Forestry remains a central industry in South Carolina, contributing about $23.2 billion to South Carolina’s economy and employing more workers than any other industry in the state. Transporting logs to mills within and outside of South Carolina is an essential component of logging, but a fully loaded logging truck outweighs standard passenger vehicles by thousands of pounds. Unfortunately, immense trucks hauling logs pose a significant danger to motorists in other vehicles sharing the roadway.
A logging truck accident study noted that states in the Southeastern portion of the U.S. had the highest number of logging truck accidents, including in South Carolina. Fatal logging truck crashes increased by an alarming 41% between 2011 and 2015, the most recent study date.
Causes of Logging Truck Accidents
Overall, logging trucks are not common, but the results of a logging truck accident in Columbia or elsewhere are destructive and devastating to those involved. Common causes of logging truck accidents in South Carolina include the following:
- Improperly secured logs
- Overloaded trucks
- Unbalanced loads
- Inexperienced drivers
- Overly wide turns
- Tailgating
- Speeding
- Unsafe lane changes
- Improper merging
- Poor truck or trailer maintenance
Logging trucks have extended blind spots and poor visibility. They also make wide turns and require long stopping times. The logging truck accident study also showed that logging trucks tend to be older than other freight-carrying trucks on the road, averaging 13 years old compared to 7.6 years for other semi-tractor trailer trucks. Older trucks are more likely to have equipment failures and mechanical problems that contribute to accidents.
Liability In a Logging Truck Collision
After a serious accident involving a logging truck in South Carolina, an injury victim first focuses on surviving their injuries, but when medical bills begin piling up at the same time they aren’t able to return to work, a truck accident personal injury claim helps relieve financial hardship that impacts entire families. Making a successful claim for damages requires an investigation into the cause of the accident to determine the negligence that occurred and the appropriate liable party. Common liable parties in South Carolina logging truck collisions include the following:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The logging company
- A negligent freight loading service
- A negligent truck maintenance company
- The manufacturer of a defective truck part
Logging trucks are devastating and destructive accidents, especially when heavy logs spill into the roadway or onto involved vehicles.
Recovering Damages In a Logging Truck Accident Claim in Columbia
Survivors of logging truck accidents often experience serious or catastrophic injuries with life-altering adverse effects. Even those fortunate enough to experience only minor, fully recoverable injuries deserve compensation for their medical expenses and lost earnings. Those with catastrophic injuries deserve the maximum compensation available to them. Damages recovered in South Carolina logging truck accidents may include the following:
- Property damage
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Anticipated future medical expenses
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss/lowered future earning ability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for other non-economic damages that might apply, such as disfigurement, loss of limb, diminished quality of life, loss of enjoyment of life, or the loss of one of the senses or an organ.
If a loved one dies due to injuries sustained in a logging truck accident, close family members can recover their losses and a sense of justice through a wrongful death lawsuit.
Call the Columbia Logging Truck Accident Attorneys at Marc Brown Law Firm
The compassionate Columbia truck accident attorneys at Marc Brown Law Firm understand the devastation of a logging truck collision and the frustration of making a claim against a powerful logging company and their profit-protecting insurance provider. Instead of tackling a complex claim for damages alone, reach out to Marc Brown Law Firm today so we can hear the details of your case and take prompt action on your behalf.