Dump Truck Accidents in Oklahoma City
Dump trucks are large, tank-like vehicles that can weigh as much as 33,000 pounds when fully loaded. In an accident with an average 4,000-pound car, motorists in a smaller vehicle are vulnerable to serious or catastrophic injury.
In 2016, there were over 8,000 dump truck accidents in the U.S., resulting in 5,483 injuries and 367 fatalities. With Oklahoma City’s growth and road construction, dump truck accidents are a growing problem, including recent news-making accidents closing multiple lanes, shutting down a bridge, and causing a multi-car pileup near Arcadia in Oklahoma County.
What Causes Dump Truck Accidents?
Dump trucks far outweigh other vehicles on the road and have extended blind spots, making wide turns and carrying loads of loose materials. The extended height of dump trucks and back-heavy loads makes them prone to tipping. Common causes of dump truck accidents in Oklahoma City include the following:
- Failing to adjust speed around curves
- Unsafe lane changes
- Sudden shifts of cargo
- Overloading
- Improper merging
- Tailgating
- Distracted driving
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Mechanical failures
- Reversing accidents
- Cargo spills and flying debris
- Tire blowouts
- Tipping due to uneven lanes or road shoulders
- Inadequate maintenance
Inexperienced drivers, fatigued drivers, and impaired driving contribute to the cause of many truck accidents in Oklahoma City and elsewhere.
Common Injuries Involved In Dump Truck Accidents
Dump truck accident scenes are devastating and chaotic, often with multiple cars involved. Many of these accidents end in spilled cargo, including cement, soil, lawn refuse, and chemicals. As a result, dump trucks destroy smaller vehicles, resulting in injuries such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic amputations
- Burns
- Chemical exposures
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- External head and facial injuries
These injuries cause life-disrupting harm, including pain and suffering, lost earnings, diminished earning ability, disability, and permanent scars. These become the damages in a dump accident claim. Additionally, property damage claims for a totalled vehicle are common in dump truck accidents. Before filing a claim to recover damages, a personal injury victim must provide evidence of the at-fault party’s liability.
Liability In Oklahoma City Dump Truck Accidents
It takes many entities to put a well-maintained, carefully loaded dump truck on the road and driven by an experienced, qualified driver. When even one involved party fails to take reasonable care or cuts corners on safety, the results can be a devastating accident with injuries to other motorists.
Proving liability requires an in-depth investigation to identify the negligence that caused the accident, the correct liable party, and the appropriate insurance company. The liable party in an Oklahoma City dump truck accident could be the driver, their employer, a negligent loader, or a negligent maintenance company. In some cases, other entities cause or contribute to the accident, such as the manufacturer of a defective part or a third-party driver.
How Can a Dump Truck Accident Attorney In Oklahoma City Help?
Most dump truck accident claims are made directly against an insurance policy and only become a lawsuit when an insurer wrongfully denies the claim or unfairly shifts liability to the injury victim instead of paying a full and fair settlement for the injury victim’s damages.
If you’ve been injured in a dump truck accident in Oklahoma City, call Dan Davis Law at (405) 543-1257. Our experienced dump truck accident lawyers will help you navigate the legal claim process for the specialized area of Oklahoma truck accident law.