Downhill Brake Failure is often the fault of the driver. Downhill braking requires training and skill on the truck driver’s part. Thus when truck accidents occur, they are often due to driver inexperience or poor training. To control speed down a hill, the driver must have the truck in the correct gear and use one of two accepted braking techniques:
Controlled braking: With this method, the driver applies light and steady pressure to the brake pedal while descending steep hills. While the use of controlled breaking is still taught, research has shown this only helps avoid downhill brake failure when the pneumatic braking system is properly balanced. Because different trailers change the brake balance, controlled braking is not the preferred method for maintaining speed down a steep grade.
Snub braking: With snub braking, the driver selects the correct gear and applies the brakes hard to achieve a speed reduction of five miles per hour. He or she then releases the brakes to cool while the truck begins to speed up as it continues downhill. When the truck regains the five mile per hour, the driver applies the brakes hard, again slowing the truck down by five mile per hour, then releases the brakes and repeats the process the until the truck reaches the bottom of the hill. Research has shown that even with imbalanced brake systems, snub braking results in more uniform brake temperatures than controlled braking and is less likely to cause a downhill brake failure.
What about coasting downhill during downhill brake failure?
If the driver does not apply the brakes at all, intending to rely solely on downshifting the engine to control speed downhill, the driver is likely to lose control of the truck or trailer. An accident is much more likely to occur if a driver coasts downhill. These downhill brake failure accidents involving trucks can cause serious injuries to your back and back injury. It is important to understand your legal rights and receive compensation for downhill brake failure lawsuits; it is important to reach out to a truck accidents and back injury law firms.
Charleston Downhill Brake Failure Accident Lawyers
Coastal towns like Charleston SC are not the first place one thinks of when hearing the term downhill brake failure. The trucking accident do not have to occur in the mountains. The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, also known as the New Cooper River Bridge, has sufficient grade to cause an inexperienced truck driver to make mistakes leading to a car accident.
If you injury your back, spinal cord due to a downhill brake failure , let the trucking accident attorneys at the The Clore Law Group LLC get you the compensation you deserve. Call our Charleston attorneys if you’ve been in a downhill brake failure accident toll-free at 800-610-2546 or click here to contact us online.
