Speeding truck accidents in DC happen frequently. When a semi-truck gets into an accident, the results can be catastrophic. Unfortunately, a semi-truck weighs about five times more than the average car. This means when a car and a truck collide, the results can be catastrophic for the passengers of the smaller car. That is true for the typical truck accident case. But when a truck is speeding, the results can be much more severe. Given that downtown Washington, D.C., is an urban environment, you might expect that speeding is not an issue. Unfortunately, our 70 years of practicing personal injury law in DC tells us otherwise. Despite the seemingly endless number of speed cameras throughout DC, speeding continues to be a frequent occurrence.
Speeding truck accidents in DC disrupt the rhythm of traffic and pose a dangerous threat to pedestrians, bikers, drivers, and any DC residents around them. Whether it is a delivery truck, a garbage truck, an Amazon truck, or any of the many other trucks around downtown, many are on a schedule. They may have a certain number of deliveries they must make in a day. Their employer may give incentives for delivering to more stops in a day than everyone else or above a certain number. Consequently, drivers may feel obliged to get to each destination quicker and complete their assignments faster. Naturally, this leads to more speeding by trucks. Given their sheer length and even width, a truck at any speed is difficult to maneuver. This leads to wider turns and more challenging maneuverability. When speeding is an added factor to contend with, accidents occur.
The causes of speeding truck accidents in DC vary from case to case. Having handled and successfully resolved thousands of accident cases, we have observed countless causes of speeding truck accidents. Why a trucker might speed is not always relevant for liability purposes. However, understanding the root causes may allow drivers to avoid their negligence and for lawmakers to cut down on the number of speeding accidents.
Driver behavior and pressure refers to drivers’ pressure to make deliveries on time. Some delivery companies are notorious for pressuring employees and providing stringent guidelines on how many deliveries a driver should make daily. Suppose that a driver has piling bills he needs to pay to support his family. He knows he will receive a bonus if he makes a given number of deliveries daily. Thus, he is incentivized by his employer to make as many deliveries in a day as quickly as possible. He may be on an excellent pace for the week, but come Thursday, a road may be closed down for a motorcade in downtown Washington, D.C. As any DC resident knows, this can happen anywhere without notice and last far longer than one might like. This disruption can cause the driver to fall behind the pace he needs for the week to get his bonus.
Accordingly, the driver intends to make up for that pace for the rest of Thursday and the whole day on Friday. To do so, he decides to speed. Towards the end of his Thursday shift, he rear-ends your truck, causing a DC speeding truck accident. This is just one example of pressure on a driver that results in speeding. But the reality is drivers can feel pressure for any number of reasons. A truck driver may be exhausted and trying to finish his shift. Driver pressure does not excuse their liability, nor does it cover the damages you incur because of the truck accident, but it is a common cause to be aware of.
Two scenarios related to road and traffic conditions result in speeding truck accidents in DC. The first is when a truck tries to maneuver through dense traffic. Doing so may require the driver to speed. But, of course, an 18-wheeler cannot weave through traffic the way a smaller car can. However, as discussed above, dense traffic conditions coupled with driver pressure to meet deadlines frequently stress drivers and result in speeding accidents.
The second scenario is when a speeding truck is on the highway in DC. There are many locations throughout Washington, D.C., where a hill obstructs visibility down the road. So, a trucker may be speeding down the highway above the speed limit when heavy traffic conditions ahead have other vehicles at a standstill. While lighter cars may be able to come to a complete stop before causing an accident, a speeding truck may be unable to do so.
A lack of adequate training is a factor in many speeding truck accidents in DC. Not all truck drivers are sufficiently trained to control such large vehicles on more narrow, urban roads. In many scenarios, the posted speed limit is too fast for a truck to maneuver safely through traffic in the bustling streets of DC. Whether going around a curve or making a tight turn where a wide turn is needed. Trucks need to adjust to the environment. This often requires foresight to recognize a dangerous scenario before entering it because it is too late once the truck is in the middle of a wide turn when a tight one is required.
Moreover, lack of adequate training translates to inexperience. It is not that a truck should ever be speeding as it is per se negligent; the ability to control the truck when it is speeding is something adequate training can address.
Inadequate road infrastructure is one of the most common causes of speeding truck accidents in DC or any urban environment. Urban environments are not suited for larger trucks. Some roads downtown may not be well-suited to accommodate heavy trucks at high speeds, lacking the necessary signage, road width, or appropriate speed limits. For example, if a road is overly narrow, while it may be legal for a truck to operate on that road, it will need to be especially careful not to float into another lane. When a truck is speeding, the truck can’t be careful around tight turns that are already unsafe due to inadequate road infrastructure.
The legal framework of a speeding truck accident in DC is based on the negligence theory. Any driver, including a truck driver, has a duty to operate their vehicle safely. While the legal duties of a truck driver and a regular driver who is not a professional arguably have different duties owed to other vehicles on the road, both duties nonetheless do not allow for speeding. Speeding is a breach of the duty owed by all drivers to behave as would a reasonably prudent person in like circumstances.
Driving their truck above the posted speed limit may be, per se, negligence. Per se negligence means an action is negligent on its face. Related to speeding, if a truck driver operates their vehicle in excess of the speed limit, that is a breach of the law. That is what legal theory holds. However, proving that a defendant’s speed led to the collision is not always necessary or feasible. Instead, we must prove that the defendant acted with some degree of negligence. If they rear-ended your vehicle or came across the median and hit your truck head-on, negligence can be proven so long as we have evidence that our version of events is more likely than not to have happened. Then, we must prove that the breach of duty was a proximate cause of the damages you suffered from the accident.
If you have questions about speeding truck accidents in DC, call our office today for a free consultation. We can be reached 24/7 at (202) 331-7227.