While the following truck accident story is being used more as a joke than it is a news story, it still represents an important opportunity for us to talk about truck accidents and the many different risks that they pose to drivers out on the road — and the various ways that they can be caused by the truck driver or the vehicle itself.

A truck overturned in London recently, spilling it’s cargo — a vast quantity of milk cartons — all over the road. This caused an understandable furor on social media, as users made light of the saying “there’s no use crying over spilled milk.” It doesn’t appear that anyone was injured in the accident and many people enjoyed a lighthearted laugh as a result of the accident.

However, a truck’s cargo is no laughing matter at all. There is a serious point to be made under the surface of this story. How was the cargo secured in the first place? Was it even and balanced on the truck’s flat bed? Who were the people involved in the loading process of the cargo? Does the trucking company or the truck driver have previous safety violations or issues that have been reported?

The answers to these questions are very important in any truck accident that involves falling cargo, because the objects that fall off a truck can cause serious damage to other vehicles. Or, in other cases where the cargo isn’t balanced, a truck could overturn and topple onto another vehicle.

Source: TIME, “Dairy Truck Accident Serves As a Reminder to Us All About Spilled Milk,” Cady Lang, March 16, 2018

It is a chaotic and stressful time, but after a car accident you need to do everything in your power to be calm and prepare yourself for what comes next. There are some simple steps that you can take that will greatly improve your standing after a car accident, and many people fail to do this.

It will be difficult to relax and prepare yourself for the aftermath of an accident simply because the shock of a car accident — even a minor one — can cause people to become angry and not act like themselves. This is why the first step is to be calm.

Once you have collected yourself and you are ready to handle the next few steps, you should get out of the car and check on the other people who were involved in the crash. If they are in need of medical attention, then call 911 and do whatever the responders tell you to do. If it isn’t a medical emergency situation, then you need to exchange information with the people involved in the crash.

When this is completed, you can then do some needed evidence gathering. Take out your phone ans snap some pictures of the accident scene, including the vehicles involved, the damage done (and any shrapnel on the ground), and any signage or street lights that played a role. If you are considering a lawsuit after the crash, then consult with an attorney.

Source: FindLaw, “After a Car Accident: First Steps,” Accessed March 7, 2018

Truck accidents are so scary for a lot of reasons. Any auto accident is scary, of course. But with smaller vehicles, there is less power and force that goes into the crash itself when compared to an accident that involves a multi-ton, 18-wheel behemoth of a vehicle. Trucks are just far more dangerous when they are involved in a crash than practically any other vehicle. When a truck crash does happen, the victims often suffer debilitating, catastrophic or fatal injuries.

How these accidents happen vary from wreck to wreck. In some cases, it is actually a passenger vehicle or other vehicle that causes the wreck. This can happen for many reasons, such as driving in a truck’s blind spot, quickly changing lanes in front of a truck, braking suddenly in front of a truck, or just operating your vehicle in an unsafe manner near the truck.

But on the other side of the equation, there are plenty of reasons why a truck driver or a trucking company could be at fault for a truck accident. The driver could be negligent due to substance abuse, fatigue, or using a cell phone. The trucking company could be at fault for allowing drivers to circumvent rest laws. And the truck itself could be improperly loaded or maintained, leading to wider questions about liability.

Whatever the reason for a truck accident, the victim deserves justice for the financial and physical harm they suffered.

Source: FindLaw, “Common Causes of Truck Accidents,” Accessed Feb. 27, 2018

1963 was the first year that more than 40,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in the United States. This was a combination of the vehicles becoming more widely used and a dreadful lack of safety equipment available on them. The rules of the road were also much different back then.

However, for nearly three decades the figure stayed above 40,000 deaths per year, and routinely jumped above 50,000 deaths per year. It wasn’t until 1992 that it dropped below 40,000, and then it immediately went back above it the following year, and remained there until 2008.

That was the year of a major change, and ever since the motor vehicle fatality rate has stayed beneath 40,000 deaths per year. It reached a modern era low of 32,479 deaths in 2011, and it seemed poised to remain at these lower levels well into the future. But a funny thing happened: the last two years of recorded data saw dramatic upticks in the number of people dying in car accidents.

No one is entirely sure why it is happening, but in 2016 there were 37,461 motor vehicle accident fatalities.

Of course, distracted driving is an easy culprit to point to, and for good reason. People have become so enamored with their cell phones that using one while driving has become commonplace. It will be interesting to see where the data goes from here, as road laws may need to change to ensure that safety improves.

Source: Wikipedia, “Motor vehicle fatality rate in U.S. by year,” Accessed Feb. 21, 2018

Dogs are man’s best friend, and in most cases they are properly trained pets that adore their owners and love the people that are around them. But in certain cases, the dog may be improperly trained or display vicious and dangerous behavior. These dogs are serious threats to everyone around them, and if they snap and attack, they can cause catastrophic or even fatal injuries to unsuspecting people.

There were 31 fatalities in 2016 that were related to dog bites in the United States. From 2005 to 2016, the number of dog bite-related deaths was 392, and a vast majority of these cases involved a pit bull. Even though pit bulls only make up 6 percent of the dog population in the U.S., they were involved in 71 percent of the fatalities related to dog bites in the U.S. from 2005 to 2016.

This is the first lesson from these statistics: pit bulls are inherently powerful dogs that are often mistreated. As a result, these dogs can lash out at people and harbor aggressive behaviors. When they are involved in a dog bite incident, the possibility of injury and even death is high. Owners of these dogs need to pay special attention to their dogs, train them properly, and ensure they are secured.

The other lesson here is that dog bites affect a lot of people and families every year. These victims need to fully consider their rights and legal position in the wake of an unfortunate dog attack.

Source: Dogbites.org, “2016 Dog Bite Fatalities,” Accessed Jan. 30, 2018