Unsecured Loads & Truck Accidents

Experienced New York City Truck Accident Lawyers

Most of us have driven behind a large truck carrying heavy cargo in its rear — lumber, logs, cars on a tow truck, construction equipment, refuse or debris, etc. And most of us know that uncertain feeling when those loads look less than stable on the back of the truck.

We comfort ourselves with a reassuring pep talk. Surely, we tell ourselves, these truck drivers wouldn’t operate at high speeds or on public roadways if they were less than confident in the stability of their cargo.

Our office is here to tell you, though, that those loads are often as unsecure as they appear to be.

In fact, unsecured loads and truck accidents have been a growing problem in the United States for the last several decades. In 2004, a AAA study found that unsecured materials are involved in approximately 25,000 auto accidents each year. In 2007, The New York Times reported that unsecured loads represent an increasing threat on our highways, describing it as a more dangerous version of the littering epidemic that once plagued the American roadway.

“Where ‘deliberate’ litter used to reign,” the Times wrote, “…‘unintentional’ or ‘negligent’ litter from poorly secured loads is [now] making its presence felt.”

People often suffer serious injuries in these accidents, and many have died. Like other commercial truck crashes, unsecured loads and truck accidents account for some of the very worst traffic catastrophes in New York.

Laws are in place to prevent these accidents, and the parties responsible can be held accountable for their negligence — usually financially but sometimes also criminally. The experienced truck accident lawyers at Kaplan Lawyers PC can help victims recover compensation in these cases and fight for justice in the face of a terrible ordeal.

How do Unsecured Loads Cause Truck Accidents?

Commercial trucks are both large and delicate. There is very little margin of error for loading them properly. They require careful balance and appropriate heft. Excessive weight, lack of balance, insufficient restraints for loose items, or using the wrong kind of truck for the wrong kind of cargo can all cause disaster.

While there are many perils concerning unsecured loads and truck accidents, some scenarios are especially common:

• Loose items drop off the back of a truck, crashing onto the hood (or through the windshield) of the car behind it, crushing or killing its occupants.
• Loose items drop off the back of a truck, causing the vehicles behind it to swerve and/or crash.
• Loads shift while a truck is in motion, causing the truck bed to lose balance. This alters the truck’s center of gravity, causing it to roll over.
• Chemicals or other hazardous material can spill onto cars or the roadway, causing burns, fires, explosion, toxic exposure, or environmental damage.
• Vehicles lose cargo without causing immediate harm, but the cargo stays in the roadway. Later, a car unknowingly strikes the object while driving (often at night, when the obstruction is hard to see).

Unsecured loads and truck accidents go hand in hand, and they are more common than most people realize. Please exercise extreme caution when traveling behind any commercial truck. Keep your distance, and avoid following large trucks for long periods of time, if possible.

Get Compensated. Call Our Experienced Truck Accident Lawyers.

If you or a loved one has been injured in any unsecured load truck accident in New York, you may be entitled to substantial financial compensation.

Responsible parties may include:

Kaplan Lawyers PC has years of experience in handling commercial trucking accidents. We have earned a strong record of results for the injured of New York. Our talented team offers insightful and aggressive legal representation, even when there are big companies or insurers on the other side.

Attorney Jared S. Kaplan

Attorney Jared S. Kaplan has focused his career on advancing his legal knowledge though the day to day practice of law. Jared is a partner in the law firm of Kaplan Lawyers PC in Syosset, New York and has been a practicing attorney for nearly 20 years. His career started in litigation, so Jared is aware of the pitfalls in litigation and uses that knowledge in the representation of his clients in complex matters. [ Attorney Bio ]