Cement trucks on New Jersey roads can create a serious risk for traffic and pedestrians around them and for the truck driver. Cement truck accidents often involve complex issues. When a cement truck collides with a car, severe injuries and even death may occur. There are many causes of cement truck accidents, including the design, with the high center of gravity and the weight of the wet cement, causing the cement truck to be particularly unstable. Other causes of cement truck crashes include defective mechanical parts, mechanical failure or malfunction, inexperienced truck operators, etc.
Rollovers
Rolling over is one of the major causes of cement truck crashes. The uneven weight distribution can cause a cement truck to rollover, when it is traveling even at a low speed, while the driver is making a 90-degree turn. Usually, an accident can be averted if the truck driver could make turns more slowly. However, this is not the case with cement trucks. Cement truck drivers are usually in a rush to reach their destination and must keep the cement wet. This can lead to speeding and taking risky fast turns.
Collisions with other vehicles
The high center of gravity with cement trucks causes the balance off during sharp turns. Cement trucks are difficult to maneuver, which means the truck driver can fail to see obstacles out of their direct line-of-vision and can drift out of the lane into oncoming traffic. The size and weight of cement trucks makes it difficult for truck drivers to quickly maneuver back into their lane. A collision with a cement truck can result in critical injuries or even death and drivers that fail to obey traffic laws place themselves and those around them in danger, when traveling near a cement truck.
Poor visibility
Cement trucks, just like other large trucks on the roadway, have blind spots. The vehicle that is in one of these blind spots cannot be seen by the cement truck driver and that creates a risk. When a vehicle or construction workers are directly behind the cement truck, the driver is unable to see the vehicle or person that is in the driver’s blind spot. This places them at a risk of the cement truck backing over the person or colliding with the vehicle behind them.
If a truck accident caused injury or death, the injured party has a right to recover compensation from all the responsible parties. An experienced cement truck crash attorney can help receive financial recovery from all liable parties. If you have been involved in a cement truck accident, please call New Jersey truck accident attorney Jeffrey S. Hark at Hark & Hark to discuss your case.