Whenever you are driving along a street or highway and see a commercial truck or big rig, you need to be aware of the dangers that vehicle’s design poses to you. In particular, big rigs have many more blind spots than the average passenger vehicle. If you do not know about these blind spots, you could inadvertently linger in one and increase your risk of being caught in a trucking accident, but our St. Louis personal injury lawyers for trucking accidents are here to help
What should you know about big rig blind spots?
- There is a blind spot about the size of one car directly in front of a commercial truck. If you merge in front of a big rig, try to do so only after passing at least one full car length ahead of it.
- There is a blind spot about the size of two cars directly behind a commercial truck. You should not tailgate a semi-truck in motion for any reason.
- There are large, triangle-shaped blind spots on either side of a commercial truck, with the right side being the most prominent. When traffic is light enough for you to freely maneuver and pick your position on the road, try not to stay in adjacent lanes of a big rig for too long.
- If you cannot see the driver in the side mirrors of a commercial truck, assume the driver cannot see you or your vehicle.
Liability in Blind Spot Trucking Accidents
It is important to realize that being hurt in a trucking accident while remaining in the blind spot of a big rig does not automatically put the liability on you. There are many situations in which you have to enter or stay in a commercial truck’s blind spots. For example, you may be temporarily passing the vehicle, or the flow of traffic might force you to remain in a blind spot. Furthermore, it is ultimately the responsibility of the trucker to carefully and responsibly control and handle their vehicle.
If you get hurt in a truck accident in Missouri, call (314) 241-2929 to talk to a St. Louis truck accident lawyer from The Simon Law Firm, P.C. We have decades of collective legal experience we can use to reduce or eliminate your liability, whether or not you were in a big rig’s blind spot at the time of your accident. For a no-cost case evaluation, you can contact our firm at any time.
