How to Report a Dangerous Truck Driver in Mobile, Alabama

If you’ve ever been driving alongside a commercial truck driver not following the rules of the road, you know that it can be a frightening and dangerous situation. Fully loaded semi-trucks often weigh 40 times more than the average passenger vehicle. Add in high speeds and reckless choices and it’s often a recipe for disaster.

Luckily, there are ways to report dangerous Alabama truck drivers when you encounter them. Keep reading to learn how.

What Unsafe Truck Driver Behaviors Should You Report?

Here are some examples of dangerous behavior by truck drivers, whether they are driving a small delivery truck, a massive tractor trailer, or anything in between. Each of these behaviors is reportable to help keep the road safe.

• Speeding: Truck drivers are often on a tight schedule. When trucking companies put profits over safety, they pressure their employees to drive at dangerous increased speeds as they rush to deliver on time. In Alabama, the speed limit for big trucks is 70 miles per hour.
• Swerving: If a driver is swerving, they may be distracted or fatigued, or they could be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Swerving can also cause a semi truck driver to overcorrect, which can lead to rollovers.
• Distracted or Fatigued Driving: Signs a driver is fatigued include swerving, erratic slowing down and speeding up, or weaving all over the road.
• Tailgating: A semi truck can take 20­ to 40% longer to stop compared to passenger vehicles. If a car comes to a sudden stop, a tailgating truck driver may not be able to stop in time to avoid a collision.
• Disregard for Other Drivers: While most truckers are extremely conscious of other drivers on the road, cutting people off, dangerous merges, and other reckless actions put others at risk.
• Improperly Loaded or Secured Cargo: Cargo that is not secured or loaded properly can result in damages and injury to other drivers, especially in high-speed environments.

While these are some of the most common dangerous behaviors, they’re certainly not all of them. If you saw or experienced something dangerous that wasn’t on this list, don’t wait to report it to the authorities. And if you were hurt in the incident, get medical help, and call a Mobile truck accident attorney as soon as you can.

How to Report a Dangerous Semi Truck Driver in Mobile, Alabama

Here’s how to report unsafe truck drivers in Alabama:

• If the danger is immediate, call 911.
• If you’re reporting the past dangerous behavior of an unsafe truck driver, you can report to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) by phone at 1-800-DOT-SAFT, or by filing a complaint on the FMCSA complaint website.

Providing plenty of details when you report a dangerous truck driver will help the authorities find them. If you encounter a dangerous driver, do your best to make note of:

• Any branding on the truck such as the trucking company name
• The truck’s license plate number
• A description of the driver
• A description of the reckless driving and safety violations
• Where and when the reckless driving took place

Remember, your own safety is more important than getting each one of these details. Do not speed up, tailgate, or drive in the truck’s blind spot in order to get this information. The goal is to prevent a dangerous driver from causing an accident, not get in a truck accident yourself!

RELATED: Truck Crashes Are Incredibly Dangerous. Here’s Why

Semi Truck Accidents Are all too Common on Alabama Roads

According to the National Safety Council, truck crashes resulting in injuries or fatalities have increased in recent years. Unfortunately, the passenger vehicle occupants are most at risk in these situations:

• When the truck accident is fatal (5,005 crashes in 2019), 71% of the deaths are occupants of other vehicles.
• When the semi truck accidents result in injury (118,000 crashes in 2019), occupants of the other vehicle are injured 69% of the time.

If you or a loved one have been impacted by a dangerous driver or truck accident in Alabama, you shouldn’t have to pay for medical bills that weren’t your fault, lose out on wages you can’t earn, or spend the rest of your life dealing with the effects of someone else’s mistake.

Instead, contact an experienced Mobile truck crash attorney who can guide you through the personal injury claims process, help you understand your options, and fight for your right to financial compensation.

How an Experienced Mobile Personal Injury Attorney Can Fight for You After a Crash With a Dangerous Semi Truck Driver

When a reckless truck driver causes an accident, it’s common for insurance companies to try and blame the victim to get out of accepting accountability for their actions, as with our client Caylin.

After getting sideswiped by an 18-wheeler on the highway, the trucker’s insurance company offered Caylin a settlement that was much too low to cover her costs. Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys knew that Caylin deserved more, and through our efforts, secured Caylin a settlement that was five times the original offer.

As with Caylin’s story, our team knows how to stand up to an insurance company’s lies and prove a truck driver made a mistake behind the wheel. When we fight for injured people, we also:

• Give you sound legal advice about your options and what to do next
• Handle all the paperwork and procedural elements so you can focus on healing
• Offer emotional support and guidance as you navigate your personal injury claim
• Build a strong case through expert testimony and strong evidence
• Push for a fair settlement and if they don’t comply, hold the companies accountable in court

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Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys knew that Caylin deserved more, and through our efforts, secured Caylin a settlement that was five times the original offer.

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No one should have to suffer after an encounter with a dangerous trucker. To learn more about what to do next, don’t hesitate to give our law firm a call to schedule a free consultation.

Hurt in an Alabama or Mississippi Trucking Accident? Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys is Ready to Fight for You

With decades of experience fighting for people injured in truck accidents in Mobile, Daphne, Foley, and throughout Alabama and Mississippi, Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys knows that the key to a successful truck wreck claim involves robust knowledge and experience with trucking regulations, an aggressive legal strategy, and detailed investigation. Our goal every time is to allow you to focus on your healing while we take care of the rest.

If you have questions about reporting a dangerous truck driver, or are injured from a trucking accident, don’t hesitate to contact our team. You can reach our Mobile office today at (251) 888-8888.  Or, contact us online to set up a free case evaluation to help you understand your case value, your legal options, and what you should do next.

References

McKnight, A. J., & Bahouth, G. T. (2008). Analysis of large truck rollover crashes. Annals of advances in automotive medicine. Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. Annual Scientific Conference, 52, 281–288.

National Safety Council. (2019). Large Trucks. Retrieved from https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/road-users/large-trucks/

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.