A collection of local and federal rules controls the maximum weights of vehicles that travel on Mississippi roads. Truckers and their employers must be sure not to overload their vehicles in ways that violate these laws. An overloaded or overweight truck is a hazard to all other people on or near the road.
An experienced lawyer from Reaves Law Firm, PLLC could pursue damages for those injured in overloaded/overweight truck accidents in Jackson. Our skilled 18-wheeler collision attorneys are prepared to take the lead in investigating whether a truck’s weight contributed to a crash. If so, they can use this fact to show that a trucker and their employer were negligent and must provide full compensation for your losses.
There are upper limits to how much a truck may weigh when traveling on a public road or highway. One source of these limits is national laws. The U.S. Department of Transportation sets maximum upper weight limits on all vehicles. As applied to commercial trucks, a vehicle with only two axles can never weigh more than 34,000 pounds. In addition, no vehicle, regardless of the number of axles, can weigh more than 80,000 pounds.
Similar rules apply to travel on state roads. For example, information from the Mississippi Department of Transportation outlines the maximum weight of vehicles traveling on state highways. Under this table, a vehicle with two axles can never weigh more than 40,000 pounds.
These rules concerning maximum truck weights are important for two reasons. First, a truck being overweight is difficult to control. Every pound of weight means that a truck will be slower to stop in an emergency and adds to the force that it will impart on other vehicles in the event of a collision.
Second, violations of laws that exist to ensure safety on the roads mean that a driver may be per se negligent. Drivers who are per se negligent are presumably to blame for any accident. A knowledgeable lawyer from our firm could provide more information about the idea of per se negligence and work to prove fault following overloaded/overweight truck crashes in Jackson.
Showing that a trucker was responsible for a crash is just one part of a comprehensive case. It is just as essential to show how that event has impacted a victim’s life and to demand appropriate compensation from drivers, insurance companies, and trucking operations.
Every case will revolve around the physical injuries that resulted from the crash. In tractor-trailer collision cases, injuries tend to be even more serious than those that come about from wrecks involving smaller vehicles. It is not uncommon for a victim to require:
A comprehensive demand will seek out the payments needed to cover the full cost of this treatment.
In addition, these serious events may impact a person’s life in other ways. This could include emotional traumas connected to the crash, pain and suffering, and even lost wages due to a person being unable to return to work. These losses are just as significant as physical injuries and usually form a substantial part of a demand package. A proactive Jackson attorney strives to understand the full impact of an accident on a victim’s life and demands appropriate payments from all liable parties following overloaded/overweight truck wrecks.
Accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles are sadly common on roads in and around Jackson. Making matters worse, the massive size of these vehicles means that people tend to suffer even more serious injuries than in other car crashes. When a trucker has violated either state or federal law by being overweight or overloaded, they are presumably to blame for a collision.
Reach out to a seasoned attorney at Reaves Law Firm, PLLC today to see how they are ready to help following overloaded/overweight truck accidents in Jackson. They work to investigate the crash, place blame on a trucker, measure your losses, and demand fair payments through insurance settlements and lawsuits. Our committed legal team can provide more information about maximum truck weights and how they may function as a way to prove liability for a crash.
