Dump trucks frequently operate in active construction zones, on uneven terrain, or close to pedestrians and work crews. These conditions, combined with their specific design and purpose, can lead to certain accidents that don't happen with other kinds of trucks. So how exactly do accidents with dump trucks differ from other truck accidents?
Answer: Dump truck accidents are often more complex than a typical commercial truck accident because of their higher center of gravity and the areas where they are often used. Those factors complicate an accident investigation and reduce the pool of accident reconstructionists qualified to review the crashes.
In this article we'll talk more about the unique features of a dump truck accident, how they must be investigated, and why these details matter for accident victims.
What Makes Dump Truck Accidents Unusual?
Any vehicle can be dangerous when mishandled, but the scope and scale of damage caused by a commercial truck accident tends to be much greater. Dump trucks have certain unique qualities that sometimes make them even more dangerous than a run-of-the-mill 18-wheeler.
For one thing, the environment where dump trucks often operate is different than that of a standard semi-truck. Long-haul trucks spend the majority of their time on highways and interstates, but dump trucks generally operate closer to pedestrians in places like construction sites, residential areas, or smaller local roads. These locations may have limited space, poor sightlines, and uneven terrain, which increases the risk of overturns, full rollovers, and collisions with nearby workers, equipment, or pedestrians. Because of that, dump truck accidents are more likely to dovetail with pedestrian or jobsite accidents.
Another key difference is how dump trucks are loaded and unloaded. The beds of these trucks are basically giant buckets on hydraulics, meant to carry and dump building materials like gravel, sand, or debris. That kind of cargo is generally loose and poorly secured inside the dump trailer. If it's imbalanced or shifts suddenly, that can destabilize the whole truck and make it overturn. This is more common with dump trucks than it is with semi-trailers, which usually carry enclosed, secured cargo.
Furthermore, dump trucks are built differently from other commercial vehicles. For example, they're generally a little shorter than semi-trucks to help with maneuverability. Once they're loaded, though, their center of gravity tends to be pretty high, increasing the risk of overturns during sharp turns or sudden stops. If that happens, or if their tailgates or bed hydraulics malfunction, they could dump several tons of cargo—more than enough to block a road or bury someone.
Lastly, we can't forget about the human element of these accidents. Even the dump truck drivers themselves may be more prone to accidents than their long-haul cousins. Countless crashes, from fender benders to massive pileups, have occurred when dump trucks carelessly or impatiently pulled into traffic from a construction zone or took a corner too fast. Even if they don't directly crash, rapid course changes still run a high risk of overturns and cargo spills.
Altogether the combination of different operating environments, cargo types, truck builds, and driver mistakes makes typical dump truck accidents more localized, and in some ways more complex to investigate, than highway trucking incidents.
How Will an Attorney Investigate a Dump Truck Accident?
When an attorney investigates a dump truck accident on behalf of a victim in a civil lawsuit, the process is typically aimed at identifying all liable parties and gathering the evidence necessary to prove negligence or wrongdoing. The circumstances of a given accident can change an attorney's approach somewhat, but the steps generally follow a pattern:
- Interview the victim. The first thing an attorney will generally want to do is hear their client's side of the story. It's important to see things through the victim's eyes and learn the broad strokes of the accident from their perspective, since the attorney will need to convincingly present that story to a jury.
- Obtain and preserve evidence. This is the "meat and potatoes" of an accident investigation, as a personal injury claim won't get very far without plenty of clear proof. There are many sources for that—witness statements, police reports, treatment records, etc.—but a dump truck accident needs a careful and complete reconstruction effort too. For example, the physical location of a dump truck crash (like a construction zone or work site) often plays a big role in how things unfold. Attorneys may look into environmental factors, road or terrain conditions, permanent and temporary signage, and the construction firm's compliance with local safety regulations.
Attorneys will also want information about the truck, its driver, and the company behind them, but they'll have to take swift action to get it. A spoliation letter sent to the company demands that they not delete or "misplace" things like maintenance logs, dashcam footage, and black box data from the truck. Company safety history, employment records, and relevant contracting arrangements will also be important, and yet the company will almost certainly resist providing any of that. A subpoena forces them by court order to provide whatever the attorney requests for review. Without a subpoena, the company has no duty to hand over anything that might implicate it or its driver. - Consult experts. Expert analysis is often crucial for building a case, particularly when there's a specialized vehicle or unusual location involved. Experienced attorneys generally hire accident reconstruction specialists, engineers, or industry experts to examine the mechanics of the crash, evaluate the truck's loading procedures, and see whether the dump truck met safety and operational standards. If mechanical failure is suspected, for example, a qualified expert might check for signs of faulty equipment, improper loading, or poor maintenance.
As we mentioned, the pool of experts who can reliably evaluate a construction site/dump truck accident is smaller than those who look at other wrecks. These cases take specialized industry knowledge, and fewer experts have the technical background to assess hazards unique to construction zones, such as load handling, worksite traffic management, and OSHA compliance. As such, an experienced attorney will reach out only to properly-trained and -equipped professionals, rather than just seeking a general CMV crash analyst.
Ultimately, the attorney’s goal is to build a comprehensive case that connects the cause of the accident to actionable negligence. That's not always simple even for seasoned lawyers, but by investigating carefully with expert help and using evidence to build a case, the attorney can negotiate from a position of strength or argue confidently before a jury. All of that is far more difficult for an accident victim without the necessary resources or connections.
Grossman Law Is Here to Help
As we've hopefully illustrated today, dump truck accidents in many ways aren't like other commercial wrecks. Those differences can make a victim's case trickier to pursue, often requiring specialized experts, thorough investigation, and aggressive pursuit of information that its keepers won't readily give up. All that put together may confuse and overwhelm accident victims who try to handle their own cases. In fact, we've spoken to more than a few who thought their cases were "open and shut" only to get stuck in the complexities of commercial vehicle litigation.
The Texas truck accident lawyers at Grossman Law Offices have decades of experience helping victims of all kinds of commercial accidents, from 18-wheeler crashes on the highway to dump truck accidents at busy construction sites. Our attorneys know what to look for, who to hire to help them find it, and what to do with the evidence they uncover. If you were hurt or lost a loved one in any kind of commercial vehicle accident, call Grossman Law today for a free and confidential consultation. Our attorneys are available 24/7 to speak with you.
