Bobtail Truck Accidents in Chesapeake | Bobtail Truck Injury Lawyer

A bobtail truck is a truck without a trailer connected. Bobtail trucks are frequently used for the transport of liquid propane gas (LPG) and other types of liquid fuel. Driving a truck bobtail is different from pulling a trailer and it will make a difference in the handling. Driving a bobtail truck can be more challenging at times due to a lot of weight distribution in a relatively short wheelbase. A professional truck driver must learn how to operate a bobtail truck safely without a trailer.

When You Need to Hire a Chesapeake Bobtail Truck Accident Lawyer

In many cases, Commonwealth 18-wheeler accident attorneys must retain the services of scientific and medical experts to prove both the cause of the accident and the cause of your injuries. Additionally, a qualified semi truck accident lawyer will obtain all kinds of evidence concerning the scene of the crash, truck logs, and other important information to be used against the trucker, trucking company, or the company’s insurer. Arranging expert witness testimony and preparing important physical and documentary evidence is just one of many ways a Chesapeake bobtail truck accident injury lawyer can help you after you’ve suffered a truck accident injury from a major 18-wheeler truck wreck.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a serious bobtail truck wreck, semi crash or big rig accident, hiring a lawyer is the farthest thing from your mind when tragedy such as this strikes you, a family member, or a friend. However, this is when you need a Chesapeake truck accident lawyer most. Do yourself a favor by calling one of the qualified Chesapeake truck accident lawyers listed on this page. Hire a qualified Chesapeake tractor trailer accident lawyer to help protect your rights.

Hazardous Road Conditions for Bobtail Trucks in Chesapeake

A trucker driving a bobtail truck must be extra cautious when driving in hazardous road conditions in the Commonwealth such as the I-64, US-17, SH-168, I-464, US-460. The trucker already has to be skilled just to handle a bobtail truck because he or she has to deal with a heavy load without a trailer. The danger already exists for making a sudden stop and losing control. Add hazardous road conditions on top of that and you have a recipe for disaster. A bobtail truck driver must be acutely aware of passenger cars darting in front of the truck. It may come down to a terrible choice of either rear-ending the car or spinning out by hitting the brakes too hard.

Bobtail Truck Accidents Caused by Hazardous Road Conditions in Chesapeake

According to the 2009 U.S. Census, Chesapeake has a population of 222,209 people in a 350.9 square mile area. A lot of roadwork is necessary to maintain the Commonwealth of Virginia's road and highway infrastructure, but these important repairs don’t always happen in time to prevent a roadway accident. Sometimes the situation is made even more dangerous due to severe weather conditions. Hazardous road conditions cause more fatalities than speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol and are one of the biggest reasons for Chesapeake truck accidents.

Local community health centers that will provide medical care to those with low incomes and/or no health insurance:

Norfolk Community Health Center‎
1401 Tidewater Drive 1, Norfolk, VA 23504
(757) 628-1400

Portsmouth Community Health Center
664 Lincoln Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704
(757) 393-6363

Chesapeake Motels are a Refuge When Road Conditions are Bad

Unsafe truck drivers make for unsafe roads. When driving conditions become too dangerous, truckers have a duty to pull over so that they don’t injure their fellow motorists. When road conditions are bad on Chesapeake highways and it is unsafe for the trucker to drive, the semi truck driver should pull off the road at a truck stop or sit it out at a motel such as the ones listed below until it is safe to drive.

Chesapeake Highway Management

Chesapeake is served by U.S. Highways 13, 17, 58, and 460. Interstate 64, part of the Hampton Roads Beltway, crosses through the city, Interstate 464 is a spur which connects it with downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth at the Berkley Bridge, and Interstate 664, which completes the Interstate loop from the Western Branch section of Chesapeake through the City of Newport News and into the City of Hampton. State Route 168 is also a major highway in the area. It includes the Chesapeake Expressway toll road. Chesapeake is the only locality in the Hampton Roads area with a separate bridge division. The city's Department of Public Works, Bridges and Structures division has 51 full-time workers. The city maintains 90 bridges and overpasses. Included are five movable span (draw) bridges which open an estimated 30,000 times a year for water vessels. Major highway bridges in Chesapeake include Steel Bridge, the Gilmerton Bridge, the Jordan Bridge, and the High Rise Bridge, all drawbridges crossing the Southern branch of the Elizabeth River. The Jordan Bridge was built in 1928 and operated with major weight restrictions. Motorists were charged a 75-cent toll that is used to pay for repairs. In 2008, the Jordan Bridge was closed for good. Replacing the bridge is now in progress with the center span having been removed. Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer 2010 on a replacement bridge to be open by fall of 2011. The new bridge is being privately funded just as the Jordon had been originally. Proposed tolls are in the 2 dollar range.

The Virginia General Assembly established the first State Highway Commission in 1906. The original mission of the Commission was, "to maintain, operate, and construct the primary system of highways around the Commonwealth. The first 4,000 miles of Virginia's first highway system was established in 1918. In order to facilitate the allocation of new federal highway funds the General Assembly designated 8 construction districts; those districts remain in place today with one addition, the Northern Virginia District added in 1983. The official state agency, the Department of Highways, was established in 1927. By this time the citizens of the Commonwealth had rejected a bond referendum for road construction and instead on the advice of Governor E. Lee Trinkle instituted a "pay as you go" policy that relied on a 3 cent per gallon tax on gasoline for road construction.

Today, VDOT is a large organization, requiring lots of equipment and employees to maintain the third-largest number of road miles among the states. The 57,867-mile state-maintained system is divided into these categories: Interstate, Primanry, Secondary, and Frontage. A separate system includes 10,561 miles of urban streets, maintained by cities and towns with the help of state funds. Virginia's cities are independent of its counties. Henrico County (1,279 miles) and Arlington County (359 miles) maintain their own roads with VDOT funds. There is an additional 39 miles of toll roads maintained by others.

onized traffic signals and other devices to help keep the area’s traffic running smoothly.

Some of the causes of Chesapeake truck accidents due to hazardous road conditions may include:

• Potholes and poorly maintained roads
• Dangerous roads:
  • Poorly designed roads
  • Steep pavement drops
  • Narrow lanes
  • Sharp curves
• Bad weather (heavy rain, ice, snow and fog)
• Inadequate warning signs about road conditions
• Poorly marked construction zones
• Defective signals and signs
• Poor visibility of traffic signs
• Inadequate highway lighting

Bobtail Truck Accident Attorneys Serve Chesapeake and Surrounding Cities