Got Merriman Fighting For You?

Often wrecks involving large, heavy vehicles result in catastrophic injuries and death. Were you or a loved one seriously injured in a car crash in West Virginia that involved a commercial truck or tractor-trailer? As these types of vehicles must follow truck safety laws you need an attorney familiar with West Virginia law so that he can fight to get you the compensation you are entitled.

Unfortunately large trucking companies and oil and gas enterprises may have a team of high-powered lawyers on their side. You need a strong attorney on your side. West Virginia personal injury and wrongful death attorney Bill Merriman is here to deal with the issues you are facing so you can concentrate on your health. If someone else was responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, he will fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Start getting help today. Call (304) 422-8055 to schedule your free initial consultation to speak with Bill Merriman about a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit involving a truck or tractor-trailer accident in West Virginia.

The roads of West Virginia have seen large truck traffic for years due to the coal industry. In recent years, the hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) boom has made a large impact on the West Virginia economy. The process includes tapping into the vast natural gas reserve of the Marcellus Shale, removing the gas and replacing it with brine. In order to do this large fleets of water trucks haul the brine to the drilling site on a daily basis. This new industry growth has drastically increased the number of heavy trucks on the road, thus increasing the number of truck and tractor-trailer accidents. To make it worse, according to a DOT study, Trucks often weigh as much as 30 times more than a passenger vehicle, so the smaller vehicle passengers are more likely to die in an accident involving a large truck.

Not only has the volume of trucks on our roads grown, but often these trucks are not well maintained causing part failures and major wrecks that can involve multiple vehicles and serious injuries. Another factor contributing to the problem is driver fatigue. According to a DOT study, in crashes where the truck was the main cause of the accident, 87% were due to driver fatigue. As the oil and gas workers are exempt from numerous federal safety standards, including highway safety rules that restrict the number of hours truckers are allowed to be on the road. This means truckers who transport fracking water are allowed to work longer hours than those in almost any other industry