Tanker Truck Accident | Lawyer Sarasota Florida

Tanker trucks transport much needed bulk items such as gas, oil, chemicals, orange juice, milk, beverages, sugar solutions, dry flour, paints, plastic pellets, cement and radioactive materials.

Tanker trucks come in numerous shapes and sizes, depending on their use and purpose. Some are equipped to carry “tanktainers” allowing for inter modal transport. A tanktainer holds the tank within a frame so that a tank can quickly be moved from a ship to a railcar and onto a tanker truck, for example.

Without tanker trucks, retail gasoline service stations would not be able to provide us with the gas our vehicles need to operate. The fact is we are dependent upon tanker trucks to operate efficiently to provide us with materials we consume in everyday life, or materials used ton construct consumer products and other goods.

But tanker truck accidents also pose grave dangers on our roads and highways. They are much more difficult to control than passenger cars and require much greater distances to stop. Tanker trucks are substantially heavier than passenger cars, and their air brake systems take longer to activate than those of passenger vehicles, which use mechanical/hydraulic brake systems.

The added weight of their cargo adds these dangers, especially if the cargo is liquid and the hold is not protected. Adding further to the potential of a highway accident and accident injury is the fact that over 70 percent of tanker trucks are laden with hazardous materials that can be released if the tanks are ruptured in an accident.

Another possible danger is that of “wet lines”. Wet lines are piping beneath a cargo tank that is used for loading of gasoline and other petroleum products. They reduce the frequency that loaders have to climb on top of the tanks, resulting in fewer injuries from slips and falls. They are also designed to break off when struck by an object or another vehicle so that the entire container they are attached to is not compromised. Fires from tanker truck accidents can result in severe burn injury and wrongful death.

Because of the potential hazards tanker trucks pose on our highways, these vehicles must be built, tested and maintained according to strict specifications outlined by the United States Department of Transportation’s Research & Special Programs Administration (RSPA). Drivers and mechanics, along with safety specialists must be trained in compliance with hazmat training regulations.

In addition, truck drivers must also comply with standard safety regulations issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FCMSA) and the Florida Department of Transport (FDOT) Division of Motor Carrier Compliance.

If you or a loved one is a victim of a tanker truck accident, or if you have been injured as the result of hazardous materials that were released, it may be in your best to seek an attorney who handles Florida truck accident claims, including tanker truck accident claims. Contact our accident lawyers so we can help you through these most difficult life challenges you are facing.