There are all different types of truckers that you’ll find on our roads here in Louisiana. Some are short-distance or delivery drivers that keep to hyper-local or regional routes, while others are long-distance drivers that may head out across the country for weeks at a time.
While each type of trucker poses some type of injury danger to other motorists who share the road with them, the ones that should worry you the most are the ones carrying the heavy loads (such as long-haul truckers).
The biggest danger that long-distance truckers pose
Many truckers planning to head out on multi-day or week-long trips do so with fully stocked trailers. They are heavy, which can impact their ability to brake as quickly as one would hope — and rapid braking may cause a shift in their load, destabilizing it.
While braking is certainly a problem for truckers and has the potential of giving way to accidents, these unsecured loads pose even more dangers. Improperly secured loads can cause a tractor-trailer to flip over depending on a trucker’s speed and road conditions. Such an event can lead cargo to fall out of the trailer and become projectiles. In addition, the truck itself might strike a nearby vehicle in the process.
Louisana is an at-fault insurance state. This doctrine allows you to hold a negligent motorist liable for any accident-related injuries that they cause, but you can bet that the trucking company and their insurers won’t make the process easy. If you’ve been hurt in a truck wreck or a loved one was seriously injured or killed, take immediate steps to protect your legal interests.