Cargo is a critical part of any trucking experience, and it must be secured and protected to avoid complications. However, shifting cargo can occur while a truck is moving, which can cause truckers to trigger accidents that may require the help of a trucking accident lawyer to fully understand.

Cargo Shifts May Cause Many Trucking Accidents

Truckers carrying cargo must tie down their loads to decrease the risk of accidents. However, cargo sometimes shifts on even the most prepared truck, which could cause the vehicle to veer heavily in one direction. When this happens, the driver may temporarily lose control and cause an accident. If the cargo shift is severe enough, the truck could even tip over after hitting something. This situation can cause a myriad of accidents and other issues that can be very scary to see and troubling to manage. Additionally, a large number of people are probably going to want to sue the driver. In this situation, it is important to examine the cause of the cargo shift with a high-quality truck accident attorney. Doing so can help to figure out who is to blame for the accident.

Proving Liability In These Cases

Cargo-shift truck accidents may seem fairly open and shut – the driver failed to secure their load properly, causing the accident. However, complications may be thrown into the truck accident law case. For example, the driver may not have secured the load but had somebody else do it for them. Though they may be ultimately to blame if they did not check the load properly, they may shift some liability to the load secure professional. Likewise, the driver may try to point to a failure in certain types of gear to get out of this liability. For example, they may state that the securing buckles or other gear failed unexpectedly, even after being inspected and upgraded. If they can prove that manufacturer defaults caused the cargo to shift in their truck that triggered the accident, they could shift liability enough to avoid damages.

Liability can be further complicated if that truck driver is part of a crew and employed by a larger company. In some cases, the company my be implicated in the accident if their securing methods are considered poor or if they didn't take enough steps to double-check them. Such difficulties often makes it necessary to work with a truck accident lawyer who fully understands these types of cases.