Why Do Semi Truck Accidents Take So Long To Cleanup?

March 3, 2020 | Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers | Truck Accident

Many drivers have spent hours waiting in traffic because of a wreck that is slow on the cleanup. But why do semi-truck accidents take so long to get off the road? A car wreck can be pulled to the side in a matter of minutes, but truck accidents can have freeways and surface streets shut down for hours at a time.

Learn why these cleanups take so long and if there’s anything that you can do about your truck accident or any accident that occurred because of a truck cleanup process. If you get injured in an accident involving an 18-wheeler, contact a St. Petersburg truck accident lawyer that handles semi-truck accidents right away.

Hazmat or Hazardous Material Cleanup

One of the largest factors in cleanup time is the presence of hazardous materials. Virtually anything that could cause harm to humans, animals, or the immediate environment. These often include adhesives, appliances, asbestos, batteries of all variety, controlled substances, dyes, and many more.

Hazmat cleanup is time-consuming and requires specially certified teams to handle the process. Within Florida, teams can begin the process before a licensed contractor arrives on the scene by applying absorbents and sweeping the absorbed materials out of traffic.

Within Florida, any accident that results because of hazardous materials that weren’t cleaned up or were in the process of clean up goes back to the original driver’s company.

Oil Spills and Other Dangerous Fluids

Crews will work to control, contain, and clean up any oil left on the roadway after an accident. Trucks will often result in some oil spilled during the crash. During the crash, the oil within the trucks’ system could leak or flood onto the road, but there’s also the risk of these trucks is transporting oil or other very dangerous fluids.

Although these fall within the greater hazmat umbrella, this is a more specific issue because it’s very likely to happen during a truck accident.

Who Cleans Up After Semi Truck Accidents?

As mentioned earlier, it’s reasonable to start the cleanup without a licensed hazmat contractor on-site, but you’ll need a whole team of people. First responders often have a long list of options when it comes to tow trucks, cleanup crews, and more. Police and emergency medical services probably won’t be the one to contact these crews; in fact, it’s usually the fire department.

The state patrol might have a crew on hand to clean up the road and make emergency repairs. During the initial surveying of the scene, they will need to identify if they are working with bodily fluids, gasoline, oil, or debris. It’s reasonable for a highway department to have some extent of this identification process.

Damaged Vehicles and Scattered Pieces after Semi Truck Accidents

Perhaps the biggest issue that teams face is actual debris. While many drivers see debris on the roadways quite frequently, they understand the extent of the damage that a strip of a tire tread or piece of a fender can do to their car.

Before a roadway can be reopened after a truck wreck, when you have a truck wreck, you’re much more likely to have substantial amounts of debris on the road. Not only because of the more extensive damage caused by the collision but also because they are carrying cargo. If the trailer opens, or the load unleashes it’s a disaster.

When a truck’s cargo unleashes then cleanup crews could spend hours picking up something like air filters, or canned goods. This can even be a problem when it’s a single-car accident with a tipped over the trailer. The larger issue that happens with trailers is that regardless of what they’re carrying, any debris can be a danger to others on the road.

Even air filters can cause people to swerve or could get stuck underneath a vehicle and lead to another crash. Roadwork crews and cleanup crews simply can’t allow a road to reopen unless all the risks and imminent dangers of the road are gone.

After a Truck Accident Should You Call A St. Petersburg Accident Lawyer?

Working with a St. Petersburg, FL, injury law firm is a straightforward way to handle any accident resolution or claim. Even if your wreck was caused by the cleanup and not necessarily the truck involved, you can explore the options available to pursue full compensation.

Contact the St. Petersburg Truck Accident Law Firm of Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today

At Winters and Yonker, we serve St. Petersburg, Fl victims with top-notch legal services. As we are among the auto accident lawyers in Florida, we understand that mass transit and trucking companies play a huge role in the number of wrecks on our freeways and roads. Get help from Winters and Yonker by contacting our offices today.

For more information, please contact Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a truck accident lawyer in St. Petersburg today. We have five convenient locations in Florida, including Tampa, Clearwater, New Port Richey, and Lakeland.

We proudly serve Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Pasco County, Polk County, and its surrounding areas:

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
601 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 223-6200

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
600 Bypass Dr Suite 224-D, Clearwater, FL 33764
(727) 493-4418

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – St. Petersburg Office
111 2nd Ave NE Suite 350, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 314-5988

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
5006 Trouble Creek Rd Unit #200, Port Richey, FL 34652
(727) 910-5060

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Lakeland Office
1543 Lakeland Hills Blvd Suite 18, Lakeland, FL 33805
(863) 251-6196