Like all large trucks, dump trucks are massive vehicles that can cause great harm in accidents with ordinary motor vehicles. Unlike cars, these behemoths are not designed for stable driving and good handling on the road. That takes a backseat to their main purpose, which is hauling and dumping the heavy loads in their beds. This means they don’t stop on a dime or have anything like the maneuvering capabilities of a car. If you get in their way, you can’t always count on their being able to swerve or brake effectively enough to avoid hitting you. When sharing the road with them, you should always give them plenty of space.
This warning applies to all semi trucks hauling trailers because they too, are immensely huge. However, the dump truck also presents its own unique dangers to the public. The dump truck’s high center of gravity makes it unstable on the road. Ordinary semi trucks also have a high center of gravity, however the loads they carry inside their trailers are often palleted cargo, which can have a fair amount of air space between them.
On the other hand, the dump truck’s load can be earth, sand, gravel, or rocks. These materials are very dense and therefore are often heavier than anything carried in a semi truck’s trailer. This heavier load, located high in its bed, makes the dump truck even more top-heavy and prone to tipping over.
If a dump truck is forced to swerve, there’s a good possibility it will tip over. This truck accident can involve other traffic on the road, especially since its load will spill out onto the road and on nearby cars and even pedestrians on the sides of the street. People in cars have been killed by the immense weight of these loads.
Yet another danger is that, unlike the closed trailer of the semi truck, there is often little more than a tarp covering the tops of dump truck loads. Falling debris from the back of the truck’s bed can break windshields, injure motorcyclists, and force traffic to take evasive action that may trigger motor vehicle accidents.
Sometimes dump trucks fail to lower their bed after a dump and unknowingly drive among traffic with the bed raised. The bed may snag and pull down power lines or get ripped off the truck when passing under bridges and overpasses. Dump trucks with raised beds are even more prone to tipping over. This presents an obvious danger to the public.
If you or someone close to you were unfortunate enough to be the victim of a dump truck accident, don’t hesitate to get the help of truck accident lawyers who will fight to get the compensation you deserve. Don’t go it alone. Contact us today.
