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Top Causes of 18-wheeler and Large Truck Crashes

Crash Facts - Large Trucks

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Interstate/Intrastate Trucking

With 18-wheelers and large trucks weighing as much as 80,000 pounds, the vast difference in size and weight makes regular four wheel automobiles especially vulnerable when involved in collisions with these vehicles. In two-vehicle crashes involving passenger vehicles and large trucks, 98 percent of the highway fatalities are occupants of the passenger vehicle, according to the National Highway and Traffic Administration.

In addition to the inherent dangers involved with size and weight, trucking companies often impose unreasonable delivery deadlines on their drivers. The pressure to deliver often means that trucks are not maintained in the best shape—this comes from the logic that any truck that is off the road is not making the company money. Though there are Federal rules that limit how much weight a truck can carry, many companies exceed the limit. These overweight trucks are even more dangerous. Not only do they take longer to brake and become more prone to roll over in crashes, they also damage roads and bridges at rapidly increasing rates even when slightly overloaded. 

To further complicate crash investigations involving these vehicles, there are two sets of rules governing 18-wheelers and large trucks. Interstate federal laws which govern trucks that cross state lines and Intrastate laws, which differ from state to state and govern trucks operating only within the state.

Top Reasons for 18 Wheeler and Large Truck Crashes

• Fatigued, sleepy or tired driver driving too long and too many hours without rest
• Overloaded trucks
• Truck drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol while driving
• Failure to maintain or repair truck
• Poorly maintained brakes on the trucks
• Driving in conditions of poor visibility due to fog, snow or rain
• Truck driver inexperience and lack of ongoing training
• Speeding or driving at speeds incompatible with roadway design and/or weather conditions
• Running off the road
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Aggressive driving behavior such as tailgating
• Dangerous or reckless truck driver with a long record of wrecks and crashes
• Unsafe safety systems, reflectors, lights and other warning devices
• Failure of truck to have installed an underside protection underguard

Such large vehicles cannot maneuver as easily as smaller vehicles, meaning that greater care must be taken to create a safe driving environment and avoid collisions with other automobiles. The driver of a large truck has more blind spots as well, making it difficult to see vehicles, pedestrians, and other objects on the road. Also, when trucking crashes do occur, it often becomes difficult for large trucks to stay upright, ultimately causing a greater hazard on the road.

In personal injury cases, the attorneys of Janet, Jenner & Suggs know how to investigate and present cases involving 18 wheelers and large trucks. Our knowledge of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations helps us focus on the facts that bear most directly on the driver's ability to operate a big rig safely: driver fatigue, inspection and maintenance of the vehicle and trailer, training and licensing considerations, and the driver's past safety record.

Additionally, our understanding of the trucking industry helps us identify multiple defendants and sources of compensation in such catastrophic injury cases where the limits of a single commercial insurance policy might be insufficient to compensate you and your family for the full range of losses. Our commitment to maximizing the value of your case means that we look beyond the obvious to find all of the defendants who should be held accountable for your loss.

Crash Facts (Large Trucks)

• 5,190 people were killed in crashes involving 18 wheelers and large trucks in 2004, representing 12 percent of all traffic fatalities. Of these, 77 percent were occupants of another vehicle, 14 percent were large truck occupants, and 8 percent were non-occupants. An additional 116,000 people were injured in those crashes. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) 2005).
• Nearly one-quarter of occupant deaths in passenger vehicles that had multi-vehicle collisions were the result of crashes involving large trucks. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).
• Large trucks make up just 4 percent of all registered vehicles and 7 percent of all vehicle miles traveled, but are involved in 11 percent of all crash fatalities. (NHTSA).
• The annual death toll from truck-related crashes is the equivalent of twenty-six major airplane crashes every year.
• The large number of truck-related deaths and injuries carries an enormous personal and financial price tag. The costs of large truck crashes in a year exceed $19 billion.
  

Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

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Copyright © 2007 Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC, Attorneys At Law.
Attorneys admitted in multiple states and the District of Columbia. Practicing nationwide on a Pro Haec Vice basis.
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The facts of every case are different and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome on any particular case. Additional information and representative cases handled by Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC are available on www.MedLawLegalTeam.com and will be provided to you free of charge upon request.