Rental Truck Accident

Rental Truck And Moving Company and Transportation Accident Lawyers

Statistics on Rental-Moving Trucks Accidents

Rental trucks and moving companies’ truck accidents frequently cause very serious and sometimes fatal injuries.

In most cases, a moving truck is much larger than other vehicles on the road. They often are carrying much larger loads than the other vehicle they collide with. Naturally, the car or other smaller vehicle is going to experience the most damage and the occupants will be the ones seriously injured or killed. Some large trucks weigh over 80,000 pounds. The following below should demonstrate why they are such a hazard on the road and that extra precautions must be taken in this industry:

• Most fatal truck accidents happen in rural areas, on weekdays, and in the daytime.
• There are over 500,000 truck crashes each year in the U.S.
• Over 5,000 deaths are caused annually due to truck accidents.
• In 2003, there were 58,512 total vehicle accidents involved in fatal crashes. Out of those, 4669 were large trucks.
• 12% of all traffic deaths in the U.S. are a result of truck accidents. In an accident with a big rig, the passenger or driver of the motor vehicle is killed 98% of the time.
• Nearly 360 pedestrians are killed every year in truck accidents
• Large trucks are more likely to be involved in an accident that results in death than a passenger vehicle.

Transportation safety experts have criticized the rental truck industry for some time now. They have pointed their fingers at such companies as U-Haul, Ryder, Mayflower, Penske Trucking, Atlas Van Lines for creating unreasonable risks to the public driving on our highways. They point to the following areas of concern with these large companies:

• Aging trucks and equipment
• Poor vehicle maintain
• Equipment failure and other mechanical issues
• Dangerous towing
• Poor employee training
• Poor or non-existent quality control

By their very nature rental and moving trucks are much larger than most all other motor vehicles. Many moving transport vehicles weigh more than five (5) tons each. This amount of weight traveling down the road at 55 to 65 miles per hour presents a significant risk of injury to the public. Couple this with the fact that they are often driven by inexperienced operators and the risk just goes up. Rental truck accidents cause much more destruction and carry a much higher risk of causing serious injury and death.

Bob and His Staff Know How to Hold Rental Truck Companies Accountable and Get You the MONEY

If you or someone you love has been injured in a crash involving a rental truck or moving truck (moving van), Bob and his staff can help you win your case and ensure that you get the most money that the law allows. Rental companies have a bad reputation for hiding and destroying evidence. Don’t let that happen to you. If insurance adjusters are telling you they won’t pay, call Bob today to set up a FREE consultation. Bob will go over the facts of your case in detail and give you an honest opinion of the value of the case. He will tell you about the personal injury claims process from beginning to end. Bob and his staff have over 20 years of experience taking cases to trial. Don’t let the insurance companies take advantage of you. Protect your rights and call Bob TODAY!

Rental Company Negligence in Rental Truck Accidents

There have been several reports that have been published concerning the safety of rental trucks. In 2007, the Los Angeles Times published a report regarding the overall safety concerns of the major rental companies like U-Haul, Ryder, and Enterprise. The report looked into more than 200 U-Haul rental trucks in particular. Their investigation found that more than 50% were overdue for “company-mandated” safety inspections. Further, these “company-mandated” safety inspections were actually required by law every 30 days. The report indicated that in many cases the inspections were more than one (1) year overdue. This type of corporate irresponsibility was exposing the general public to safety issues on public highways. Something needs to be done.

Rental trucks are not commercial trucks under federal law. You don’t need a CDL to drive them and they are not subjected to inspection regulations by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Although many company officials contend their company inspection and maintenance policies and procedures are equal to or exceed federal requirements, they do not. A number of reports on these safety policies have proven that rental trucks are often under-serviced and poorly maintained.

Rental Companies Put Their Profits over Your Safety

Many rental truck companies have been accused of allowing unsafe trucks to be rented to unsuspecting consumers over the past decade or so. Even more disturbing is how often these companies have destroyed evidence in order to avoid being held liable for their negligence and paying the money that is due to innocent victims. One investigative report found at least eleven (11) times in which a rental truck company had destroyed or lost evidence that could be used to establish the company’s negligence in a lawsuit involving personal injury. The company claimed it never intentionally destroyed any evidence. However, it is difficult to understand how a moving truck could suddenly just vanish.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car crash involving a rental truck or moving truck, protect your legal rights call Bob today at (847) 395-2200 for a FREE case evaluation.