Commercial trucks share the road with all of us, and most of the time these professional drivers take care in driving safely. However, what happens when a truck driver is driving recklessly or dangerously on your street or during your commute? Knowing what to do can help prevent injuries and may be able to help you get to safety.
Here are a few things you will want to do:
- Your first priority is to get to safety. Never try to engage with a truck driver driving erratically. The weight of the truck can be up to 80,000 pounds fully loaded, and you are passenger vehicle has little chance against this type of vehicle. In addition, you do not know what is going wrong. If the truck driver is experiencing a medical emergency, for example, they may not be able to stop the truck to avoid a crash with your vehicle. If the truck driver is experiencing road rage, any attempt on your part to engage can turn the aggression towards you. Get out of the way of any truck driving erratically or even pull over to the side of the road to stay safe.
- Stay calm and evaluate the situation. Sometimes, trucks make unusual maneuvers because of the size of the vehicle. For example, truck drivers making a turn on a city street need to turn wide because of the size of their trailer. This is perfectly normal, even though it may look strange to a passenger car driver. Stay calm and carefully consider what you’re seeing.
- Get help if you do notice a potentially dangerous situation. If you have evaluated the situation and notice a truck drifting in and out of lanes, hitting parked cars, or otherwise driving in dangerous ways, contact authorities. If possible, take a photo of the truck with your cell phone – only from the side of the road if you can safely do so while your car is stopped – and take note of the license plate number as well as any numbers on the side of the truck. Contact police and report your location as well as details about the truck. Let law enforcement handle the situation.
If you have been injured by a truck driver driving erratically, get to safety as soon as possible. Avoid engaging with the truck driver if they are behaving unusually. Contact police at once if you suspect a driver is having a medical issue or may be dangerous.
If you have suffered a serious injury due to unsafe driver, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free, no obligation consultation. Our attorneys in our offices in Homestead, Hollywood, and Miami have secured tens of millions of dollars on behalf of thousands of personal injury plaintiffs across Florida. Our team has worked on truck accident, car accident, and other types of injury cases. We can help you understand whether you have a claim and how much that claim may be worth.