Passenger car drivers are required to follow the rules of the road to protect us and make sure we arrive safely. Semi truck drivers are different situation because they are driving trucks that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and that can devastate anything in their path. Because of the serious injury potential big rigs pose to the public, a commercial or professional truck driver has certain obligations under the safety rules that may not apply to you or I.
One of the areas that can be of critical importance to safety on the highway is a situation where one is confronted with adverse weather. Whether it is from fog, rain, sleet or snow, adverse weather can be critically dangerous and specific rules apply to truck drivers confronted with the situation.
Recently on Interstate 10 outside of Beaumont, Texas over 100 vehicles piled up due to foggy weather conditions early in the morning. While it is a good idea for anyone confronted with adverse weather to pull over and wait for the situation to improve, truck drivers are required to discontinue the trip if they are confronted with dangerous conditions.
Any truck driver who is subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations has the obligation to reduce speed when confronted with adverse weather and to pull off the roadway and discontinue the travel when the situation is sufficiently dangerous. Such a condition obviously existed when the recent 100 car pileup occurred outside of Beaumont, Texas.
Weather conditions, specifically the fog, had to be very dangerous for that many vehicles to have crashed. There are reports that indicated that over 1 mile of highway was covered with wrecked vehicles. Over 80 people were injured and at least 2 people killed in the deadly accident.
While the initial reports do not indicate the initial cause of the crash other than the fog, it is highly likely that the safety regulations could have prevented some of the crashes if the professional truck drivers had followed the safety regulations.
If you have lost a family member in a truck accident take advantage of a free consultation with a Houston semi truck wreck attorney.