Increased Bakken Truck Traffic Leads to More Accidents
The Bakken formation is a huge underground oil reserve. This formation was largely untapped until the technology was developed to allow for hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking. After it was discovered that the oil could be extracted from the ground, business boomed in the area. Suddenly thousands of semi-trucks were rolling through the area bringing in supplies, water, and everything else needed to set up camp. Along with that increased traffic came an increase in truck accidents; many of which the innocent victim is left with few options. If you have been the victim of a truck accident, you need to hire a lawyer to help collect the settlement that you deserve. Schedule your free case review with a truck accident attorney from Arentz Law Group P.C. today by calling 1-800-305-6000, or by filling out the contact form on this page.
The Oil Boom of the 21st Century
Until the year 2000, most oil wells were only able to drill down into pockets of oil. This meant that only certain areas of the world were able to produce oil. However, when the technology was developed for a well to be drilled straight down, and then curve horizontally, fracking took off. The area in North Dakota, known as the Williston Basin, is home to the Bakken Shale formation. This formation contains billions of barrels of oil, and companies are pulling it from the ground as fast as they can.
The method of extracting the oil, however, is not without its limitations. Millions of gallons of water are pumped into the well as part of the fracking process. Since the area is naturally arid, much of this water needs to be trucked in. Thousands of trucks carrying water, on top of thousands of trucks carrying other supplies, combined with thousands of trucks carrying crude oil out, leads to a massive increase in truck traffic, and subsequently more truck accidents. Because the boom is happening so fast, companies often don’t have time to properly train their truck drivers.
How Many Trucks?
Before the oil boom, the area saw vehicle traffic of about 1,400 cars per day. As of 2013, that traffic has increased to 14,000 vehicles per day and the road has been widened from two lanes, to six lanes.
This is because that during the first year of production, from drilling to being fully operational, every single well needs about 2,000 truck trips. Combine that with the fact that there are around 2,500 new wells being drilled every year, and suddenly there are a lot of trucks on the road, many with inexperienced or fatigued drivers. Drivers that end up causing truck accidents.
Filing your Truck Accident Lawsuit
Every single day there are thousands of trucks rolling down the roads in North Dakota. These trucks weigh considerably more than a vehicle, so when there is an accident, it is almost always the car that loses the battle, and the driver is left with serious injuries or dead. If you, or a loved one, have been in an accident with a truck, you may be able to file a truck accident lawsuit. These trucking companies have high powered attorneys that work hard to pay out very small claims; you need a highly trained truck accident attorney to fight back. Schedule your free initial consultation by calling 1-800-305-6000, or by filling out the contact form on this page.
A truck accident attorney in Southern California will be able to handle your truck accident lawsuit no matter what state you live in, or what state the accident occurred in.