Driver Beware: Top 5 Causes of Truck Accidents in Oklahoma City

If you live in Oklahoma, you have likely seen several large semis on your daily commute. Gravel trucks, food trucks, hauling and construction equipment-it seems like there’s at least one truck for every ten cars on the road.

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Due to its central location, Oklahoma is crisscrossed by busy highways and interstates. These highways serve as arteries for supplies to get from one side of the country to the other. The increase in truck traffic may be good for the community-but the high density of semis also increases the chances of an 18-wheeler accident in Oklahoma City.

Here are the most common factors that contribute to Oklahoma City trucking accidents:

  • Trucker performance. Due to their long hours behind the wheel, truck drivers will often suffer from fatigue and clinical depression. If they are under pressure to meet a deadline, they may also make irresponsible choices, such as speeding, dangerous merging or other aggressive driving tactics.
  • Heavy loads. Sometimes trucks will be loaded past legal limits in order to earn a higher profit on delivery. An overloaded truck is not only more likely to cause an accident, but it can cause much more damage as a result.
  • Bad weather. Roads become slick and braking gets difficult, but rain and ice contribute to other road problems as well. Many truck accidents are the result of a driver’s inability to see through a rainstorm or losing cargo in heavy winds that clutter the path of traffic behind the truck.
  • Badly patched roadways. Trucks are not as nimble as other cars on the road: they have trouble maneuvering in anything other than a straight line. If they hit large potholes, fall onto uneven pavement or drive over debris, they may not be able to recover control.
  • Blind spots. Big rigs have long blind spots, called no zones,surrounding the front, back, and sides of the vehicle. If a car is traveling in one of these areas, the trucker will not be able to see him-and may merge into the motorist or turn into his path.

As experienced Oklahoma City semi crash attorneys, we rarely see drivers walk away from a truck accident. The effects of a crash with a big rig are often devastating, with injuries that require costly surgery and long recovery times.

No matter what caused your crash, we can help you pick up the pieces. If someone in your family was injured in a semi crash in Oklahoma, call the Buxton Law Group today at (405) 604-5577 for a free consultation.