Macon Cargo Truck Accident Lawyer

Improper Securing of Cargo That Turns Trucks Into Road Hazards

Cargo trucks are a fairly broad range of vehicles used to haul or transport stuff. They may include smaller cargo vans, box trucks that deliver food and retail goods and even larger tractor trailers. Although they are an essential part of everyday life for people and businesses, these vehicles also pose significant safety threats.

Cargo truck accidents happen all too frequently in Georgia and across the country. These crashes occur in many different ways and are caused by a variety of factors. What they have in common is the devastation that these wrecks can cause to people and their families.

When trucks collide with cars, pedestrians or bicycle riders, the collisions carry a much bigger risk of severe injury or death because of the size of the vehicles involved. But cargo trucks can also cause accidents without ever touching other vehicles. Cargo that is not properly loaded and secured in the trucks can spill out onto roadways, creating immediate hazards for other drivers and resulting in chain reaction crashes.

The Macon cargo truck accident lawyers at Merritt & Merritt Law Firm help people and families who have been injured in crashes. We are experienced attorneys who have dedicated our careers to getting our clients the full compensation available under the law.

It is critical to understand how cargo truck and other accidents happen and who can be held accountable for them. Negligent truck drivers often are at fault, but their employers and insurers typically are also on the hook. Identifying those who are liable is an important step in getting compensation for your injuries. Determining the full scope of the injuries and its consequences for your daily life is also vital.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck or other traffic accident, our Macon cargo truck accident lawyers are just a phone call away. Call us today at 478-845-6464 to speak with an attorney about your rights and options.

How Incorrectly Secured Cargo Can Lead to Accidents

Improperly secured cargo increases the risk of accidents and can magnify the severity of injuries when crashes occur. That is because shifting cargo can cause drivers to lose control of trucks and create hazardous obstacles when they fall into traffic.

Loose or shifting cargo changes a truck’s center of gravity, making the vehicles more difficult to control and increasing the distance needed to slow or stop in response to traffic. It is often to blame for rollover accidents, especially curves or exit ramps. It also can cause trucks jackknife and collide with vehicles behind them and in other lanes of traffic.

Even small mistakes in load securement can have catastrophic consequences at highway speeds. There is often precious little time for other drivers to react and nowhere else to go.

A scary accident in Whitfield County in 2019 highlights the safety risks of falling cargo. Several logs reportedly slipped off the back of a truck and smashed through the window of a sport utility vehicle following in the same lane. The SUV’s driver had to be extracted from the vehicle by firefighters, but miraculously escaped with only minor injuries.

More recently, a 34-year-old Macon truck driver was killed when a tanker truck carrying some 8,800 lbs. of fuel overturned in Wilkinson County. The man was ejected from the vehicle after it drifted to a road shoulder and overcorrected, causing the tanker to detach from the semi-truck, according to news reports.

Common Types of Cargo That Cause Roadway Hazards

Improper cargo securement is especially dangerous with certain types of freight. These materials become deadly projectiles or crushing forces when they come loose.

Construction materials: Steel beams, lumber, pipes and concrete forms are frequently transported on flatbed trucks. When tie-downs fail or loads are improperly balanced, these materials can slide off into traffic or shift suddenly, causing the truck to overturn.

Heavy machinery and equipment: Bulldozers, forklifts, generators and industrial machinery are often transported by truck, but require specialized restraints. If they are not properly anchored, the extreme weight of this machinery and equipment can cause trailers to fishtail or break free entirely.

Consumer goods on pallets: Flat bed and other open trucks are not the only cargo vehicles at risk when cargo is not appropriately secured. Pallets of consumer goods can shift during braking and turns if they are not braced, causing enclosed trailers to tip or drivers to lose control.

Farming cargo: Bales of hay, produce crates and livestock containers can shift or fall when not properly secured. Spilled agricultural cargo often leads to chain-reaction crashes, especially on rural highways.

Hazardous materials: Hazardous cargo that is jarred loose causes accidents that can involve fires, chemical burns, toxic exposure or explosions, often with severe injuries.

Why Cargo Failures Happen

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations impose detailed rules for cargo securement on commercial and other vehicles.

These rules include requirements on the number and strength of tie-downs, as well as how loads are distributed. They also detail necessary inspections to be performed before and during trips. The FMCSA has specific, separate rules for hauling and securing heavy equipment and machinery.

Cargo-related traffic accidents remain common, despite these regulations. Why? Because safety is often sacrificed for speed and profit.

Some of the most common cargo failures include:

• Rushed loading to meet tight delivery deadlines
• Inadequate training for loaders and drivers
• Worn or damaged tie-down equipment
• Failure to recheck cargo after stops
• Overloading trailers beyond safe limits
• Pressure from shippers and carriers to “make it work”

When companies and truck drivers cut corners, they pass the risks to everyone who shares the road with their vehicles. Many times it is drivers and passengers in other cars who sustain the worst injuries when cargo truck accidents happen.

Who Is Responsible for Cargo Truck Accidents?

People who are injured in crashes involving cargo trucks in Georgia have the right to seek compensation from those responsible. That includes going after drivers, their employers and their insurers, among other parties.

The money damages generally on the table for truck accidents cases are designed to put an injured person back in the financial position that he or she was in at the time of the accident. They cover medical costs and missed earnings that you have already incurred, along with those that you can be reasonably expected to incur in the future.

In the tragic event that a person is killed in a cargo truck accident, his or her family has the right to seek compensation for wrongful death. That includes money damages for lost wages and future earnings, medical costs, funeral expenses and the loss of the person’s companionship and emotional support. A wrongful death case is a civil matter, not a criminal case. It is separate from any criminal prosecution that may happen against those responsible for a deadly traffic accident.

To get compensation, you have to be able to prove fault and liability. Determining who is to blame when cargo-related collisions happen can be confusing for everyone involved. In our Macon cargo truck accident lawyers’ experience, these crashes often involve multiple responsible parties.

The Truck Driver

Truck drivers are required to operate their vehicles in a reasonably safe manner under the circumstances. That means obeying traffic laws and staying off the road when tired, distracted or impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Drivers also are required to inspect their loads and ensure cargo is secure. Failure to do so may result in liability, especially if warning signs were ignored.

The Trucking Company

Carriers typically are liable for accidents caused by their employees in the course of their jobs. They also can be held responsible for failing to properly vet and train drivers or imposing company policies that are unsafe and lead to accidents. Carriers that fail to ensure that trucks are properly inspected and maintained bear the consequences that come with it.

The Loading Company

Cargo is loaded by third-party companies in many commercial settings. Those who improperly load or secure freight may share responsibility for accidents that happen as a result.

Maintenance Providers

When tie-downs, straps, chains or trailer components fail due to poor maintenance, those responsible for upkeep may also be liable.

People who are injured in truck crashes are often unfairly blamed, particularly by insurance companies looking to dodge or reduce payouts. Insurers arguments often

ignore the simple reality that drivers in passenger vehicles cannot anticipate falling cargo or predict a truck’s sudden loss of control. When thousands of pounds of freight spill into traffic, there is often no safe escape.

Merritt & Merritt Law Firm Helps People Get Back on Their Feet

At Merritt & Merritt Law Firm, our Macon cargo truck accident lawyers are dedicated to helping people and families who have been injured through no fault of their own. We fight diligently to protect and defend our clients rights.

Our goal is to help you move on with your life after an accident by getting the full compensation available under the law. Call our team at 478-845-6464 for a free, no-risk consultation.