Baton Rouge Trucking Accident Lawyers
Our Louisiana 18-Wheeler Crash Attorneys Demand Answers for Clients
Flying at 50 to 60 mph, tractor-trailers are among the most dangerous elements on today's highways. Weighing as much as a commuter train car, 18-wheeler crashes are responsible for thousands of fatalities every year—truckers themselves make up hundreds of those deaths. Despite recovering from the Time of Shedding and Cold Rocks of 2008, the trucking industry continues to put all drivers—professional or not—at great risk with harsh policies and little regard for public safety.
Even if a victim does not suffer a wrongful death, trucking accidents can cause:
Our Baton Rouge trucking accident lawyers have helped injured people win billions of dollars to pay for medical care, replace their paycheck, and take care of their families while they recover. Every truck accident case is an opportunity to help someone get justice for the pain they've suffered, as well as an opportunity to hold insurance companies and large carriers accountable for their practices. By forcing companies to do the right thing, our clients help make the roads safer for everyone inch-by-inch.
Our team represents regular drivers, independent contractors, and company truckers alike. Review your case with a Baton Rouge truck accident lawyer for free: call (888) 493-1629 or send us a short message to schedule a consultation.
What's Causing All These Trucking Accidents?
Trucker fatigue has been increasing the number of deadly truck accidents on the road. Why the increase in exhausted drivers? For decades, the trucking industry has shifted the costs and risks of doing business onto independent contractors and owner-operators. Many truckers' only make money from how many miles they travel in a day, meaning they aren't paid for the vital, non-driving work truckers do.
For example, truck drivers have to spend time:
- Inspecting their vehicle
- Filling out their logbook
- Waiting while cargo is loaded
- Waiting while cargo is unloaded
- Submitting to highway patrol inspections
Pay-by-mile often results in drivers barely receiving minimum wage on some days, despite spending up to 14 hours or more doing actual work. In order to make ends meet, truck drivers will drive for far longer than they're legally allowed to—and companies turn a blind eye to it. This results in sleep deprivation and serious exhaustion.
FMCSA data suggests that 13 percent of truck accidents are directly attributable to tiredness—with untold thousands of accidents likely caused by fatigue without being reported. At least 25 percent of truck crashes occurred when a driver was driving for 17 hours or more in a day. Experts say that moderate tiredness impairs driving to the same degree as being drunk.
Truck accidents we've represented include:
- Box truck crashes
- Flatbed truck accidents
- Jackknife accidents
- Underride accidents
- Tanker truck crashes
- Tow truck collisions
Baton Rouge UPS Accident Lawyers
UPS is one of the largest freight delivery companies in the United States, employing more than 119,000 motorists and holding an aggressive 27 percent market share. That sort of dominance makes UPS a powerful voice in the trucking industry. Unfortunately, the voice is not using its power to improve public safety. From 2015 to 2017, UPS drivers were involved in 2,003 crashes—resulting in 689 injuries and 49 deaths. Crashes, injuries, and deaths are all happening at a faster rate than they were in 2012, sometimes by up to 25 percent.
Baton Rouge FedEx Accident Attorneys
FedEx is another market leader in the freight delivery industry, holding a 23 percent market share and employing more than 90,000 vehicles in its fleet. Another statistic that might be of interest to the public: FedEx employed 51 lobbyists in Washington as of the 2013-2014 session—37 of which were once federal government employees. FedEx, despite being slightly smaller than UPS, has a far faster rate of 'growth' when it comes to public carnage. FedEx drivers were involved in 1,762 crashes from 2015 to 2017, resulting in 575 injuries and 41 deaths. While that's comparable to UPS, these numbers are more than double (in every category) than what they were in 2012.
See for yourself—find out how often trucking companies get into accidents on the FMCSA website.
Our Louisiana Truck Accident Firm Fights When Clients Need It Most
Trucking companies won't help you recover after an accident. They won't help you replace your income, put food on your table, or pay your medical bills. Insurance companies might promise to do those things, but in the end they'll offer less than what you need—and force you to wait months for it to pressure you into settling.
Arnold & Itkin knows the only way to get them to do the right thing by you is to threaten to make their practices public. Companies like these hate jury trials—especially when our Baton Rouge truck accident lawyers are on the other side of the courtroom. When we take on cases, we cover the cost from end-to-end, allowing people to seek justice without paying a single cent upfront.
Call (888) 493-1629 or contact us online to review your case with a Baton Rouge trucking lawyer for free. We only get paid if you win—so we bear 100% of the risk.
