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Did The Truck Driver Who Hit You Adequately Inspect his Rig?

August 8, 2016 By Cooper Hurley Law

When I represent people who have been hurt in trucking wrecks, I don’t just look into the circumstances at the accident scene. I consider the requirement to inspect a big rig.

In trucking wreck cases, other factors may also be important that occurred before the wreck. One of the key questions is whether the driver looked over his truck as adequately as he or she should have done before getting on the road.

The Requirement to Inspect a Truck

Before starting a journey a driver is required by federal regulations to be “satisfied” that specific parts and equipment on the rig are in “good working order.”

DOT inspection document

A Department of Transportation truck inspection document

The Commercial Driver License Manual sets out inspection steps and recommends a seven step process. The process is:

Perform an overview of the whole truck;

Inspect the engine compartment;

Start the engine and check out in the cab;

Turn off the engine and check the lights;

Do a walk-around inspection of the truck;

Check its signaling lights;

Start up the engine again and check.

As well as these checks, the driver must make sure the cargo is loaded properly. Although a driver may not have the specialist knowledge of a loading company, he or she needs to look for obvious problems.

The driver also must look at the previous driver’s inspection report and sign it if deficiencies were reported.

Before getting on the road, a truck driver must also document his hours of service. This is crucial because there are strict, federal hours of service requirements that must be complied with. When I am representing someone who has been injured or the family members of someone who has died in one of these wrecks, I will make sure there are no inconsistencies in the hours of service record, such as a record that indicates unsafe speed or other forms of unsafe behavior. We have seen many wrecks that are caused by tired truckers in Virginia.

Although driver’s error is the most significant cause of trucking wrecks, defects are another cause. If there is a problem with lights, tires or even brakes, a driver should pick up on the issue. If you have been injured due to the negligence of a trucker in Virginia or further afield, please contact me at (866) 455-6657.

John Cooper

 

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Filed Under: Defects on trucks, Fatigue Tagged With: defects, inspect, truck

Virginia State Police Inspect Tractor Trailers for Defects After Accidents

March 4, 2013 By Cooper Hurley Law

By Jim Hurley, Norfolk, VA Truck Accident Lawyer

In a new blog on the Virginia Personal Injury Attorneys site my colleague John Cooper writes about how Virginia State Police troopers will check key safety systems such as lights, brakes and tires on big rigs after crashes.

The Virginia Beach. Norfolk and Hampton, VA truck accident injury law firm, Cooper Hurley, handles automobile, truck, and motorcycle injuries as well as other cases such as slip and fall cases, wrongful death and medical malpractice. John Cooper and Jim Hurley have over 40 years of combined experience in handling truck injury accident claims. Attorney John Cooper has been named to Virginia “Super Lawyers” since 2010.
Cooper Hurley represents people hurt in accidents in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News and throughout VA, and always put the best interests of our clients first. Our motto is “Your Injury, Our Fight.” The firm is recognized by other lawyers as “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, a national attorney rating service, for our top level of legal skill and highest ethical standards. If you need help or advice about a serious injury caused by a big rig, please call us at 866-455-6657 or contact us through this website.

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Filed Under: Defects on trucks, Federal trucking regulations Tagged With: big rigs, brakes, Cooper Hurley, defects, Hampton Roads, John Cooper, law firm, lights, personal injury, Tires, tractor trailer, truck accidents, VA, Virginia Beach trucking accident lawyers, wrecks, wrongful death

Norfolk, VA Truck Accident Lawyer Jim Hurley Talks About Tractor Trailer Accidents

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