Original content by Coluccio Law on The Legal Examiner

Federal trucking law can be complicated and wonky. The one thing you need to know about it right now: the trucking company and truck driver are responsible for making sure the truck and its equipment is safe.

A truck trailer tire comes off—and causes a devastating car crash.

The car in that picture belonged to a really nice young family.

They were heading home on I-5, in Washington State, on a sunny March afternoon.

Rory was driving. His wife Jennifer was in the passenger seat. Their young daughter was in the back seat.

A trucker on the opposite side of the highway was hauling a truck and trailer back to Canada whena rear wheel came off his trailer.

That tire crossed over several lanes of traffic. It bounced across the highway median, and slammed into the family’s car, causing it to flip over.

This was not an “accident.” Truck inspections could prevent it

The truck’s trailer tire did not spontaneously fall off and jump onto a car.

• The truck driver hadn’t done all the required pre-trip— or a post-trip—inspections.
• The trailer’s owner did not have a proper maintenance program; nor did the truck’s owner.
• Neither the truck driver nor the trailer owner could certify that the wheels and tires had been correctly mounted and torqued onto the trailer.

This was, at best, a predictable result of shocking neglect and sheer incompetence…

Full article on The Legal Examiner