Truck Accidents Happen When Truckers Ignore Height And Weight Restrictions

August 15, 2017
3:48 pm

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Truck Accidents Happen When Truckers Ignore Height And Weight Restrictions

Dallas, Texas, 08/15/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

As a regular motorist, you probably don’t pay much attention to signs on the highway that warn about weight or height limits. Your sedan or SUV isn’t going to cause a bridge to collapse, and the roof of your family car probably isn’t tall enough to strike the underside of an overpass. Simply put, height and weight restrictions aren’t in place for the average motorist.

These warning signs are there for one class of drivers: commercial trucks. This includes tractor-trailers with a high profile and a heavy load that can weigh 80,000 pounds or more. As Americans know, our nation’s highways are in dire need of repair, and many of the country’s bridges simply can’t handle excess weight.

Unfortunately, some truck drivers interpret these warning signs as suggestions rather than mandates. When trucks attempt to squeeze under bridges or travel across highways that aren’t equipped to handle their weight, they put everyone on the road at risk.

Trucker Negligence Puts All Motorists at Risk

A late June 2017 semi-truck crash in a Minnesota tunnel is just the latest example of a semi-truck driver ignoring posted weight restrictions. According to media reports, the Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis restricts semitrailer trucks, over-the-road buses, delivery trucks, and vehicles weighing over 9,000 pounds from traveling inside the tunnel.

Despite the ban, traffic cameras set up by the Minnesota Department of Transportation have caught several large trucks traveling through the tunnel, causing bottlenecks in traffic. A department spokesperson stated, “It’s a combination of truckers not knowing or not caring. There is limited clearance, risk to the safety of other vehicles. They need to stay out of there.”

In a separate incident in New Jersey, a portion of New Jersey’s Atlantic City Line railroad had to be shut down because a boom truck struck a bridge and damaged the rails overhead. According to a media report, the accident was the third truck-related accident in New Jersey in a single week.

In yet another accident, Houston officials were forced to shut down multiple lanes on the Katy Freeway in early July 2017 when a semi-truck struck a bridge.

Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Discusses Semi-Truck Height and Weight Limits

Fort Worth Texas truck accident lawyer Amy Witherite states: “Truck height and weight limits are in place for a very good reason. They are not suggestions. Truckers who ignore height and weight limits put themselves and everyone on the road at risk. They also risk destroying bridges and sections of road that can cost millions of dollars to repair.”

1-800-TRUCK-WRECK® We Keep Life Running

If you’ve been injured in a semi-truck crash, or you have lost someone you love in a truck accident, protect your right to receive compensation by speaking to an experienced truck accident lawyer today. Contact a Texas truck accident lawyer right away to discuss your rights and options. Our goal is not only to make sure that you receive the medical treatment and compensation that you deserve, we will also be with you every step of the way to Keep Life Running while you recover.

Media Contact:
Lucy Tiseo
Eberstein Witherite, LLP
Phone: 800-878-2597
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