When we think about truck accidents, we tend to think that truck driver errors – such as truckers who drive while distracted or drowsy – are the cause. Sometimes, however, defective truck parts are to blame. To maneuver safely, massive semi-trucks must be well designed, well built, and well maintained – with well-constructed truck parts, when this is not the case, serious truck accidents can ensue.
Defective Truck Parts
Truck parts do not have to be broken, worn, or damaged to be defective. In fact, some truck parts are poorly designed or manufactured to begin with. When a big rig has a defective part, it makes dangerous accidents that much more likely. The fact is that defective parts often lead to accidents that no one sees coming, and that makes these accidents even more deadly.
Common Accidents Caused by Defective Truck Parts
While a defective truck part can lead to almost any kind of accident, there are several kinds of accidents that are most commonly associated with these faulty parts, including:
Tire Blowouts – When a semi’s tires are not in optimal working condition, they can lead to dangerous blowouts, and defective tires are more prone to such accidents. A blown tire leaves the trucker with less control of his or her rig and often leads to flying debris on the roadway; both of which endanger everyone on the road.
Wheels that Fall Off – When the wheel itself is defective (or the parts that keep the wheel safely in place are defective), the truck can lose a wheel. This leaves the trucker with less control of the rig and propels dangerous debris into traffic.
Cargo Spills – When a semi-truck loses its load (or part of its load) on the road at highway speeds, the ensuing danger is not difficult to imagine. If the truck bed or the truck’s tie-downs (or any other device that holds its cargo safely in place) is defective, the results can be devastating.
Brake Malfunctions – Truck drivers rely upon their brakes to do exactly what they are supposed to do exactly when they are needed. When a truck’s brakes are faulty (or when a part that makes up the braking system is faulty), the truck is that much more likely to be involved in a dangerous accident. The fact is that semis – because of their massive size and weight – already require far greater stopping distances than other vehicles do. Faulty brakes make this discrepancy more treacherous.
Truck drivers, however, are professional drivers who are responsible for knowing how to compensate for the dangers associated with defective parts as safely as possible. In fact, many truck accidents are caused by a combination of trucker error and defective parts.