Protecting South Carolina Truck Accident Victims

In Orangeburg County, there are more miles of interstate highway than any other county in South Carolina. With more interstate mileage, there are more truck drivers. Trucking accidents are very serious. If you have been injured in a truck accident and the driver was negligent, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

Truckers have a responsibility to make sure that the load they are carrying is safe, that their truck is in good working condition and that they are physically capable of driving their route. Sometimes, truckers take back roads to avoid weigh stations. This leads to truckers driving on roads with lower posted speed limits, dangerous curves and smaller lanes. It also leads to more truck accidents.

Some of the ways in which truckers fail to keep the highways safe include:

• Not operating with the proper licenses
• Not checking their trucking equipment including:
  • Failing to take the truck in for preventative maintenance
  • Not checking the tires for tire defects or for low tire pressure
  • Failing to have the brakes checked to make sure they are in proper working order
  • Not checking the load or securing the load properly
• Communicating with their dispatcher via computer while driving
• Speeding on back country roads
• Driving while suffering from fatigue or while under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Why You Need a Lawyer

Truckers falsifying driving records to hide their truck driver fatigue due to lack of rest between driving shifts is not uncommon. Drivers only have to keep log books for six months following an accident, so it is critical that we receive this material soon after the wreck. Occasionally trucking companies will make an effort to hide or alter evidence if their truckers have been negligent. As personal injury attorneys, we at Lanier & Burroughs immediately demand that the books be preserved as evidence following your accident.

We also make sure to obtain truckers’ Department of Transportation physicals and any drug test results following the truck accident. The black boxes record information detailing how fast the truck was moving at the time of the accident, or whether or not they applied the brakes at the time of the accident.

If you have been involved in a trucking accident, you want an experienced attorney representing your interests and gathering this crucial evidence. Contact the law firm of Lanier & Burroughs for more information on how we can help you bring a successful truck accident case and obtain the compensation you deserve.