The Dangers of Tanker Truck Accidents

Tanker trucks transport about 25 percent of all freight on U.S. roads. These vehicles consist of a large cylindrical tank pulled behind a truck cab. Because of their size and the sometimes dangerous nature of their cargo, tanker trucks raise unique handling issues for their drivers and create their own set of (often devastating) problems when they’re involved in an Orlando truck accident with other vehicles.

Types of Tanker Cargo Trucks

Tanker trucks typically transport different cargo than their long-haul counterparts. You might see tankers hauling various liquids, including gasoline and other fuel types, wastewater, toxic chemicals, milk, and non-potable water. Nearly all gas transported by tankers is hazardous and includes substances such as propane, nitrogen, hydrogen, and other natural gasses. Companies also use tankers to transport dry cargo, such as agricultural waste, manufacturing waste or byproducts, fertilizers, or grain.

A tanker trailer is a heavy-duty truck-trailer combination with a tank body and approval to carry such contents as chemicals, liquids, gasses, beverages, or dry or bulk goods. Tanker trailers typically fall into the categories of chemical tankers, petroleum tankers, agriculture tankers, liquid food and beverage tankers, water tankers, compressed natural gas (CNG) tankers, and compartmentalized (combined cargo) tankers. In addition, they have further distinctions: insulated tankers, food grade tankers, asphalt tankers, pneumatic tankers, and agricultural tankers.

Tanker Truck Regulations

Because so many tankers carry dangerous cargo, regulatory agencies have implemented rules to ensure that other drivers know that tankers are on the road and that their drivers are qualified to haul that cargo.

Drivers must pass a written examination and skills tests to receive a commercial driver’s license (CDL). On top of that, tanker drivers must take an additional test, prove competency, and receive an endorsement (authorization) to operate tankers. Finally, if the driver wishes to transport hazardous materials in a tanker truck, they must take a written exam, exhibit proficiency in other skills, and obtain a hazardous materials endorsement.

In addition to ensuring that drivers are qualified to drive tanker trucks, regulations require that tankers have placards indicating that the material they are transporting is hazardous. These markings alert other drivers that they should keep an especially safe distance and serves as a warning to first responders to any accident that, depending on the particular tanker involved, they may come into contact with hazardous materials and should use extreme caution.

Causes of Tanker Truck Accidents

Driver error can cause tanker truck accidents before or while operating a vehicle, and the vehicle’s condition and size of its load can also lead to crashes under dangerous circumstances.

Driver Error Accidents

Drivers of tankers can make the same types of errors as drivers of other vehicles. That said, poor driving decisions while hauling hazardous materials are often catastrophic and fatal. Intoxication and drowsiness have nearly identical symptoms in drivers; both lengthen reaction time, fog judgment, and diminish the ability to perceive danger. Truckers who decide to consume alcohol or refuse to stop when tired put others on the road in danger.

Distracted driving things like looking at or talking on the phone, reading a paper map, or simply not paying attention to the road can cause drivers to miss warnings about upcoming dangers or obstacles on the road. Often when drivers are distracted and then return their attention to the road, they over-correct, which can cause their vehicles to roll over or veer off the road or into approaching traffic.

Operating a tanker full of hazardous material at an unsafe speed brings about dangers that don’t exist with smaller vehicles without such loads. Because of the size and weight of tankers, they already take longer to stop than passenger vehicles. When drivers operate at high speeds, the time necessary to come to a complete stop increases, and the driver is more likely to collide with another vehicle or obstacle on the road.

Vehicle Conditions

All big trucks, including tankers, are supposed to be inspected before a driver sets out on the road. A rushed or skipped inspection can cause a driver to miss warning signs about the deteriorating safety of his or her vehicle. Among other things, drivers should inspect their trucks’ tires and brakes to ensure everything is functioning safely.

Blowouts can occur if the trucker underinflates the tires or allows their tread to wear down. A blowout can cause a tanker to move erratically, making it difficult for the driver to control. Blowouts also often result in the tires flying up into the air and landing on the road, creating obstacles for other drivers.

Faulty brakes can lead to horrific accidents. Before drivers set off, they should inspect the brakes on their vehicles. With use, brake pads lose effectiveness as they wear down through contact with the disk. Vehicles show signs that their brakes are beginning to give out, such as vibrating when pressed, squealing, or requiring more than normal force to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Bad brakes increase the time a driver needs to stop and can lead to rear-end collisions if the driver cannot stop the truck in time to prevent an accident.

Load Size Related Accident

The weight of a tanker’s load can change the truck’s stopping time and the ability to make sharp turns.

A tanker less than three-fourths full is susceptible to slosh, which occurs when the liquid inside moves back and forth or from side to side. Slosh causes the center of gravity to change, making it difficult for a driver to control the truck. Slosh and the uneven nature of a less-than-full tanker make it easier for the truck to roll over. Truck drivers must know how heavy their loads are and adjust their driving habits accordingly.

Unique Dangers of Tanker Truck Accidents

Depending on a tanker’s cargo, unique dangers may be present if one is involved in an accident. Consider the following:

Explosions and Fire

When a tanker is in an accident, it is not uncommon for the tanker to leak or receive a puncture from the impact. The nature of certain hazardous materials is such that contact with heat or other elements can cause certain cargo to explode. Even if the hazardous material does not explode, it may still catch on fire from impact, exponentially increasing the danger to all involved.

Those involved in a tanker crash resulting in an explosion suffer fatal injuries more often than those involved in other accidents. Survivors are very likely to receive severe burns that require long-term care or skin grafts and can leave the skin scarred permanently.

Release of Toxic Fumes

Certain chemicals do not need to come into contact with human skin to cause severe reactions. Sometimes, simply breathing such chemicals is sufficient to cause health problems, and you may not even know that you are breathing a dangerous chemical because many fumes are odorless. Inhalation of toxic fumes can cause vomiting, coughing, and eye irritation (and, if the chemical is dangerous enough, permanent eye damage). Inhalation can also cause the nose and throat to swell, making breathing difficult.

Chemical Leaks and Spills

Any impact can cause a tanker leak. Depending on the material and the leak’s size, everyone in the vicinity of the accident may need to evacuate. Toxic fumes and noxious odors may impact nearby businesses and homes. Individuals in the area may need to evacuate while responders clean up the spill, and experts deem it safe to reenter.

If the victims in the crash cannot leave the area immediately whether because their injuries are too severe or they’re trapped in their vehicles they may experience chemical burns. Although these injuries vary based on the severity of the burn, symptoms of chemical burns include disfigurement, infection, loss of limbs or digits, and muscle and tissue damage.

After Your Tanker Truck Accident

If you were in an accident with a tanker truck, there is a chance you suffered severe injuries. In addition to experiencing physical pain, you may suffer from the immense pressure of sky-high medical bills, the loss of your job, and an inability to enjoy life as you previously did.

You have options. The law allows you to pursue legal action against people who injure you through negligence by filing a personal injury lawsuit against those people. You generally must file your suit within four years from the date of your accident. Always retain a competent attorney to represent you in all legal proceedings, so contact an experienced tanker truck accident attorney as soon as possible.

Types of Damages

Once you decide to proceed with a lawsuit, your attorney will file your case and work to build legal claims for the monetary damages that you incurred due to your injuries. The law divides available personal injury damages into three broad categories: (1) economic, (2) non-economic, and (3) punitive. No two cases are exactly alike, and determining which types of damages are appropriate in a case is an extremely fact-specific analysis.

You can recover:

1. Economic damages – The purpose of economic damages is to compensate victims for direct monetary loss. To recover economic damages, victims must provide proof of their losses. Remember that you may only recover damages from the other party to the extent that you did not recover them from anyone else, such as your vehicle or health insurance provider. Common economic damages include initial medical costs (transportation to a hospital, your initial stay there, the costs of treatment, specialists, tests and imaging, and laboratory work), therapy or rehabilitation services, follow-up appointments or surgeries, current and future lost income, and the cost of paying someone to do household chores or other services you can no longer perform.
2. Non-economic damages – Think of these damages as losses you suffer but are not billed for; pain and suffering (both physical and mental), disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, physical impairment, and inconvenience are all types of non-economic damages. Their very nature makes them harder to prove, but experts can evaluate your situation and assign a number to the damages you’ve suffered. Your spouse can also file a claim for loss of consortium if your injuries have affected your marital relationship.
3. Punitive damages – Courts rarely award punitive damages. That said, you may pursue them depending on the facts of your case. Courts use punitive damages to punish defendants for especially egregious behavior and serve as a deterrent for others who may consider engaging in the same behavior.

Types of Injuries

Victims of tanker truck accidents can suffer a wide range of injuries that range from relatively minor to extremely serious – and possibly even fatal conditions.

Some of the most common kinds of injuries victims sustain in these crashes include, but are not limited to:

• Fractures or broken bones – Fractures may require reconstructive surgery and the insertion of plates, pins, and screws, leading to longer hospital stays, rehabilitation, and possibly additional surgeries. Bone fractures usually include simple fractures and compound fractures, with simple fractures or closed fractures being broken bones remaining within the body and not penetrating the skin. In contrast, compound or open fractures are broken bones that penetrate the skin and possibly expose the bone and deep tissues to the exterior environment.
• Concussions – Concussions can lead to serious health problems, including post-concussion syndrome. Symptoms of concussions often include a loss of consciousness that lasts a few seconds or a few minutes, headaches, disorientation, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, and a bad taste in the mouth.
• Closed head injuries – A closed head injury relates to trauma to the head that does not cause a break in the skull. However, the brain and soft tissues in the head can sustain damage without a fracture. Symptoms often include nausea and vomiting, headaches, feeling very sleepy, lightheadedness, weakness or numbness in the arms or legs, double vision or blurry eyesight, problems with memory or focus, difficulty speaking, seizures, changes in mood or behavior, and loss of alertness. Moderate or severe closed head injuries may require emergency care, including supportive care, such as oxygen, IV fluids, and nutrition therapy.
• Back injuries – Back injuries can include sprains and strains, fractured vertebrae, herniated or bulging discs, thoracic spine injuries in the mid-back, chest, and rib area, lumbar spine or lower back injuries, cervical dislocation, cervical fractures, spondylolisthesis, muscle tension, cervical radiculopathy, and spinal stenosis. They can also involve an increased risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders.
• Knee injuries – Knee injuries can be traumatic, acute, or cumulative. Traumatic knee injuries usually involve single traumatic incidents that can damage bones, ligaments, or tendons.
• Leg injuries – Common leg injuries may include broken bones and soft tissue injuries. Broken tibias are frequent, along with dislocations involving bones pulling out of joints, muscle tears, and muscle and bone bruises from direct blows. Upper leg injuries can also include contusions to the quadriceps muscle group with varying degrees of severity. Lower leg injuries may include shin and muscle bruises and contusions, calf strains and ruptures, and leg fractures.
• Neck injuries – Common neck injuries include ruptured discs, broken or fractured necks, nerve compression, herniated discs, or radiculopathy.
• Arm injuries – Arm injuries can include dislocations, tendinitis, osteoarthritis, nerve problems, elbow conditions and injuries such as bursitis and tennis elbow, bicep tendon injuries or strains, hand and wrist conditions and injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, dislocated shoulders, other shoulder conditions and injuries such as torn rotator cuffs, tricep tendon injuries, fractures, strains, broken bones, dislocations, sprains, strains, muscle overuse, and muscle or bone bruises.
• Internal injuries – Common kinds of internal injuries may include broken ribs, brain bleeds, abdominal aorta aneurysms in which the stomach is compressed during an accident and causes a rupture of the abdominal aorta, pneumothorax involving a rib puncturing a lung, ruptured spleens, internal organ injuries, and internal bleeding.
• Skull fractures – The four major kinds of skull fractures are linear skull fractures, the most common kind of skull fracture that involves a break in the bone but does not require intervention, depressed skull fractures involving part of the skull being sunken in from trauma and requiring surgical intervention, diastatic skull fractures involving a widening of the normal suture lines, and basilar skull fractures that are the most serious types of skull fractures and involve breaks in the bones at the base of the skull.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) – A TBI occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. A TBI may be mild, moderate, or severe. Almost half of severe TBI patients will require surgery to remove or repair hematomas (ruptured blood vessels) or contusions (bruised brain tissue). Common disabilities associated with a TBI can include problems with sensory processing (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), cognition (thinking, memory, and reasoning), behavior or mental health (depression, anxiety, personality changes, aggression, acting out, and social inappropriateness), and communication (expression and understanding).
• Spinal cord injuries – A spinal cord injury may be incomplete, meaning the spinal cord can still transmit messages to and from the brain to the rest of the body, or complete in which there is no nerve communication and motor function (voluntary movement) below the site where the trauma occurred.
• Amputations – An amputation is the removal of a limb because of trauma. Parts of the body are often amputated when they are too damaged to repair.
• Paralysis – Paralysis is a spinal cord injury that can impair movement and feeling in various parts of the body, including the face, hands, one arm or leg (monoplegia), one side of the body (hemiplegia), both legs (paraplegia), or both arms and legs (tetraplegia or quadriplegia).
• Severe burn injuries – Serious burn injuries will require first aid and wound assessment, with treatment involving medications, wound dressings, therapy, and surgery. Some people may also require treatment at specialized burn centers for skin grafts to cover large wounds.
• Wrongful death – Any family who loses a loved one in a tanker truck accident has legal rights to financial compensation for their losses. Wrongful death damages can include awards for medical and funeral bills, lost earnings, and retribution for pain and suffering, among many other damages.

Should You Need More Answers, Ask a Tanker Truck Accident Lawyer

When you suffer extreme physical, emotional, and financial hardship due to someone else’s negligence, you need someone who can take on the responsible party and fight for compensation.

No outcome is ever guaranteed, as each case is different and turns on its own set of facts. The best way to obtain the most favorable outcome in your case is to contact a team of truck accident attorneys who will bring extensive experience and knowledge of the law to your case, fight hard on your behalf, and treat you like family.