirements for proper loading of cargo and, in fact, has published a 13-chapter guide to safe truck loading to try to reduce collisions.
If a trucker violates the rules, this makes both the driver and trucking company potentially liable when a collision happens and someone gets hurt. It is up to the victim of a trucking accident caused by a load problem to take legal action against the trucking company and to prove that the problem arose due to cargo loading issues. An experienced attorney can offer assistance in proving that cargo load was the crash cause, so the victim can be fully and fairly compensated for the harm caused by the unsafe load.
These cases can be tragic for both victims and for truck drivers and trucking companies who face both the guilt of knowing they caused an injury AND the financial losses that came with a finding of liability. The bottom line: these truck overload fails simply are not funny, no matter how many videos suggest they are.
