Truck accidents are a serious threat to public safety and health in Connecticut. Every year, victims sustain serious injuries and die in accidents involving large commercial trucks. Knowing how liability, or legal and financial responsibility, works in a trucking accident case can help you understand your legal rights as a victim.

Commercial truck drivers have unique jobs, often with irregular schedules and long hours. The nature of a truck driving career lends itself to a high risk of drowsy and fatigued driving. A federal law known as the hours of service (HOS) regulations applies to truck drivers. Its goal is to reduce the risk of drowsy driving truck accidents by restricting how many hours a trucker is allowed to drive without taking a rest break.

All drivers must carefully follow traffic laws and adhere to road rules that help keep them and others safe. But when on the road with large commercial trucks, it pays to practice extra caution. Semi-trucks pose a particular danger to other vehicles on the road for a number of reasons beyond their immense size and weight, which dwarfs common family vehicles on the roadways, giving other vehicles a distinct disadvantage in an accident.