Common But Deadly

You have probably seen bucket trucks on the road, but may have been unaware that they can cause dangerous accidents, accidents can injure or even kill other motorists on the road.

Why So Dangerous?

There are many reasons why bucket trucks cause many car accidents and deaths. They include:

• Inadequate training for bucket truck drivers
• Inadequate  warnings on the road
• Lax maintenance of bucket trucks
• Faulty rental equipment
• Dropping objects, such as tree branches, tools, or wires into the road

Although utility companies may own and operate their own trucks, many other bucket truck users are renters. They may rent the equipment for a one-time job such as painting a building, trimming trees, or installing a sign. Rental agencies may not give adequate training in the use of the equipment or in avoiding the many dangers facing a bucket truck. Lax maintenance or faulty rental equipment can lead to the boom failing, the truck or bucket tipping, or any other number of mechanical failures resulting in injury or death. And when the boom fails or the truck tips into traffic, other motorists can be endangered.

A person working in a bucket truck on the side of the road may not give adequate warning to passing motorists. Because it has to work in unusual places, the trucks are often stopped where you would not expect it, and if you do not realize the truck is stopped, you may not have time to respond, leading to an accident.  In these cases, the company operating the bucket truck will often claim that the accident is your fault.

Also, people often drop debris onto the road when using the bucket truck to trim trees or service power lines. Tree branches, lights, signs, and live wires are all dropped on the road and all can force drivers to stop or lose control of their cars.

Utility De-Regulation

Another contributing cause of bucket truck accidents is de-regulation of electrical utilities and other companies. Less regulation means greater freedom for companies to cut more corners to pad profits. One cost-saving measure is to give less training to linemen and other bucket truck operators. With less training and less experience they are more susceptible to mistake and error. Bucket trucks are more commonly manned by one, rather than two operators, meaning there is not a second person to mark off lanes, monitor potential traffic problems, and remove fallen debris.

On Your Side

If you or someone you know was hurt in a bucket truck accident, the offices of Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. may be able to help. Contact us today for a free consultation about your case.