You hear them on the radio every day—tractor trailer accidents during rush hour. These types of accidents usually have tragic endings. As trucks often tip the scales at over 80,000 pounds and can extend up to 75 feet in length, these truck accidents result in more deadly injuries and more fatalities than other traffic mishaps. Look at the statistics.
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), who releases information about truck accidents, reported that the United States experience over 500,000 truck accidents annually. Of this amount, a high percentage is deadly with about 5,000 fatalities reported each year. Twelve per cent of all traffic fatalities in the U.S. involve truck accidents. Tractor trailer truck accidents are the most hazardous. In fact, 98 per cent of the time, the passengers or motorist in the other car dies as opposed to the passengers in the truck or truck driver.
However, this does not mean that the truck driver is necessarily at fault. Over 75 per cent of truck accidents are caused due to a mistake of the smaller vehicle in the collision. The major element in crashes involving passenger vehicles and large trucks is the car driver’s lack of knowledge of a truck’s performance capabilities, including boundaries connected with acceleration, braking, and visibility.
Drivers in passenger cars often commit unsafe acts in the neighborhood of large trucks. Sometimes, they drive in the “no-zones” meaning the space behind and beside a truck where the truck cannot see. Often, passenger cars switch lanes without warning. They may get into the right lane as a truck is making a right hand turn. Motorists may also underestimate the speed of an oncoming truck and make a left hand turn in front of them. They may merge incorrectly into incoming traffic causing a truck to brake and skid into them. Also, drivers often neglect to slow down or speed up for a truck when it is merging or changing lanes. Drivers in passenger cars also pass trucks unsafely, not allowing enough headway. The car may even pass a truck only to get blown away by winds.
Although these are many reasons why the driver of the passenger car is to blame, sometimes the onus of blame lies with the truck driver. He/she may lack adequate training in such areas as safety and defensive driving. He/she may be forced to work long hours and suffer fatigue. He/she may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He/she may be under undue pressure to complete an assignment without regard to safety standards.
According to one study, in 2003 in the United States as a whole, there were 58,212 fatal auto crashes. 4669 of them were truck accidents. 68 per cent of them occurred in rural areas, and 32 per cent occurred in urban areas. 78 per cent of the crashes occurred on weekends.
If you are a truck driver who has been injured in an accident or a passenger car driver who has incurred injury in such a collision, you may have recourse to compensatory damages. We at Ledger and Associates have vast experience handling these types of cases. Call us at 1-800 300 0001 for a free consultation so we can help you through the trauma of your accident.
