If You Have Been Injured in an Accident Caused by a Defective Commercial Vehicle, Our Firm Can Get You the Best Settlement

Milton Shook • July 18, 2022

Everyone who commutes back and forth from home to work via their own car or truck knows that traffic is heavier then ever these days, and because of that, the risks of an accident are also greater then ever. Accident happen to many people every single day.

Many traffic accidents come from drivers making mistakes while driving; there is, after all, a reason they are called "accidents." In some cases, however, an accident may be caused by design or manufacturing defects in vehicles, including commercial vehicles used by workers while doing their jobs. Given the size of many commercial vehicles, the damages caused by such an accident can be quite extensive, and can result in downright devastating injuries or even deaths to a number of workers, or even some innocent passersby.

The Increased Risk of Defective Commercial Vehicles

If a worker is injured or killed due to a collision caused by a defect in a commercial vehicle, the injured party may have a valid legal claim for damages against a number of parties. Those parties can include the manufacturer, the distributor, the employer or even those persons involved in the operation of the vehicle, such as fleet maintenance workers. In many cases, commercial vehicles can be very large, which means accident investigators could face a significant challenge to sort among all of the potential causes for the accident, and to even determine whether a design or manufacturing defect is present.

If the investigation uncovers that the accident that led to the injury was caused by a defective commercial vehicle, many different parties may be liable, depending on the circumstances. For example, if a trucking company failed to replace a part due to cost cutting, and the failure of that part can be determined to have caused the accident, the trucking company may be responsible. If the designer or manufacturing company produced a faulty piece of equipment that directly caused or contributed to the crash, they could be found responsible, as well. In many cases, several parties can be held responsible, which can be good for the plaintiff, since multiple insurance companies, representing multiple parties, may have to chip in on a settlement.

The Most Common Types of Truck Equipment Failure

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in a report produced in 2004, large truck accidents were cited as the primary cause in more than 12 percent of all traffic accidents with fatalities. This despite the fact that they only make up four percent of all registered vehicles on the road.

Just as importantly, truck equipment failure is one of the leading causes of truck accidents everywhere in the country. Even more tragically, most equipment failure crashes could have been prevented with proper maintenance. While there seems to be an impression that these defective and malfunctioning trucks suffer from massive problems, the fact of the matter is, these vehicles often have tens of thousands of pieces of equipment, all of which can fail at any time. The list of the most common commercial vehicle defects that lead to accidents includes:

Defective straps or tie downs that cause unsecured loads to shift or fall off the trailer
Defective coupling
Broken mirrors
Broken hydraulic hoses
Faulty windshield wipers
Defective wheels
Steering defects
Defective trailer hitch
Burned out headlights, taillights or turn signals
Broken defroster

In other words, the defects we often think of as "catastrophic" are often not as dangerous as others, which we may think of as "minor." These defects happen often, even though many federal and state laws are in effect all over he country to supposedly regulate the maintenance practices of truck drivers and their employers. Usually, truck drivers are instructed to perform a complete inspection of their vehicles before each shift, regardless of the type or the length of the haul. Proper inspection and maintenance should eliminate the possibility of equipment failure or malfunction and prevent catastrophic injuries and damages caused by a crash.

Why the Risk of Defective Commercial Vehicles is Significant

There are a number of ways in which several dangerous defects can be found in a single commercial vehicle involved in an accident, and they may include any of the following:

One defect or a number of defects in the design and engineering of the vehicle. These defects could render the vehicle inherently dangerous and quite possibly defective, no matter how well the manufacturer ultimately put it together.
There can be commercial manufacturing flaws, in which factory-originated errors cause a normally well-crafted vehicle to malfunction. If the flaw effects safety features, this can be even more of a factor.
In some cases, a commercial vehicle is inherently dangerous, and the people at the trucking company with the responsibility of maintaining the vehicle in a manner intended to make it relatively safe and drivable failed to make it so.
If a commercial vehicle is inherently dangerous and the vehicle's owners failed to properly warn drivers warn or failed to provide them with appropriate instructions for safe operation. If that failure can be proven to have been a factor, that can cost the trucking company a pretty penny, since federal regulations require all operators to be provided with clear warnings about how to use the relevant vehicle safely. In addition, operators are also entitled to receive clear details regarding any inherent risks.

Only Product Liability Experts Can Help You Win in a Commercial Vehicle Accident

Because of the complexity involved with investigating incidents involving potentially defective commercial vehicles, it is important that an accident victim consult with an attorney who understands these complexities, and can sort through all of the legal options available to you, to protect your rights.

The Commercial Vehicle Accident Attorneys at Lento Law Group have extensive experience handling cases for those who are victims of accidents involving defective commercial vehicles, and that includes many of the largest companies in the United States. If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in an accident caused by a defective commercial vehicle, call the Defective Commercial Vehicle Injury Lawyers at Lento Law Group immediately, so we can investigate thoroughly and get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries and other damages.

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The Education Department is opening fewer sexual violence investigations as Trump dismantles it

January 17, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — Before President Donald Trump’s administration started dismantling the Education Department, the agency served as a powerful enforcer in cases of sexual violence at schools and universities. It brought the weight of the government against schools that mishandled sexual assault complaints involving students. That work is quickly fading away. The department’s Office for Civil Rights was gutted in Trump’s mass layoffs last year, leaving half as many lawyers to investigate complaints of discrimination based on race, sex or disability in schools. Those who remain face a backlog of more than 25,000 cases. Investigations have dwindled. Before the layoffs last March, the office opened dozens of sexual violence investigations a year. Since then, it’s opened fewer than 10 nationwide, according to internal data obtained by The Associated Press. Yet Trump’s Republican administration has doubled down on sexual discrimination cases of another kind. Trump officials have used Title IX, a 1972 gender equality law, against schools that make accommodations for transgender students and athletes. The Office for Civil Rights has opened nearly 50 such investigations since Trump took office a year ago. Even before the layoffs, critics said the office was understaffed and moved too slowly. Now, many firms that handle Title IX cases have stopped filing complaints, calling it a dead end. “It almost feels like you’re up against the void,” said Katie McKay, a lawyer at the New York firm C.A. Goldberg. “It feels like a big question mark right now,” she said. “How are we supposed to hold a school accountable once it has messed up?” An Education Department spokesperson said the office is working through its caseload, blaming President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration for leaving a backlog and rewriting Title IX rules to protect LGBTQ+ students. Trump officials rolled back those rules. “The Trump Administration has restored commonsense safeguards against sexual violence by returning sex-based separation in intimate facilities,” spokesperson Julie Hartman said. “OCR is and will continue to safeguard the dignity and safety of our nation’s students.” Students have few other places to turn The layoffs have slowed work at the Office for Civil Rights across the board, but it has an outsize impact on cases of sexual violence. Students who are mistreated by their schools — including victims and accused students alike — have few other venues to pursue justice. Many are now left with two options: File a lawsuit or walk away. One woman said she’s losing hope for a complaint she filed in 2024. She alleges her graduate school failed to follow its own policies when it suspended but didn’t expel another student found by the school to have sexually assaulted her. No one has contacted her about the complaint since 2024. The woman recently sued her school as a last resort. She said it feels like a David and Goliath mismatch. “They have all the power, because there is no large organization holding them accountable. It’s just me, just this one individual who’s filing this simple suit,” the woman said. The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. The civil rights office is supposed to provide a free alternative to litigation. Anyone can file a complaint, which can trigger an investigation and sanctions for schools that violate federal law. In 2024, the agency received more than 1,000 complaints involving sexual violence or sexual harassment, according to an annual report. It’s unclear how many complaints have been filed more recently. Trump’s administration has not reported newer figures. In conversations with the AP, some staffers said cases are piling up so quickly they can’t track how many involve sexual violence. In December, the department acknowledged the civil rights backlog and announced dozens of downsized workers would be brought back to the office amid a legal challenge to their layoffs. The workers’ return offers some hope to those with pending civil rights complaints. Department officials have vowed to keep pushing for the layoffs. Historically, the feds have held schools and colleges accountable Before Trump was elected to his second term, the office had more than 300 pending investigations involving sexual assault, according to a public database. Most of those cases are believed to be sitting idle as investigators prioritize easier complaints, according to staffers who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. The details of past cases underscore the urgency of the work. In 2024, the office took action against a Pennsylvania school system after a girl with a disability told staff she had been sexually touched by a bus driver. She was put back on that driver’s bus later that afternoon, plus the next two days. The district was required to designate a Title IX coordinator for its schools, review previous complaints and consider compensation for the girl’s family. That year, the office demanded changes at a Montana school where a boy was pinned down by other students and assaulted after a wrestling practice. The students had been suspended for three days after school officials treated it as a case of hazing instead of sexual assault. In another case, the office sided with a University of Notre Dame student who had been expelled over accusations of sexual misconduct. The student said the college never told him precisely what he was accused of and refused to interview witnesses he put forward. Cases that get attention from the federal office are being handled under federal rules created during Trump’s first term. Those rules were designed to bolster the rights of students accused of sexual misconduct. Lawyers who work with accused students see little improvement. Justin Dillon, a Washington lawyer, said some of his recent complaints have been opened for investigation. He tells clients not to hold their breath. Even before the layoffs, cases could drag on for years, he said. Others gave up on the office years ago. The LLF National Law Firm said it stopped filing complaints in 2021 in favor of suing schools directly. Lawyers at the firm said the office had become incapable of delivering timely outcomes, which was only worsened by the layoffs. Complaints can be resolved several ways. They can be dismissed if they don’t pass legal muster. Many go to mediation, akin to a settlement. Some end in voluntary agreements from schools, with plans to rectify past wrongs and prevent future ones. In 2024, under Biden, the office secured 23 voluntary agreements from schools and colleges in cases involving sexual violence, according to a public database. In 2018, during Trump’s first term, there were 58. Since Trump took office again last year, there have been none. The dismantling of the Office for Civil Rights comes as a blow to Laura Dunn, a civil rights lawyer who was influential in getting President Barack Obama’s Democratic administration to make campus sexual assault a priority. As the issue gained public attention, the office started fielding hundreds of complaints a year. “All the progress survivors have made by sharing their story is being lost,” said Dunn, who’s now a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York. “We are literally losing civil rights progress in the United States, and it’s pushing us back more than 50 years.” ___ The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

What the Next Artificial Intelligence Phase Means for School Discipline

By By: Joseph D. Lento September 8, 2025 • September 12, 2025

Artificial intelligence continues to make big changes on school campuses at all levels nationwide. Students have already learned how helpful AI tools can be for studies. Yet students have also experienced a frightening wave of school academic misconduct charges alleging misuse of those AI tools. LLG National Law Group’s premier attorneys have rallied to the defense of students accused of AI misuse, defending and defeating school misconduct charges for students at all levels nationwide. But the latest wave of AI chatbot tools threatens to once again transform the school misconduct landscape. Call 833.536.8652 now to retain the LLG National Law Group’s highly qualified attorneys if you face artificial intelligence issues with your school. Student Use of AI Tools in School To this point, students have used ChatGPT and other general artificial intelligence tools, and similar tools designed more specifically for education, to aid their studies. Students have used general AI tools to propose paper topics, suggest paper organization, flag spelling and grammar errors, and suggest improvements in writing. Students have also used general AI tools to correct problem answers, explain subjects more thoroughly, and for similar traditional study purposes. These uses of AI have made studies more efficient and productive, speeding learning. Chat Bots as the Next Phase of School AI Tools Artificial intelligence chatbots, though, are further accelerating the pace of technological change in schools. Students are now able to use platforms like Schoolhub.ai to create their own individual AI-powered chatbot as a personal study assistant, tailored to their specific needs and school program. Getting ready for school once meant buying notebooks and pencils. It later meant buying a laptop computer or tablet. Today, preparing for school may mean creating and training your own chatbot as a personal study assistant. The Discipline Risk of Chat Bots Teachers, professors, departments, and schools have all been slow in developing and publishing policies on student use of AI tools. That delay led to a first wave of student academic misconduct charges for misusing readily available, greatly helpful, and widely used AI tools. Our attorneys have been busy turning back that first wave of AI misuse charges. The new AI-powered chatbots, though, don’t just write assigned papers or answer exam problems, as specifically prohibited by many school policies. The AI chatbots are instead active student study partners, more like a human tutor than a computer program or other digital tool. Schools need to quickly modify their AI policies to help students take due advantage of these powerful new learning tools, rather than to punish students for getting the help they need. Premier Student AI Misconduct Defense Available Retain the LLG National Law Group’s premier attorneys if you are a student facing AI misconduct charges in a school disciplinary proceeding. Our attorneys are ready to help you defend your AI chatbot use or other use of AI tools. We help hundreds of students nationwide defend and defeat student code of conduct charges of all kinds. Call 833.536.8652 now for the representation you need for your best possible student discipline outcome.