Car Accidents Involving J.B. Hunt Trucks
By DangApricot (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
J.B. Hunt is a transportation company with a fleet of over 13,000 18-wheelers and more than 14,000 drivers. The company carries different types of commercial cargo such as building materials, chemicals, beverages, metal sheets, poles, logs and oilfield equipment. The Fortune 500 company is originally based in Arkansas, and has a wide reach with Mexico, the U.S. and Canada being some of the countries it serves on a regular basis.
FMCSA SAFER Report
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regularly shares with the public a report known the SAFER report (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records) which highlights the safety records of various transportation companies in the market. The J.B. Hunt SAFER records, available here, highlight the various crashes that the company’s drivers have gotten into over the last 24 months. As it reads today, one can see that J.B. Hunt has been involved in a total of 1,073 crashes. Of these accidents, 345 resulted in at least one injury, and 26 of these accidents caused at least one death.
There are various reasons in which a J.B. Hunt driver may cause an accident, but the three most-common factors related to trucking accidents are listed below:
- Drunk driving - Intoxication while behind the wheel is a recipe for disaster. An intoxicated 18-wheeler driver is less likely to react quickly when faced with a potentially serious accident. In addition, drunk truck drivers are more likely to drive their trucks in an aggressive, reckless and negligent manner, increasing chances of an accident happening.
- Distracted driving – Not paying attention to the road while driving makes it much more-likely for accidents to occur since one’s mind isn’t completely engaged in the act of driving. The common distractions include texting while driving, checking social media accounts, smoking, eating, pets, talking to other people, and even watching movies/TV on their laptop.
- Fatigue – Due to pressure to deliver products to their destinations in a timely manner, workers may get stretched too thin, forced to drive long distances without resting. This inevitably leads to driver fatigue which consequently impairs their concentration and productivity, making it that much more-likely that they will be involved in an accident.
What to Do after an 18-Wheeler Accident
If you’ve been injured due to an accident with a J.B. Hunt 18-wheeler truck, you must first and foremost report the matter to the police. You need to explain exactly what happened to the responding officer to make sure that the accident report is as accurate as possible.
If you’ve been injured, request an ambulance or have someone take you to the hospital or physician immediately. If you fail to seek medical care in a timely manner, the at-fault driver’s insurance company will argue that this means you were not injured. It’s not uncommon to have slow-forming injuries which may come to head many months down the line, but it is important to seek the advice of a medical professional as soon as possible.
It’s also important to take photographs of the accident scene, write down exactly what happened on paper, and collect contact information from any and all witnesses. Don’t throw away torn clothing or anything else that may have been damaged from the accident; this is evidence that can help in building a strong case against the at-fault driver.
Get Legal Help Today!
If you were hit by a J.B. Hunt semi truck and suffered an injury, please contact Rasansky Law Firm today at 1-877-405-4313 and speak to us about your case for free. It costs nothing to hire us on, we charge you nothing out-of-pocket, and if we fail to recover the compensation you deserve, you never owe us a penny.
Category: In Depth
